WVU Health Outcomes Ph.D. students receive accolades at international conference
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Graduate students in the West Virginia University School of Pharmacy Health Outcomes Research Ph.D. program were the recipients of several awards during the International Society of Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) 21st Annual International Meeting. The meeting was held May 21–25 in Washington, D.C.
The WVU student chapter of ISPOR won the ISPOR Outstanding Chapter award for the 2015-2016 academic year. Officers of the chapter include Ph.D. students Doug Thornton, chapter president; Rashmi Goyat, vice president; Xue Feng, secretary; and Monira Alwhaibi, treasurer. Their chapter adviser is Usha Sambamoorthi, Ph.D., professor in the WVU School of Pharmacy Department of Pharmaceutical Systems and Policy. There are 88 ISPOR student chapters around the world. Student chapters were judged on their level of year-round activities, which included scholarly pursuits and educational activities, community outreach, membership outreach and social events.
Thornton was also the recipient of an ISPOR Distinguished Service Award, which recognizes those student chapter members who have lead an important ISPOR activity. Thornton received the award for serving as the WVU chapter’s president and his service to the ISPOR Student Network.
Parul Agarwal received the Best Podium Presentation award for her paper, “Health Care Expenditures Associated with Persistent Emergency Department Use: A Multi-state Analysis of Medicaid Beneficiaries,” She completed her research with her advisers Thomas K. Bias, Ph.D., research Instructor in the WVU School of Public Health, and Dr. Usha Sambamoorthi.
Ebtihag Alenzi was a poster award finalist. Alenzi presented her research, “Cost-effectiveness Analysis of Diabetic Nephropathy Management,” a collaborative work with Khalid M. Kamal, Ph.D., associate professor of pharmacy administration at the Mylan School of Pharmacy at Duquesne University. Alenzi’s advisers are S. Suresh Madhavan, Ph.D., professor and chair of the WVU School of Pharmacy Department of Pharmaceutical Systems and Policy, and Xi Tan, assistant professor in the WVU School of Pharmacy Department of Pharmaceutical Systems and Policy.
The students are all studying in the Health Outcomes Research Ph.D. program, which focuses on the results of healthcare treatments as they relate to the improvement of patient care and quality of life, decreasing morbidity and mortality, health policy research, and cost effectiveness of treatments.
WVU student chapter of ISPOR and faculty members: (front row l-r) Drishti Shah, Pragya Rai, Xiaohui Zhao, Xue Feng and Monira Alwhaibi (middle row l-r) Rashmi Goyat, Dr. Nilanjana Dwibedi, Dr. Xi Tan and Doug Thornton (back row l-r) Rahul Garg, Dr. Usha Sambamoorthi, Dr. Ginger Scott and Abdulkarim Meraya
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