About Us
Director Douglas Thornton has conducted extensive research on issues related to quality of life in chronic opioid therapy patients and health care professionals' attitudes toward changes in prescribing regulations and overdose-reversal interventions.
Assistant Director Matthew Wanat is a board certified critical care pharmacist who has conducted research on controlled substance prescribing in the emergency room setting.
Member Rajender Aparasu has authored or coauthored more than 100 journal articles in the field of pharmaceutical health outcomes and policy, especially polypharmacy and adverse event risk in the geriatric population, since 2000.
The PREMIER Center is housed within the University of Houston College of Pharmacy, where faculty members consist of researchers and clinicians with a background in health services research and health prevention. This has put the PREMIER Center in a unique position to collaborate with interdisciplinary professionals within the University of Houston and the renowned Texas Medical Center (TMC).
Members of the PREMIER Center have conducted both qualitative and quantitative research projects regarding prescription drug misuse and prevention. These projects have led to the development of educational interventions that have been presented to key stakeholders within the community.
As Houston is one of the known "hotspots" for prescription drug misuse in the state as well as numerous cases of inappropriate prescribing among physicians, the center is strategically located to educate pharmacists and physicians in the areas of prevention and misuse management.
Leadership & Center Contacts
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| Director Douglas Thornton Assistant Professor University of Houston College of Pharmacy |
Assistant Director Matthew A. Wanat Clinical Associate Professor University of Houston College of Pharmacy |
Members
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| Rajender Aparasu Professor University of Houston College of Pharmacy |
Danielle Campbell Senior Project Manager University of Houston College of Pharmacy |
Hua Chen Professor University of Houston College of Pharmacy |
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| Sang Kyu Cho Assistant Professor University of Houston College of Pharmacy |
Austin De La Cruz Clinical Assistant Professor University of Houston College of Pharmacy |
Marc Fleming Chair/Associate Professor University of North Texas Health Science Center |
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| Sujit S. Sansgiry Professor University of Houston College of Pharmacy |
Chan Shen Division Chief/Associate Professor Penn State Cancer Institute |
Tyler Varisco Research Assistant Professor University of Houston College of Pharmacy |