Seema S. Sonnad, 52, health services researcher and ultramarathoner
She also rode in horseback events and mentored young riders.
SEEMA S. SONNAD was passionate about her researches in the health services field, but she had another passion, running.
She was one of those runners who think mere marathons (26.2 miles) are not challenging enough. They go for the big distances.
It was while running an ultramarathon in Washington State on May 27 that Seema suffered a cardiac arrhythmia. She died in Valley Medical Center in Renton, Wash. She was 52 and had homes in West Philadelphia and Chadds Ford.
Seema S. Sonnad was director of Health Services Research for the Value Institute at Christiana Care Health System in Wilmington, Del., a position to which she was appointed in October 2012.
Her focus was on applying health-care research to real-world situations. She was a generous mentor and champion of women and minorities in science, medicine and research.
"Seema invigorated our research program with innovation, scholarship and mentorship," said Dr. Janice Nevin, president and chief executive officer of Christiana Care Health System. "In her career, she participated in research leading to more than 130 peer-reviewed publications, including work in surgical outcomes, women in academic medicine, technology diffusion, meta-analysis and guidelines implementation."
The health system said Seema "will be greatly missed by many. With seemingly boundless energy, she was passionate about sharing her knowledge, interests and experience with everyone around her."
Seema arrived in Delaware from the University of Pennsylvania, where she created and directed a newly established health services research program in the department of surgery.
Seema was obviously an extraordinary athlete, with her passion for distance running, but she was also devoted to horseback riding. She competed in the three-day eventing sport, in which horses are put through obedience paces, cross-country runs and jumps over the course of three days.
She and her husband, Dr. Henry Glick, professor of medicine at Penn, enjoyed fine wine and ballroom dancing. He was at her bedside when she died.
She was also described as a "lighthearted yogi." As a distance runner, she enjoyed joining with other ultrarunners and traveled all over the country to compete in events.
Seema was born in Kalamazoo, Mich., and completed her undergraduate degree at Stanford University in 1984, earned master's degrees at the University of Washington in 1988, and Stanford in 1992. She received a doctorate in health-service research and policy analysis at Stanford in 1997.
Before embarking on her research career, Seema co-founded a medical diagnostics company, and worked in business development at Stanford University Hospital.
Her first academic appointment was at the University of Michigan, where she founded and co-directed CHOICES, a research core lab for the medical school. She moved to Penn in 2002.
She married Henry Glick in 2003.
Seema served as associate editor of American Journal of Managed Care, and was an active member of the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research and the Society for Medical Decision-Making.
She served as a reviewer and adviser for the National Institutes of Health, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and most recently the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute.
Besides her husband, she is survived by her father, Subhash Sonnad, and a brother, Rahul.
Services: A memorial service will be arranged.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Seema Sonnad Junior Rider Development Fund, c/o USEA, 525 Old Waterford Road NW, Leesburg, Va. 20176.