About

Our Research

The Division of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy (DPOP) is committed to excellence in research, education, and service that advances the optimal use of medications with the goal of improving human health. Medications play a critical role in the prevention and management of many acute and chronic illnesses. However, the potential benefits that can be derived from medications are mitigated by a myriad of factors operating at different levels of the ecological framework (e.g., patient, family, health care provider, health care system, health care payer, community and governmental policy).

Key challenges that must be addressed to optimize medication use include:

• Ensuring that patients have the knowledge, skills, and resources needed to use medications appropriately
• Expanding scientific knowledge concerning the comparative effectiveness of different medications and alternative treatments used to treat the same condition.
• Promoting shared decision making so that prescribed medication regimens reflect patients’ values and preferences.
• Improving access to high-value, effective drug therapies and clinical services.
• Understanding the complex interplay of factors (e.g. genomic, diet, lifestyle, etc.) that alter how medications act in different individuals.

Addressing these complex issues requires an interdisciplinary approach aimed at expanding scientific knowledge and translating this knowledge into solutions that improve optimal medication use.

Our Faculty Expertise

DPOP faculty have expertise in: pharmacoepidemiology, genomic epidemiology, health behavior and behavior change (including the effects of patient-provider communication, risk communication, and health literacy on health behavior), comparative effectiveness research, pharmaceutical policy, and pharmacoeconomics. DPOP faculty receive funding through the National Institutes of Health, Agency for Health Care Research and Quality, Centers for Disease Control, Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute as well as a number of private foundations including the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the American Cancer Society, the American Lung Association, and industry. Faculty also serve as advisors to the Food and Drug Administration.

Mission

The mission of the Division of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy (“DPOP”) is to conduct and train others in impactful, multi-disciplinary prevention and treatment research that serves local and global needs.

Vision

To lead and be the most sought-after source for scientific evidence, education, and training to impact pharmaceutical outcomes and policy for individual and population health.