Wendi Rotunda

Wendi Rotunda, PhD, is a Research Public Health Analyst and evaluator at RTI International with over a decade of experience leading and supporting mixed-method evaluations guided by implementation science-based frameworks for chronic disease prevention and management programs. Dr. Rotunda has served in leadership roles on multiple evaluations of lifestyle change interventions that aim to promote physical activity, improve healthy eating, and prevent chronic disease onset and progression for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

Currently, Dr. Rotunda serves as a Task Lead for the evaluation of the Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program for CMS, where she leads assessments of program implementation and beneficiary experience. She also leads activities for the Simulation Model of Interventions Linking Evidence to SDOH (SMILES) project for CDC, including the design and execution of a scoping review to identify programs, policies, and practices for inclusion in the simulation model and advising on model parameterization related to intervention impacts on clinical disease risk factors and disease outcomes.

Her notable publications include: 

• Weight Loss in Short-Term Interventions for Physical Activity and Nutrition Among Adults With Overweight or Obesity
• Potential Use of Voice-Activated Personal Assistants in Diabetes Prevention and Management
• Using a RE-AIM Framework to Identify Promising Practices in National Diabetes Prevention Program Implementation
• Implementation of Session Zero as a Recruitment Strategy in the National Diabetes Prevention Program’s Lifestyle Change Program
• Implementing Screening and Counseling for Adolescent Mental Health and Substance Use.