The Division of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy studies the effectiveness and costs of medications, how patients take their medications, and the impact of drug policies on health outcomes of vulnerable people. The division focuses its research on health outcomes of patients with chronic medical conditions and the roles of pharmacists in medication therapy management.  The faculty has strong ties to the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research, the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, the UNC School of Medicine, UNC Hospitals and the Durham VA that facilitate their collaborative research on a wide array of policy trends and health care outcomes.

The division faculty represent a broad range of talent and experience. Faculty members within the division have served as consultants to state, national, and international governmental agencies, pharmaceutical companies, chain and independent pharmacies, hospitals, and managed care systems. In addition, faculty hold leadership positions in national and international professional associations. Such varied interactions complement the academic talents of the faculty and contribute to the educational quality available within the division.

Blalock, Injury Prevention Center Receive CDC Award

Susan Blalock, PhD, is one UNC researcher who will benefit from $4.8 million in renewed funding for the UNC Injury Prevention Research Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill received from the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The money will support her work in preventing falls among older adults.

Murray Study: Pharmacist’s Care Reduces Medication Problems, Costs for Heart Patients

People with high blood pressure and heart disease were more than a third less likely to experience problems with their medications when under a pharmacist’s care than patients who received no special attention from a pharmacist, according to a new study from UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy researchers.

UNC Study Asks Latinos about Sources of Medicine, Information

A study led by Betsy Sleath, PhD, found that 42 percent of Latinos in North Carolina who take prescription drugs have purchased medicines at grocery stores known as tiendas and 30 percent have bought medicines from outside the United States for their own use.