UH Symposium Showcases Comparative Effectiveness Research

Research Poster Awards, Outcomes Research Scholars and Student Workshop Among March 29 Event Highlights

03-02-13 Houston -- With the theme of "Step Forward to Improve Health Care Delivery," UH College of Pharmacy hosted its first Pharmaceutical Health Services Research Symposium focusing on comparative effectiveness research March 29 at UH.

Four UHCOP Pharmacy Administration doctoral program students -- three of whom are graduates of the master's program -- received Best Poster awards from among a total of 33 posters presented at the symposium.

Above, UHCOP Pharmacy Administration doctoral student Harshali Patel was one of four Best Poster Award recipients at the symposium. Below, student organizers Hemal Mehta and Ayush Patel present opening session speaker Rathindra Bose, UH System Vice Chancellor of Research and Technology Transfer, with a plaque of appreciation.

The award-winning presentations and primary authors were:

• "Predicting Consumer Intention to Use Generic Drug Discount Programs: Structural Equation Modeling Approach" by Harshali K. Patel, M.S.;
• "Impact of Over-the-Counter Medication Use on Quality
  of Life in the Elderly" by Shivani Mhatre, M.S.
• "Antipsychotic Use and Risk of Pneumonia in Elderly Nursing Home Residents: A Propensity-Matched Study" by Satabdi Chatterjee, M.S.; and
• "Factors Associated with Prescription Drug Expenditure in Patients with Diabetes Mellitus: A Cross-Sectional Study of Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, 2005-2009" by Rohan Medhekar, M.Pharm.

The abstracts for all of the research posters presented at
the symposium, including the award winners (shown on pages 6, 11, 24 and 36), can be viewed in PDF form here.

Attendees were welcomed by Rathindra Bose, Ph.D., UH System Vice Chancellor of Research and Technology Transfer and UH Vice President of Research and Technology Transfer. The keynote lectures were:

• "Aligning Clinical Practice with Best Evidence of Comparative Effectiveness," presented by Carol Ashton, M.D., MPH, John F. Jr. and Carolyn Bookout Professor of Surgical Quality & Outcomes Science, Department of Surgery, and Co-Director, Center for Outcomes Research, The Methodist Hospital Research Institute, The Methodist Hospital;
• "Comparative Effectiveness Research on Cancer in Texas: Texas Researchers Look for Best Cancer-Related Care Options," presented by Catherine D. Cooksley, Dr.P.H., Senior Biostatistician Faculty, Sealy Center on Aging, and Adjunct Assistant Professor, Internal Medicine & Preventive Medicine and Community Health, University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston; and
• "A Patient-Centered Approach to Comparative Effectiveness Research," presented by Aanand D. Naik, M.D., Clinical Investigator and Training Core Director, Houston Health Services and Research Center of Excellence, Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center and Baylor College of Medicine.