The University of Houston College of Pharmacy is expanding its graduate degree plans in Population Health & Pharmacoepidemiology — the first such combination in the Houston metropolitan area
Addressing a growing demand for graduate training in evaluating medication safety, effectiveness and outcomes in real-world clinical settings, the UH College of Pharmacy is expanding its offerings within the Pharmaceutical Sciences graduate program. The college will now offer a Master of Science and a doctoral degree in Population Health & Pharmacoepidemiology.
The program is the first of its kind to combine population health and pharmacoepidemiology in the Houston metropolitan area, one of the nation’s largest and most culturally rich healthcare markets.
“The program positions the UH College of Pharmacy as a hub for advanced training at the intersection of pharmacy, data science and population health,” said Arash Bashirullah, dean of the UH College of Pharmacy.
“Graduates will be prepared for research and leadership positions in healthcare systems, government, industry, and academia, and benefit from UH’s Tier One research environment and proximity to the Texas Medical Center,” he said.
Population health shifts the focus from managing illness in individuals to proactively improving health outcomes in specific populations. Pharmacoepidemiology is one of the tools used by population health to study the impact of medications and improve health outcomes in large groups of people. It combines many different fields to study, connecting clinical sciences, data science and epidemiology.
Arash Bashirullah, dean of the UH College of Pharmacy, says graduates will be prepared
for research and leadership positions in healthcare systems, government, industry,
and academia.
Rajender Aparasu, Mustafa F. & Sanober Lokhandwala Professor and chair of the Department
of Pharmaceutical Health Outcomes and Policy, will lead the new programs.
“The program is a timely and strategic initiative that aligns with the growing demand for graduate training in these fields to fill a critical workforce gap while enhancing the college’s educational portfolio,” said Bashirullah. “Houston’s expansive healthcare systems and academic medical centers provide a unique opportunity for the University of Houston to establish leadership in this field.”
The degree track offers students training in epidemiologic methods, biostatistics, health data science and pharmacoepidemiology to generate evidence that informs clinical practice, health policy and healthcare system decision-making.
The new degree tracks will be housed in the Department of Pharmaceutical Health Outcomes and Policy.
“The new program combines the unique strengths of this department with emerging data sciences specialization at UH and the University’s population health initiatives,” said Rajender Aparasu, Mustafa F. & Sanober Lokhandwala Professor and chair of the Department of Pharmaceutical Health Outcomes and Policy.
Applicants to the MS and PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences with a concentration in Population Health & Pharmacoepidemiology must hold a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field with a minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4-point scale. Preference is given to applicants with pharmacy, biomedical, or other health-related backgrounds.