Personal profile
Research interests
Dr. Jennifer Kraschnewski joined the faculty of Penn State College of Medicine in July 2009. She is a clinician-investigator with a research focus on behavioral interventions for healthy lifestyles in both clinical and community settings. She has more than 70 peer-reviewed publications, and her research has been presented and awarded at both the regional and national levels.
Dr. Kraschnewski serves as director of Penn State Project ECHO, part of a national movement to democratize medical knowledge to improve and save lives in rural and underserved communities. Under her leadership, Penn State Project ECHO has robust funding support from the Department of Health and Human Services/Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, with two grants focused on opioid use disorder and alcohol use in youth within central Pennsylvania. Dr. Kraschnewski is also Principal Investigator of the REACH Project, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "Enhancing Hispanic Health in Rural Pennsylvania through healthy lifestyle strategies" (Better Together). She also leads a five-year PCORI-funded study to investigate the impact of obesity counseling on diabetes outcomes utilizing the electronic health records from Penn State, University of Pittsburgh, Johns Hopkins, Temple Health System, University of Utah and Geisinger Health System.
In her prior role as executive director of Penn State PROWellness, she had funding from organizations including PCORI, HRSA, Merck, Boy Scouts of America, Kohl's Cares and the Highmark Foundation.
Teaching and educational interests
In addition to her research and administrative roles, Dr. Jennifer Kraschnewski enjoys teaching internal medicine resident physicians and medical students.
Clinical interests
Along with her other work, Dr. Jennifer Kraschnewski sees patients in the primary care setting.
Education/Academic qualification
Internal Medicine Residency, Duke University Medical Center
Master of Public Health, Thesis: Examining the role of community health workers in public health promotion and disease prevention, University of North Carolina
Primary Care Research, NRSA Fellow, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill
MD, University of Wisconsin
External positions
Member, Society of General Internal Medicine (SGIM)
Member, The Obesity Society
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 1 No Poverty
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SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being
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SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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The Penn State Coordinating Center (CC) for the Multi-Sectoral Preventive Interventions (MSPI) Research Network
Chinchilli, V. (PI) & Kraschnewski, J. (CoPI)
National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities
8/18/25 → 6/30/27
Project: Research project
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Penn State Clinical and Translational Science Institute
Kraschnewski, J. (PI), Hughes, J. (CoPI), Hwang, W. (CoPI), Sinoway, L. (CoPI) & McCormick, J. (CoPI)
National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences
9/15/16 → 6/30/26
Project: Research project
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Comparing Two Programs to Train Staff to Reduce the Spread of COVID-19 in Nursing Homes
Kraschnewski, J. (PI)
Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute
1/1/20 → 12/31/23
Project: Research project
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Engaging Community Health Workers in PCOR to Address Health Disparities in the Context of COVID-19
Kraschnewski, J. (PI)
Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute
1/1/20 → 7/31/21
Project: Research project
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Applying a process mapping methodology to identify barriers and facilitators to social needs screener and medical-legal partnership integration into primary care facilities
Graham, J. D., Kraschnewski, J. L., Allen, S., Makhlouf, M., Sheriff, N., Llavona-Ortiz, J. & Calo, W. A., Feb 23 2026, In: Journal of Clinical and Translational Science. 10, 1, e52.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
Bridging the Gap: Community Insights on Effectively Sharing Research Findings with the Public
Poger, J. M., Schrodel, J. A., Moodie, P., Bordner, C., Sheriff, N., McCormick, J. & Kraschnewski, J. L., 2026, (Accepted/In press) In: Journal of Clinical and Translational Science.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
Community-engaged intervention mapping for developing the DIGNITY program: Supporting decision-making in aging and dementia for autonomy in rural nursing homes
Behrens, L. L., Van Haitsma, K. S., Ryan, S. L., Crimi, K. H., Boltz, M. L. & Kraschnewski, J. L., Jan 8 2026, In: Journal of Clinical and Translational Science. 10, 1, e26.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
Merging Law and Medicine: Patient Attitudes About and Experiences with Social Needs Screening and Medical-Legal Partnerships in Primary Care
Graham, J. D., Kraschnewski, J. L., Allen, S. I., Makhlouf, M., Llavona-Ortiz, J. & Calo, W. A., Jan 1 2026, In: Journal of Primary Care and Community Health. 17Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
Perceptions of Health Research Participation in Rural and Urban Pennsylvanians
McCormick, J., Poger, J. M., Bhandari, S., Whetzel, C., Collie, A. I. M., Eggleston, A., Kraschnewski, J. & Buxton, O. M., 2026, (Accepted/In press) In: Journal of Clinical and Translational Science.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access
Prizes
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Outstanding Collaborative Research Team
Kong, L. (Recipient) & Kraschnewski, J. (Recipient), 2017
Prize
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Outstanding Collaborative Research Team
Abendroth, T. (Recipient), Bascom, R. (Recipient), Berg, A. (Recipient), Chuang, C. (Recipient), Hwang, W. (Recipient), Kraschnewski, J. (Recipient), Naccarelli, G. (Recipient) & Sciamanna, C. (Recipient), 2014
Prize