Category: Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy
UNC Study Asks Latinos about Sources of Medicine, Information
December 17, 2008A study by researchers at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy 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. Researchers worry that some of those medicines are prescription drugs that are being bought without a prescription. “In Mexico and in Central and South America, there are many drugs available over the counter that you can’t get without a prescription in the U.S.,” says Betsy Sleath, PhD, lead author of the study. … Read more
Hansen, Persky Receive Promotions
December 9, 2008UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy faculty members Rick Hansen, PhD, and Adam Persky, PhD, recently received promotions. Hansen is now an associate professor with tenure in the Division of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy. His research focuses on secondary database analysis, systematic review, and pharmaceutical policy analysis. In general, Dr. Hansen studies health outcomes as a function of clinical intervention. He is especially interested in understanding real-world parameters such as access, adherence, cost, patient preferences, and promotion that influence treatment decisions and subsequent health outcomes. Persky is now an associate clinical professor in the Division of Pharmacotherapy and Experimental Therapeutics. His primary … Read more
Juliano to Oversee School’s Research and Graduate Education
April 25, 2008The UNC School of Pharmacy has named Rudy Juliano, PhD, an expert in drug targeting, as its new associate dean for research and graduate education. Juliano fills the vacancy left by Dhiren Thakker, PhD, who stepped down to pursue other projects at the School. Before coming to the School, Juliano was the Cary C. Boshamer Distinguished Professor in the Department of Pharmacology at the UNC School of Medicine, where he served as department chair from 1987 to 2002. In his new position, Juliano will oversee the School’s research and graduate education programs. One key component of his responsibilities will be … Read more
Sleath Study: Doctors Should Watch for Depression in Arthritis Patients
February 1, 2008Patients with rheumatoid arthritis, the most common chronic inflammatory arthritis, are twice as likely as individuals without rheumatoid arthritis to experience depression but aren’t likely to talk to a doctor about it, according to researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In a study published in the February issue of Arthritis Care & Research, researchers found that patients whose activities were more restricted due to their arthritis were more than twice as likely to have moderately severe to severe symptoms of depression. They also found that not many depressed patients discussed their condition with their rheumatologists, and, … Read more
2008 Graduate Student Awards
January 27, 2008The UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy held its Graduate Achievement Banquet on January 26. UNC-CH Graduate School Scholarships Two first-year doctoral students from the School were recipients of merit assistantships. The UNC Graduate School awards merit assistantships to promising incoming graduate students, with the objective of maintaining and increasing the quality of graduate students at UNC-Chapel Hill. The School’s recipients are: Beth Vasiveich, Division of Molecular Pharmaceutics Christina Won, Division of Pharmacotherapy and Experimental Therapeutics The UNC Graduate School also awards a few competitive merit fellowships each year to incoming graduate students with exceptional potential. The Royster Society of Fellows … Read more
Sleath, Vaughan Win AACP Posts
January 1, 2008Two faculty members from the UNC School of Pharmacy have been elected to posts with the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. Betsy Sleath, PhD, a professor in the School’s Division of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy, was elected as chair of the Social and Administrative Sciences section. K.T. Vaughan, MSLS, a clinical assistant professor in the Division of Pharmacy Practice and Experiential Education, was elected as secretary for the Libraries Educational Resources section. Founded in 1900, the AACP is the national organization representing the interests of pharmacy education and educators. It comprises all 105 colleges and schools of pharmacy in … Read more
Sleath Promoted to Full Professor
January 1, 2008The UNC School of Pharmacy has promoted Betsy Sleath, PhD, to full professor. Sleath joined the School’s Division of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy in 1995 and has been an associate professor since 2000. She is also an adjunct associate professor in the UNC School of Public Health and a research fellow at the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research. After earning doctorate degrees in pharmacy and sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Sleath spent two years as an assistant professor at the University of New Mexico before coming to UNC. Her research examines the impact of communication between … Read more
Postdoctoral Fellowship Opportunity
December 11, 2007Postdoctoral Fellowship Center For Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy Description The Center for Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy (CPOP) Postdoctoral Fellowship Program aims to prepare professionals for careers in areas of research including pharmacoepidemiology, pharmacoeconomics, health services research, and behavioral sciences as they apply to the use of medications or pharmaceutical policy. In addition to developing research skills, fellows will have opportunities to develop their skills in communication, teaching, writing, and mentoring. CPOP offers an environment of collaborative and interdisciplinary research. The fellow will work with a diverse group of faculty within the School of Pharmacy’s Division of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy who frequently collaborate … Read more
Sleath Appointed to FDA Risk Communication Advisory Committee
October 11, 2007Betsy Sleath, PhD, an associate professor at the UNC School of Pharmacy, has received a three-year appointment to the Food and Drug Administration Risk Communication Advisory Committee. The committee was formed in June 2007 to advise the agency on ways to improve communication with the public about the risks and benefits of FDA-regulated products. The establishment of the advisory committee was one of the recommendations of the Institute of Medicine’s 2006 report, “The Future of Drug Safety: Promoting and Protecting the Health of the Public.” The committee’s responsibilities include helping the FDA better understand the public’s communication needs and priorities, … Read more
Sleath Survey: New Mothers Often Not Asked about Depression
May 31, 2007The majority of doctors in North Carolina are unlikely to probe for signs of postpartum depression in new mothers, according to a survey conducted by researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Of the 228 physicians responding to the survey who said they had seen women for postpartum visits in the previous three months, 79 percent said they were unlikely to formally screen the patients for depression. An estimated 13 percent of new mothers are affected by postpartum depression. The study will be published June 6 in the North Carolina Medical Journal. “We believe that it is … Read more