The Plein Center for Aging is a global leader in transformative pharmacy research, education, and outreach. Committed to optimizing medication outcomes for older adults and promoting healthy aging, the Center supports innovative work at the intersection of pharmacy and aging. This year, five CHOICE graduate students were awarded Plein Center scholarships—an opportunity designed to foster student engagement in aging-related research.
Preetika Banerjee, 2nd year PhD Student
Exploring the Relationship Between Antiviral Treatment and Antibiotic Prescribing for Respiratory Illnesses in Older Adults: A MEPS-Based Analysis
Preetika’s research focuses on the intersection of antiviral use and antibiotic prescribing in older adults with respiratory viral infections. Using nationally representative data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), Preetika will examine whether early antiviral treatment, such as Paxlovid or Tamiflu, reduces the likelihood of inappropriate antibiotic use during subsequent illness episodes. This work addresses an important gap in antimicrobial stewardship by evaluating how timely antiviral therapy may help curb unnecessary antibiotic prescribing, a key driver of antimicrobial resistance. She will also investigate which patient and provider characteristics are associated with inappropriate antibiotic use, using predictors like frailty, comorbidities, and healthcare access. The goal is to generate real-world, policy-relevant evidence to inform safer, more effective prescribing practices for older adults, a population that disproportionately experiences the harms of both infection and medication overuse.
Shiven Bhardwaj, 4th year PhD Student
Assessing Impact of the Inflation Reduction Act on Long Term Care Pharmacies
Passed in 2022, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) includes provisions designed to lower Medicare Part D spending and improve prescription affordability. Several of these policies indirectly affect Long-Term Care (LTC) pharmacies. Shiven will systematically examine these provisions, highlighting their intended and unintended impacts on LTC pharmacies. He will also outline measures that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) have taken to mitigate potential harms, along with additional steps needed to ensure seniors continue receiving high-quality LTC pharmacy services
Julia Fox, 4th Year PhD Student
Investigating Disparities in Healthcare Utilization and Outcomes for Sexual Minority Older Adults
Julia Fox will be leveraging Medicare claims data linked with data from the Health and Retirement Survey (HRS) to investigate differences in rates of potentially inappropriate medications, polypharmacy, medication-related problems, and adverse drug events between sexual minority older adults and heterosexual older adults. As sexual minority older adults are less likely to have family caregivers and report higher anxiety about engaging with healthcare professionals, she aims to study if those differences impact pharmaceutical utilization and pharmacological outcomes. Results will additionally be analyzed by dementia status to determine if differences are exacerbated by the condition. She is deeply grateful to the Plein Center for supporting this important research.
Ben Nwogu, 5th Year PhD Student
Comparative Effectiveness of Multiple Treatments for Metastatic Hormone-Sensitive Prostate Cancer (mHSPC): A Target Trial Emulation Using Claims Data
Ben Nwogu is addressing a critical gap in cancer care for older adults through his innovative research on novel therapies for metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC). Leveraging rich real-world data, he expertly combines the target trial emulation framework with advanced machine learning methods to evaluate survival outcomes among patients treated with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) in combination with abiraterone, apalutamide, enzalutamide, or docetaxel. By comparing these four treatment strategies, his study addresses an important evidence gap resulting from the absence of head-to-head randomized clinical trials directly evaluating these therapies. His findings will generate robust real-world comparative effectiveness data to support evidence-based treatment decisions by clinicians and patients, while also informing clinical guidelines and policy recommendations.
Olivia Yip, 2nd Year MS Fellow
Cost-Utility Analysis of Non-Prescription Oseltamivir for Influenza Treatment
Influenza is a viral respiratory infection that causes significant morbidity and mortality in older adults. Oseltamivir, when initiated within 48 hours of symptom onset, has been shown to reduce the duration of symptoms and the risk of serious complications. However, the current requirement for a prescription can delay treatment initiation, limiting its potential benefit. With increasing availability of rapid diagnostic tests, reclassifying oseltamivir to be available without a prescription following a positive influenza test may improve timely access and utilization. To evaluate this strategy, Olivia is conducting a decision-analytic modeling assessing the cost-effectiveness of oseltamivir reclassification from both the U.S. healthcare sector and limited societal perspectives. The hope is that this work would help facilitate earlier initiation of antiviral therapy and reduce influenza-related complications, hospitalizations, and healthcare expenditures among older adults.
