PhD Candidates
Emma Cousin, PharmD, PhC
Emma is a fourth-year PhD candidate at the University of Washington School of Pharmacy CHOICE Institute. She holds a Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) from UW, providing a strong clinical foundation for her research focused on drug pricing, health policy, and health economics.
Emma’s dissertation focuses on the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program, where she develops predictive models to forecast drug selection, estimates price benchmarks to predict initial price offers, and estimates Medicare and patient spending. Her predictive model correctly identified 13 of the 15 drugs selected for IPAY 2027 and 2028 using Medicare Part B and D spending data, and her price benchmarking work applies a novel pricing algorithm using a variety of utilization data sources including 100% Medicare claims. The results from this work have directly shaped federal policy discussions. Emma has briefed Congressional staff on the Senate Ways and Means, and Finance Committees, the Congressional Budget Office, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and has presented to 400+ stakeholders on various ISPOR and industry webinars.
Emma has authored or co-authored 16 peer-reviewed publications, including work appearing in JAMA, Value in Health, Health Affairs, and the Journal of Managed Care & Specialty Pharmacy, two of which ranked among JMCP’s most-read articles in 2025. She received the PhRMA Foundation Manuscript Challenge Award, along with her co-authors. Beyond her doctoral work, Emma works as a Research Associate at Curta, Inc. where she leads cost-effectiveness models, statistical and technical reports, and contributes to real-world evidence generation to support pricing strategies for industry clients. Emma is particularly eager to bring her expertise in Medicare drug pricing and health policy to an organization dedicated to generating evidence-based research that guides pharmaceutical and health policy decision-making.
CV | LinkedIn | Email: emc95@uw.edu
Ifechukwu Benedict (Ben) Nwogu, BPharm, MPH, PhC
Ben is a fifth-year PhD candidate at the University of Washington CHOICE Institute with a background spanning pharmacy practice, public health, and health economics and outcomes research (HEOR). He holds a Master of Public Health in Global Health from the University of Nottingham and previously practiced as both a community and hospital pharmacist in Nigeria, giving him a grounded clinical perspective that shapes his research on pharmaceutical value and access.
Ben’s dissertation focuses on the comparative evaluation of advanced prostate cancer therapies, examining the cost-effectiveness and real-world performance of treatment regimens to inform clinical and formulary decision-making. His broader research portfolio spans HIV and infectious disease prevention, pharmacist-delivered care models, and medicine access in low-resource settings. Ben’s research has been presented at ISPOR, CROI, ASCO, and the American Epilepsy Society, and he has contributed to several peer-reviewed publications in high-impact journals, including The Lancet HIV, Vaccine, and the Journal of the American Pharmacists Association. During his doctoral training, Ben served as President of the University of Washington ISPOR Student Chapter, following prior leadership roles as Secretary and Vice President.
Beyond academia, Ben has accumulated substantial industry experience. As a HEOR Analyst at Neurocrine Biosciences, he manages cross-functional vendor relationships and champions real-world evidence generation and dissemination strategies to support robust value demonstration. Prior internships at BioLineRx and Agios Pharmaceuticals deepened his expertise in value proposition development, cost-effectiveness modeling, and HTA strategy across oncology and rare disease therapeutic areas. Earlier, as a Business Development Associate at Advantage Health Africa, he executed multiple strategic partnerships that expanded pharmaceutical access for patients across Nigeria.
Ben is passionate about connecting rigorous economic evidence to real-world decisions that improve patient access and health system value. He is eager to bring his analytical skills, pharmaceutical industry experience, and collaborative approach to an organization working at the intersection of health economics, strategy, and outcomes research.
CV | LinkedIn | Google Scholar | Email: inwogu@uw.edu
Industry Fellows
Divya Jain, PharmD, MS
Divya is a second-year post-doctoral fellow with the University of Washington CHOICE Institute and Genentech currently completing her fellowship with the University of Washington (UW) CHOICE Institute and Genentech. She is a licensed pharmacist with a PharmD from the University of Colorado and an MS in Health Economics and Outcomes Research from the University of Washington CHOICE Institute. In addition to methodological and statistical training, Divya assessed the cost-effectiveness of non-traditional therapies for PTSD. She also conducted a retrospective claims database analysis to evaluate healthcare resource utilization and costs among U.S. Multiple Sclerosis patients across spatial accessibility as part of her Master’s thesis.
