The University of Toledo

PCOR Laboratory Students

Daniel Israel

Mr. Israel is a research assistant in the Pharmaceutical Care and Outcomes Research Lab (PCOR) at The University of Toledo under the direction of Dr. Sharrel Pinto. He began working with PCOR in March of 2012. Mr. Israel is also a P2 student in the PharmD. program at the University of Toledo College of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences.

His research focus is currently on medication adherence and studying the roles and impacts that caregivers and medication packaging have on adherence. He is working on his honors thesis which is a systematic review of the literature concerning the impact that physician, pharmacist, nurse, and caregiver intervention has on medication adherence. Throughout his time with PCOR, Mr. Israel has been introduced to many important topics and institutions in pharmacy such as the Practice Based Research Network, Patient Centered Medical Home, Medication Therapy Management, and Medication Adherence research. Through working with PCOR, he has gained practical experience in drug information skills, systematic reviews, and the process of Practice Based Research. Mr. Israel seeks to understand the broad field of pharmacy and gain insight in the processes and functions of pharmacy that are currently outside of his understanding through involvement and active acquisition of knowledge and experience.

Kevin Omerza

Mr. Omerza is a P2 student majoring in Pharmacy and Pharmacy Administration with minors in Business Administration and Chemistry. He joined the PCOR lab in 2012 to work under the direction of Dr. Sharrel Pinto on research involving medication adherence and patient perceptions of pharmacy. This research involves many different functions including observation, focus groups, and information gathering. He is also actively working on an Honors thesis through the PCOR lab, which involves a systematic literature review of patients’ perceptions of value of pharmaceutical services. Through working in the PCOR lab, Kevin was chosen as a recipient of the Joe and Judith Conda Scholarship in Fall 2012.

In addition to research, Mr. Omerza has also gained experience as an intern at the Cleveland Clinic from 2011 to the present. During the internship, he gained experience in various areas of hospital pharmacy while attending and giving presentations. In addition to presentations, there were also research projects regarding medication labeling, medication inventory, and replenishment processes in intensive care areas.

Mr. Omerza is a member of a number of pharmacy organizations, including; APhA-ASP, SNPhA, SSHP and IOHS. He is also a member of the Pharmacy Student Council and is a student member of the college curriculum committee.

Poster Presentations

Omerza, KE, Marchionda, ME; Oral Syringe Label Improvement Project. ASHP Midyear, December 6, 2011.

Other Presentations

Medication Adherence
Summer 2012
Cleveland Clinic Foundation

Smoking Cessation: The Role of a Pharmacist
Fall 2011
BSPS Seminar, University of Toledo

Label Redesign and Pyxis Reconciliation
Summer 2011
Cleveland Clinic Foundation

Resistance to CEA in the United States
Spring 2011
Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research, University of Toledo

Cystic Fibrosis
Spring 2011
Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research, University of Toledo

Type 1 Glycogen Storage Disease
Spring 2011
Medicinal Chemistry II, University of Toledo

Congestive Heart Failure
Fall 2010
Honors Functional Anatomy and Pathophysiology II, University of Toledo

Drug Therapy in the Treatment of Grave’s Disease
Fall 2009
Honors Functional Anatomy and Pathophysiology, University of Toledo

Research Interests

• Medication Adherence
• Implementation/optimization of technology in pharmacy
• Health-Related Outcomes Research
• Pharmacoeconomics

Kara Schroeder

Ms. Schroeder began her college career at The Ohio State University in 2008 after graduating from Columbus Grove High School as one of her class’s valedictorians. After a year in Columbus, she then continued her educational track at the University of Toledo to pursue the major of pharmacy where she received the Prestige Transfer Scholarship. In 2010, she entered into the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program. In the fall of 2010, she became a pharmacy intern at Rite Aid. As an intern, she processed prescriptions, counseled patients, gave immunizations, called physicians, and performed other pharmacy technician- related tasks. In 2012, Ms. Schroeder graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences (BSPS) with a minor in chemistry magna cum laude from the University of Toledo. After graduation, she matriculated into the graduate portion of the PharmD program. As a graduate student, Ms. Schroeder became a teaching assistant for Dr. Pinto and a research assistant for the Pharmaceutical Care and Outcomes Research (PCOR) Laboratory. Her responsibilities included reviewing and writing manuscripts, conducting literature reviews, and assisting with projects in the PCOR lab. As a research assistant in the PCOR lab, she gained valuable experience that will help her throughout her future career as a pharmacist. Her current projects include writing a paper about the benefits of using blister packaging in independent pharmacies and reviewing and editing another student’s paper to help get it published in a journal. Ms. Schroeder’s other interests include the process of medication therapy management (MTM) programs and getting to know all the different aspects and areas of pharmacy. Not only is she interested in retail and research pharmacy, but she would also like to explore ambulatory pharmacy, veterinary pharmacy, and hospital pharmacy. Ms. Schroeder is expected to graduate from the PharmD. program in the spring of 2014.

Surbhi Shah    

Education

Bachelor of Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, DAVV, India (2006 – 2010).

M.S. in Pharmaceutical Sciences (Health Outcomes and Socioeconomic Sciences, formerly Pharmacy Health Care Administration), University of Toledo (2011-2013)

Ms. Shah began her educational endeavors in 2006 at the School of Pharmacy, DAVV, India. During her bachelor’s degree, she gained valuable experience as an intern in the production department at Ranbaxy Laboratories, India. As an intern, she gained knowledge on development and manufacturing of dosage forms. In 2009, she gained experience as an intern in Ayumart Healthcare Pvt. Ltd, India. As a trainee, she experienced manufacturing and formulating ayurvedic formulations. In 2010, she was recruited as a trainee pharmacist in the Medicare Medical Center, India and got experience in dispensing medicines and managing pharmacy. She received her B.Pharm degree in June 2010. Following graduation, she applied to the Masters program in Health Outcomes and Socioeconomic Sciences (formerly Pharmacy Health Care Administration) at the University of Toledo. 

As a graduate student, she worked as a teaching assistant with the faculty on preparing lectures, setting up equipment for lectures, preparing quiz questions, answering student questions, making sure classes ran as smoothly as possible, and learning about the research process. As a student, she gave several presentations on topics of “depression and outcomes in dialysis patients”, “economic impact of diabetes”, “using cost effectiveness analysis to improve healthcare,” and “safety net providers.” During her years of education, she served as treasurer of the UT International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) student chapter from 2011-2012 and as president of the UT ISPOR student chapter from 2012- 2013. Additionally, she has gained experience in data entry and performing literature reviews while working in the Pharmaceutical Care and Outcomes Research (PCOR) laboratory.

Research interests

• Outcomes research
• Patient reported outcomes
• Evaluation of the ECHO model