February 22, 2012
Susan J. Blalock, MPH, PhD, a behavioral scientist who has focused primarily on the prevention and treatment of arthritis during her career, has been promoted to the rank of professor by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Board of Trustees.
“Dr. Blalock’s research into the behavioral factors that affect the health of individuals has been cited by investigators around the world,” says Bob Blouin, dean of the School. “Her elevation to professor is acknowledgment of her expertise and of her amazing level of commitment to her division, the School, the University, and state in all areas of teaching, research, and service.”
Blalock joined the School’s Division of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy in 2002. Her current work focuses on patient-provider communication concerning medication risks and the evaluation of community-pharmacy-based programs for illness prevention and disease management. Her ongoing projects include
- content analysis of patient-provider communication concerning the risks associated with medications used to treat rheumatoid arthritis,
- evaluation of a falls prevention program delivered via community pharmacy residents; and
- an osteoporosis prevention program targeting patients taking oral glucocorticoids, a class of medications known to increase the risk of developing osteoporosis.
Risk communication and the impact of pharmaceutical care, including patient education and counseling on patient health outcomes, is of particular interest to Blalock. Her past research has focused primarily on the prevention and treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and osteoporosis.
Blalock holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in pharmacy and public health from the University of Michigan. Her PhD is from the Gillings School of Global Public Health at UNC-Chapel Hill, where she serves as an adjunct instructor. She is the author of seven book chapters and seventy peer-reviewed papers.
After receiving her pharmacy degree, Blalock practiced for several years as a community pharmacist before pursuing advanced degrees at Michigan and UNC-Chapel Hill. She held positions with UNC’s Thurston Arthritis Center and as a member of the faculty of the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health and the Long School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California, before joining the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy.
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