At Genentech, Divya sits within the Evidence for Access team, supporting evidence generation and strategic initiatives within the Neuroimmunology and Immunology portfolios for both marketed and pipeline products. Her work includes leading, supporting and generating evidence for real-world evidence analyses, literature reviews, HTA submissions, landscape analyses, impact measurements and market access strategies.
Prior to her fellowship, Divya’s diverse background is furthered by prior experiences at Cencora, Premera Blue Cross, and Janssen, where she contributed to value dossiers, market access strategy, and drug product development.
As she concludes her fellowship, Divya is seeking HEOR evidence generation and strategy roles within the pharmaceutical industry. She is driven to leverage her clinical and quantitative expertise to translate complex evidence into actionable insights that drive value strategy and improve equitable patient access to innovative therapies.
Selected work:
- Healthcare resource utilization and costs of commercial and Medicare-enrolled adult patients with Multiple Sclerosis in Urban and Rural settings (UW Master’s Thesis)
- Bridging the Regulatory Divide: Ensuring Safety and Equity in Wearable Health Technologies
Rachel Kneitel, PharmD, MS
Rachel is a second-year post-doctoral fellow with the University of Washington CHOICE Institute and AbbVie. She is a pharmacist by training and earned her MS in Health Economics and Outcomes Research from the CHOICE Institute. At AbbVie, she supports the hematology portfolio across in-line and pipeline products.
During her fellowship, Rachel has led and contributed to multiple HEOR initiatives, including real-world evidence analyses, budget impact models, indirect treatment comparisons, and patient-reported outcome strategies. She partners with cross-functional teams to generate evidence that informs HTA submissions, value demonstration, and market access strategy across US and international markets. In her first year, Rachel conducted a retrospective claims analysis evaluating healthcare resource utilization and costs among patients with AML receiving post-transplant maintenance therapy.
Prior to her fellowship, Rachel gained experience in managed care pharmacy, real-world market access analytics at Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine where she developed a health equity dashboard, and completed a Global HEOR internship at AbbVie.
As she completes her fellowship, Rachel is seeking HEOR opportunities where she can apply her expertise in evidence generation, economic modeling, and value demonstration to support patient access to novel therapies.
Nissen Weisman, PharmD, MS
Nissen Weisman is a postdoctoral fellow with the CHOICE Institute at the University of Washington in collaboration with Genentech, where his work focuses on oncology health economics and outcomes research across both solid tumors and hematologic malignancies. He earned his Master of Science in Health Economics and Outcomes Research from the University of Washington after completing his Doctor of Pharmacy at the University of Connecticut. During the first year of his fellowship, Nissen completed a claims-based research thesis evaluating healthcare resource utilization and costs among patients with mantle cell lymphoma receiving third-line therapy in the United States, generating real-world evidence to better characterize treatment burden and inform value assessment in a rapidly evolving treatment landscape.
At Genentech, Nissen contributes to evidence generation supporting oncology product development and launch activities across multiple indications, including breast cancer and hematologic cancers such as chronic lymphocytic leukemia and mantle cell lymphoma. Working under the guidance of senior HEOR leaders, his work includes designing and executing real-world evidence studies using EHR and claims data, developing economic models to evaluate clinical and economic value, synthesizing evidence to identify research gaps, and contributing to value dossiers used to communicate outcomes evidence to payers and healthcare decision-makers. His broader research interests center on oncology outcomes research, real-world evidence generation, and the application of HEOR methods to support evidence-based access to innovative therapies. As he completes his fellowship, Nissen is seeking an industry-based HEOR role where he can contribute to evidence strategy and value demonstration supporting patient access to innovative therapies across US and global healthcare settings.