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Undergraduates Engage in Research
Anna Tai Simpson Participates in Summer Research Opportunity
SPHIS faculty members Demetra Antimisiaris, PharmD, BCGP, FASCP, Associate Professor; Director, Frazier Polypharmacy Program, Dept. of Health Management & Systems Sciences, and Scott LaJoie, PhD, Professor, Dept. of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences, hosted undergraduate Anna Tai Simpson, a UofL Summer Research Opportunity Program (SROP) student. Anna is a third year Grawemeyer Scholar and is studying psychology and public health through the accelerated MPH program.
The team studied Traditional Asian Medicine (TAM) in the Asian American (AA) community and healthcare worker perspectives by deploying a national survey. They learned the reasons for use in the AA community vary from episodic to chronic condition use. Many in the AA community use a diverse range of TAM products, and those using TAM in combination with Western medications often take multiple TAM products. Research findings indicate that there are multiple TAM product interactions, and that TAM combined with Western medications can increase risk of bleeding. This finding has implications for TAM users who may undergo emergency surgery, become involved in an accident, and experience trauma or even dental work – times when risk of bleeding is greater.
This study helps characterize TAM use and helps raise awareness about TAM use in the AA community to facilitate healthcare provider awareness and support more culturally appropriate health care. TAM use is rarely part of volunteered information from patients to health providers, and rarely asked about by physicians. The study is ongoing, and another survey has been sent, looking at healthcare worker’s perspectives about TAM use.
Anna presented the study findings at the Undergraduate Research Day on August 5, 2022.
Aysha Kahn Participates in Research Experience for Undergraduates
The Logistics & Distribution Institute (LoDI) at the UofL Speed School of Engineering partnered with SPHIS to host a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program. SPHIS sophomore Aysha Khan worked with Demetra Antimisiaris, PharmD, BCGP, FASCP, Associate Professor; Director, Frazier Polypharmacy Program, Dept. of Health Management & Systems Sciences, and a multidisciplinary team from the School of Medicine, UofL Health, and Molina Health to study the process of medication reconciliation - the process of ensuring that clinicians understand what and how patients use medications, in ambulatory care clinics.
The aim of the study was to identify interventions to improve medication reconciliation processes without incurring the need for extra human resources. Dr. Antimisiaris’ team has been working to observe current clinical practices and collect data. Aysha was charged to use a logistics approach to classify, identify, and prioritize interventions based on effort versus return on investment (value). Aysha studied the problem and observed medication reconciliation in the clinic setting and contributed to the pooled data on medication reconciliation observation the team had collected. One approach that clearly stood out as an intervention was developing ways to involve patients in their own medication reconciliation.
Aysha presented the findings of the project at the Undergraduate Research Day on August 5, 2022, and the results of her work will be integrated into a next phase project to test interventions to improve medication reconciliation.
