Richard Wolf

About

Richard K. Wolf is a professor of Music and South Asian Studies at Harvard University who conducts ethnomusicological field research on the musical traditions, languages, and cultures of South, Central, and West Asia. His work includes the study of regional musical practices, rituals, and cultural expressions, with a focus on communities such as the Kotas of South India, the Wakhi musicians of Central Asia, and Sufi traditions in Punjab. Wolf's research encompasses a wide range of media, including audio/video recordings, photographs, and ethnographic films, which document and explore the transformation of materials, bodies, and spiritual entities through music and ritual practices. His projects include ethnographic films like 'Pots of Millet, Faces of Gold: Transformation,' which draws from over 35 years of research with the Kota community, and 'Two Poets and a River,' examining themes of love and loss among Wakhi musicians. Wolf's background includes early studies in rock music composition and classical guitar at Oberlin College, which shifted after a pivotal experience with South Indian classical music, leading him to study Karnatak vina, vocal music, mridangam, and Tamil in South India. His work aims to provide insights into the artistic and ritual activities of these communities, emphasizing their cultural resilience and transformation over time.

Research topics

• Medicine
• Machine Learning
• Computer Science
• Family medicine
• Surgery
• Statistics
• Demography
• Oncology
• Finance
• Internal medicine

Selected publications

• The Limited Utility of Ranking Hospitals Based on Their Colon Surgery Infection Rates

  Clinical Infectious Diseases · 2020 · 19 citations

  BACKGROUND: The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) use colon surgical site infection (SSI) rates to rank hospitals and apply financial penalties. The CMS' risk-adjustment model omits potentially impactful variables that might disadvantage hospitals with complex surgical populations. METHODS: We analyzed adult patients who underwent colon surgery within facilities associated with HCA Healthcare from 2014 to 2016. SSIs were identified from National Health Safety Network (NHSN) report…

  DOI

• Impact of the Oncology Care Model on Use of Supportive Care Medications During Cancer Treatment

  Journal of Clinical Oncology · 2022-02-25 · 16 citations

  article

  PURPOSE: The Oncology Care Model (OCM) is an episode-based alternative payment model for cancer care that seeks to reduce Medicare spending while maintaining care quality. We evaluated the impact of OCM on appropriate use of supportive care medications during cancer treatment. METHODS: We evaluated chemotherapy episodes assigned to OCM (n = 201) and comparison practices (n = 534) using Medicare claims (2013-2019). We assessed denosumab use for beneficiaries with bone metastases from breast, lung…

  PublisherDOI

• <i>BRCA1/2</i> testing among young women with breast cancer in Massachusetts, 2010–2013: An observational study using state cancer registry and <scp>All‐Payer</scp> claims data

  Cancer Medicine · 2022-03-21 · 10 citations

  articleOpen access

  BACKGROUND: Testing for BRCA1/2 pathogenic variants is recommended for women aged ≤45 years with breast cancer. Some studies have found racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in testing. We linked Massachusetts' All-Payer Claims Database with Massachusetts Cancer Registry data to assess factors associated with BRCA1/2 testing among young women with breast cancer in Massachusetts, a state with high levels of access to care and equitable insurance coverage of breast cancer gene (BRCA) testing…

  PublisherDOI

• The Oncology Care Model and Adherence to Oral Cancer Drugs: A Difference-in-Differences Analysis

  JNCI Journal of the National Cancer Institute · 2022-01-28 · 9 citations

  articleOpen access

  BACKGROUND: Adherence to oral cancer drugs is suboptimal. The Oncology Care Model (OCM) offers oncology practices financial incentives to improve the value of cancer care. We assessed the impact of OCM on adherence to oral cancer therapy for chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), prostate cancer, and breast cancer. METHODS: Using 2014-2019 Medicare data, we studied chemotherapy episodes for Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries prescribed tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) for CML, antiandrogens (i…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Combined laparoscopic and open colon surgery rankings fail to accurately rank hospitals by surgical-site infection rate

  Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology · 2022-07-12 · 6 citations

  articleOpen access

  OBJECTIVE: To compare strategies for hospital ranking based on colon surgical-site infection (SSI) rate by combining all colon procedures versus stratifying by surgical approach (ie, laparoscopic vs open). DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. METHODS: We identified SSIs among Medicare beneficiaries undergoing colon surgery from 2009 through 2013 using previously validated methods. We created a risk prediction model for SSI using age, sex, race, comorbidities, surgical approach (laparoscopy vs ope…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Andrê S. H. Prévôt

  98 shared

• Emily A. Bruns

  Universität Hamburg

  88 shared

• Peter Zotter

  Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts

  87 shared

• Luka Drinovec

  86 shared

• Susan S. Huang

  London Health Sciences Centre

  73 shared

• D. Neil Granger

  71 shared

• Bruce A. Baethge

  The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston

  71 shared

• Sharon‐Lise T. Normand

  Harvard University

  66 shared

Education

• Ph.D., Musicology

  Harvard University

  1990

• M.A., Musicology

  Harvard University

  1986

• B.A., Musicology

  Harvard University

  1983

Awards & honors

• Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Award from the Alexander v…
• 2023 article prize from the International Council for Tradit…

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