PhD Students
Kenechukwu C. Ben-Umeh
Email address: Kenechukwu.Ben-Umeh@utah.edu
Background:
Kenechukwu obtained his Bachelor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN). He then worked as a Research Intern Pharmacist at the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD) for a year and as a Research Assistant at the International Research Centre for Excellence, Institute of Human Virology Nigeria. He learned about Health Economics and Outcomes Research (HEOR) through his involvement with the UNN student chapter of the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). The burden of chronic illnesses in many African countries, especially Nigeria, and the undeniable complex relationship between treatment costs, payment burden, and health outcomes motivated him to apply for a Ph.D. at the University of Utah. Kene is excited by the enabling and collaborative research environment the Department of Pharmacotherapy offers and plans to work with renowned researchers and experts with academic and industrial links, building research competence and metamorphosing into an astute HEOR professional.
Research interest:
Pharmacoeconomics, health technology assessment (HTA), Pharmacoepidemiology, Real-world evidence.
Khanh N. C. Duong
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Email address: khanh.duong@utah.edu
Background:
Khanh is currently a Ph.D. student at the Department of Pharmacotherapy. She received her bachelor's degree in pharmacy from Ho Chi Minh University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Vietnam, and her master's in Health Technology Assessment from Mahidol University, Thailand. Previously, she was an instructor at Ho Chi Minh Vietnam National University.
Research interest:
Evidence Synthesis, Health Technology Assessment, Economic Evaluation
Elvis Duru
Email address: elvis.duru@utah.edu
Background:
Elvis is a first-year PhD student in the department of pharmacotherapy. He began his academic journey at the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN), where he obtained a BPharm degree in 2019. His foundation in pharmacy was further enriched by his valuable internship experience at the Nigerian Army Reference Hospital in Lagos, Nigeria. There, he worked at the Drug Revolving Scheme (DRS) and was opportune to manage the procurement unit of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) pharmacy.
Upon completing his internship, Elvis secured a position at the Federal Ministry of Health, Nigeria where he deepened his understanding of the healthcare system and its challenges. This experience played a crucial role in motivating him to pursue a PhD program, with a focus on addressing the pressing issues in healthcare and pharmaceuticals.
Research interest:
His research interests include health policy, evidence synthesis, cost-effectiveness analysis, and real-world evidence. Motivated by his background and experiences, Elvis aims to develop and implement innovative health policies that optimize healthcare delivery and improve overall patient outcomes.
Priyanka Ghule
Email address: priyanka.ghule@utah.edu
Background:
Priyanka graduated with a Master of Science in Regulatory Affairs from Northeastern University, Boston in 2018. Subsequently, she worked as a research scholar at the University of Memphis School of Public Health where she supported ongoing research activities like literature review, manuscript preparation in the areas of population health, epidemiology, and health services research. She also has a BS and MS in Pharmacy from Mumbai University, India. She has worked in the pharmaceutical industry for 5 years and has experience in pharmaceutical research and development (R&D) and intellectual property rights (patents).
Research interest:
Priyanka's current research interest include pharmacoeconomics, outcomes research and real-world data analysis. Priyanka is currently involved in projects that focuses on patient centered outcomes, systematic reviews and meta-analysis and pharmacoeconomics.
Warittakorn Kategeaw
Email address: warittakorn.kategeaw@utah.edu
Background:
Warittakorn is currently a Ph.D. student at the Department of Pharmacotherapy, University of Utah. She obtained her PharmD from Chulalongkorn University. She then worked as a research assistant at the department before joining the Ph.D. program.
Xi Liang
Email address:
Background:
Xi is currently a first-year Ph.D. student at the Department of Pharmacotherapy, University of Utah. She is originally from China. Previously, Xi received her bachelor's degree in pharmaceutical management from China Pharmaceutical University and graduated with her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, New York State.
Research interest:
Pharmacoeconomics, outcomes research, health technology assessment, and real-world evidence synthesis
Danielle Nguyen
Email address:
Background:
Danielle obtained her pharmacy doctorate at Roseman University of Health Sciences and subsequently completed a two-year Health Systems Pharmacy Administration residency at Intermountain Healthcare. After finishing her residency, she continued to expand her clinical and operational skills by continuing to work as a float pharmacist at Intermountain and as a clinical reviews pharmacist at MRIoA. As a float pharmacist, she has worked in internal medicine, critical care, cardiology, neonatal intensive care, and more; she also covered a pharmacy director's maternity leave at Park City Hospital during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to starting her PhD program, she completed her bachelor's degree in economics, with a minor in political science, She previously interned at a congressional district office and at a medication assistance program as a student. Her hope with completing her PhD in Pharmacotherapy Outcomes Research is to be able to integrate her clinical, economic, administrative, and managed care knowledge to improve medication access and outcomes in the United States.
Research interest:
Her main passions involve health policy and equity, as well as drug pricing and affordability.
Ratthanon Prasitwarachot
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Email address: Ratthanon.prasitwarachot@utah.edu
Background:
Ratthanon Prasitwarachot is originally from Thailand. He graduated with BPharm from Chiang Mai University and MSc in Advanced Pharmaceutical Manufacturing from University of Strathclyde. He has worked as a hospital pharmacist for three years and as an instructor for seven years. Although his previous degrees concentrated on pharmaceutical science, he is interested in pharmacoeconomics. He develops his skill by researching economic burden and cost-effectiveness analysis. Then, he decided to pursue his Ph.D. in Pharmacotherapy Outcome Research. Currently, he is a first-year Ph.D. student at the Department of Pharmacotherapy, University of Utah.
Research interest:
Economic Evaluation, Extended Cost-effectiveness analysis, Health technology assessment
Abdelrahman Younis
Email address: Abdelrahman.Younis@pharm.utah.edu
Background:
Abdelrahman Younis is a Ph.D. student at the Department of Pharmacotherapy at the University of Utah. He finished his Bachelor of Pharmacy degree from Minya University, Egypt. During his study, he became interested in pharmacy practice and drug-drug interaction research. Therefore, he participated in a project to evaluate pharmacy practices in Upper Egypt. In 2020, he was admitted to a master’s in health informatics at Arizona State University. During his master’s, he learned about US healthcare systems and dealt with large datasets. At this point, he learned more about Health Economics and Outcomes Research (HEOR) and found his interest in this field. Abdelrahman believes that a Ph.D. in pharmacotherapy outcomes from the University of Utah will help him to gain the knowledge to become an expert in Pharmacoepidemiology and health technology assessment (HTA).
Research interest:
Pharmacoepidemiology, Health Technology assessment for lung cancer treatment, evidence synthesis, and drug-drug interactions.