Center for Pharmaceutical Policy and Prescribing

Dr. Katie Suda has been selected as the next Director of the VA Pittsburgh site of the Center for Healthcare Evaluation, Research, and Promotion (CHERP). A senior clinician scientist, Professor of Medicine, and CP3 Associate Director, Dr. Suda is nationally recognized for her leadership in health systems research and epidemiology. We are looking forward to the incredible leadership she will bring to CHERP and to future collaborations with CP3.

CP3 has received a new supplement to the NIH-funded R01 project “Machine-Learning Prediction and Reducing Overdoses with EHR Nudges (mPROVEN),” led by Dr. Walid Gellad. The supplement will develop and share a practical “playbook” to help stakeholders recognize and address ethical and implementation challenges when creating and using machine learning-based opioid risk prediction tools. This addition to mPROVEN strengthens CP3’s leadership in advancing innovative and responsible solutions to the opioid crisis.

A new NIH-funded R01 grant has been awarded for the study “Developing a ML algorithm to predict relapse in OUD treatment and building an evidence-based clinical decision support (CDS) e-tool (PROTECT).” This project will create a machine-learning algorithm to predict relapse during opioid use disorder treatment and integrate it into a clinical decision support tool. Dr. Praveen Kumar, Assistant Professor of Public Health, serves as the Pitt PI, with the University of Florida as the prime awardee. CP3 faculty members Dr. Jenny Lo-Ciganic and Dr. Walid Gellad are co-Investigators, building on the Pitt-UF team’s prior work developing risk prediction algorithms paired with CDS tools.

CP3 faculty member Dr. Tom Radomski has been awarded a new VA Merit grant to lead EVOLV-Rx VA, a study focused on reducing low-value prescribing among older Veterans in Community Living Centers (VA Nursing Homes). Building on his prior NIH K23 Award, Dr. Radomski and his team developed and validated EVOLV-Rx, a novel clinical tool comprising 18 evidence-based low-value prescribing practices. This new study will implement an electronic EVOLV-Rx dashboard that enables pharmacists to provide deprescribing recommendations during Veterans’ medication reviews.

CP3’s Dr. Tim Anderson is a Co-Investigator, alongside Dr. Stacie Dusetzina, on a new two-year study led by Dr. Erin Taylor at RAND and funded by Arnold Ventures. The project, The Impact of the Medicare Part D Benefit Redesign on Beneficiaries with Chronic Conditions, will evaluate the initial rollout of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act’s changes to Medicare Part D benefit design, especially how the new policies affect patients with chronic conditions. Notably, this grant grew directly out of Dr. Dusetzina’s CP3 Visiting Scholar visit earlier this year and will lay important groundwork for future projects in this area.
 

Postoperative Opioid Prescribing Among Adults with Disabilities After a Medicare Opioid Limit Policy
Bryant Shuey, James Franklin Wharam, Alyssa Burnett, Ann M Thomas, Stephanie Argetsinger, Fang Zhang, Kenton J Johnston, Katie J Suda, Jane M Liebschutz, Hefei Wen
Annals of Surgery, August 8, 2025

Development and Validation of Machine-Learning Algorithms to Predict the Onset of Depression Using Electronic Health Record Data: A Prognostic Modeling Study
Frances R. Chen, James L. Huang, Debbie L. Wilson, Wei-Hsuan Jenny Lo-Ciganic
Studies in Health Technology and Informatics, August 7, 2025

Geographic access to community pharmacies based on walking, driving, and public transportation in the 10 most populated U.S. areas
Nasser Sharareh, Shangbin Tang, Adam Bress, Walter S Mathis, Lucas A Berenbrok, Inmaculada Hernandez
Journal of the American Pharmacists Association, July 18, 2025

VA-Purchased Community Care and Risk of Potentially Unsafe Concurrent Medication Use Among Veterans Receiving Opioids: A Regression Discontinuity Analysis
Eric T. Roberts, Florentina E. Sileanu, Yaming Li, Timothy S. Anderson, Carolyn T. Thorpe, John Cashy, Katie J. Suda, Thomas R. Radomski, Maria K. Mor, Utibe R. Essien, Megan E. Vanneman, Michael J. Fine, Walid F. Gellad
Health Services Research, July 5, 2025

Medication prescribing checklists and their impact on patient safety: A scoping review
Yilei Liu, Tate W Miner, Kawtar Zouaidi, Anika N Roy, Muhammad F Walji, Kristin N Ray, Donald B Rindal, Elsbeth Kalenderian, Katie J Suda
Journal of the American Pharmacists Association, June 28, 2025

CP3 members gathered together on September 19 to meet with leadership from Pitt's Center for Biostatistics and Qualitative Methodology to discuss current collaborations and ideas for future growth together. The teams also shared their best practices for using ChatGPT in a research setting.