Center for Population Health and Rural Medicine (PHaRM)

Area Specialist: Dr. Sean King

The Center for Population Health and Rural Medicine (PHaRM) serves as a research and service center of excellence that advances research, teaching, and service in the areas of population health, interprofessional collaboration, interpersonal communication, health literacy, health promotion, disease prevention, medication use, health outcomes, lifestyle modification and management.

The Center assists multiple institutions and their post graduate year one pharmacy residents with research projects each year. Center partners representing pharmacy, social work, optometry, dietitians, nursing, athletic training, business and others professionals are currently preparing publications for submission to top peer reviewed pharmacy and medical journals. We prepare multiple grants each year for submission to well-known funding agencies and are in the process of completing grants that were funded externally and internally from various agencies and programs. Center partners present posters and provide presentations at various national, regional and local conferences each year and participate in numerous award programs.

In 2018-2019, more than 20 pharmacy students assisted in various Center sponsored community health events, research projects, presentations and community service projects. The number of students assisting with these activities increases significantly when other disciplines are considered.

Currently, the Center for PHaRM is in the process of partnering with the Jackson-Madison County Regional Health Department and Lane College in a research/service endeavor aimed at better educating individuals about issues affecting heart health and diabetes. Students will be provided opportunities to assist with this collaboration in multiple ways including, survey data collection; the delivery of educational programming; providing blood pressure, lipid panel, A1C, body mass index, and health literacy assessments; data analyses; and dissemination of findings through poster presentation, podium presentation, and peer-review publication.

The dates and times of all research/service opportunities will be posted in advance. All students interested in participating should contact Dr. Sean King at sking@uu.edu.

Research Testimonials

"Collaborating with Dr. King has provided me with opportunities to engage in interprofessional community projects. It has played a pivotal role in my growth as a soon-to-be pharmacist. Through various projects I have been able to deliver educational programming to patients and other disciplines. You can know many things, but knowing how to communicate them is important. Interacting with a multitude of people during these projects has helped me refine my communication skills. I have also developed skills on how to provide blood pressure, lipid panels, A1C, body mass index, and health literacy assessments. As pharmacists, we are going to be educating patients and other providers/disciplines. Participating in research in areas like this has been extremely beneficial. It is a blessing to have faculty like Dr. King at the UUCOP that truly care about community outreach and shaping future pharmacists to care for the community as well."

— Erika Alonso, Class of 2020

"Assisting Dr. King with research has been a rewarding experience. The health fairs that the Center for Population Health and Rural Medicine conducts present a unique opportunity to work with other healthcare providers to provide screenings and interventions for the underserved community. Being able to participate in this research reminds me of why I chose pharmacy and the importance of serving the community."
— Chance Mattox, Class of 2020

Presentations

Nguyen N (class of 2021) and King SR. Andexxa: A New Drug Approved for the Reversal of Factor Xa Agents under Accelerated Approval. Presented at Union University Research Symposium March 2019.
Smith M (class of 2021) and King SR. Nuzyra: A Newly FDA Approved Antibacterial Agent. Presented at Union University Research Symposium March 2019.
Bugg, S (class of 2019), Mattox TC (class of 2020), and King SR. An Educational Strategy to Improve Adolescents' Knowledge of Prescription Medications. Presented at the Tennessee Public Health Association's annual meeting. September 2018.
King SR, et al. An Educational Strategy to Improve Adolescents' Knowledge of Prescription Medications. Presented at APhA annual meeting in Seattle, WA. March 2019.

Publications

Kovacik A, Bell PC, King SR. Impact of Delayed Prescription Fill on readmission Rates for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Heart Failure. Journal of the American Pharmacists Association. 2018; 58(4): S41-S45.
King SR, et al. Health Literacy and the Quality of Pharmacist-Patient Communication. Funding for this project was provided by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP).

Current Research Projects

Johnson C (PGY1 2018-2019), Bell P, and King SR. Retrospective analysis of weight-based versus standard dose diltiazem in the acute treatment of atrial fibrillation in a community hospital. Presented at the Tennessee Society of Health System Pharmacists Annual Meeting. September 2019.
Fussell J (PGY1 2018-2019), Bell P, and King SR. Retrospective analysis of antibiotic prescribing in the emergency department for acute uncomplicated cystitis and pyelonephritis in females. Presented at the Tennessee Society of Health System Pharmacists Annual Meeting. September 2019.
King SR. An Interprofessional Educational Strategy to Enhance Diabetes Care within an African American Population. Submitted to the National Association of Chain Drug Stores Foundation (NACDS). Spring 2017. Approved.
Intervention Based on Social Cognitive Theory: Educating Adolescents' Knowledge of the Negative Health Effects of E-Cigarettes.

College of Pharmacy