The CostaSheva Lab is a thriving interdisciplinary research group led by founders, Dr. Olga Yakusheva, an economist from Johns Hopkins University and Dr. Deena Costa, a nurse researcher at Yale University. Comprised of interdisciplinary members from Yale, Johns Hopkins, and the University of Michigan, our lab focuses on systems-level approaches to the optimization of health care delivery using big data analytics with an emphasis on the healthcare workforce. This includes the role and impact of nursing in healthcare systems and interprofessional teams in the ICU and in other clinical environments.  

In examining the economic and clinical outcomes of nursing and team practices, we work to quantify and enhance the value of nursing in the healthcare system and as key members of the interprofessional team with the ultimate goal of improving patient outcomes and healthcare efficiency. We partner with healthcare systems (i.e., CommonSpirit Health, Michigan Medicine, and Yale New Haven Health System), employing an academia-industry model to produce impactful, data-driven strategies that inform policy initiatives for optimal health care delivery by the largest healthcare workforce - nurses.  

While Drs. Yakusheva & Costa have been collaborating since 2015, our team first received funding in 2019, from University of Michigan School of Nursing donors to methodologically advance our understanding and measurement of ICU teams. This project set the stage for further work funded by the American Thoracic Society Nursing Research Grant and now ongoing Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and National Heart, Lung & Blood Institute R01 funding. Our group has several currently and previously completed research projects examining clinical team contributions to patient care in the ICU and the healthcare workforce. See our Projects page for further details.