Prime pharmacist recognized for high-quality clinical research

The American Pharmacists Association (APhA) awarded Ben Urick, PharmD, PhD, principal health outcomes researcher at Prime Therapeutics (pictured on right with award colleague Joel Farley, PhD, from the University of Minnesota) the Clinical Research Paper Award at its annual conference recently. The APhA Awards and Honors Program is the most comprehensive recognition program in the profession of pharmacy.

The Clinical Research Paper Award promotes and encourages high-quality clinical research or practice-based research in the clinical sciences by recognizing an original research article published in the Journal of the American Pharmacists Association (JAPhA).

Dr. Urick and two colleagues were recognized for their published article, “Patient outcomes from implementing an enhanced services pharmacy network,” which evaluated the effect of implementing a network of community pharmacies on medication adherence, health service utilization and health care spending in Medicaid members in North Carolina. To fulfill the award criteria, study results have relevant real-world implications, and had insightful suggestions for future research directions related to pharmacists’ impact on outcomes, spending and care utilization.

“I want to thank the APhA for supporting me, my colleagues and comprehensive clinical research through this awards program,” said Dr. Urick. “APhA is an effective platform for disseminating practice-based research that advances patient care and I am honored to be recognized in an area that works to improve the health of patients through medication adherence.”

Prime’s health outcomes team supports research to advance Prime’s business direction, and report findings and trends.

Ben Urick, PharmD, PhD, is a principal health outcomes researcher at Prime Therapeutics. Prior to joining Prime, he was an assistant professor at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. He is a member of the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy, the American Pharmacists Association, the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, the American Institute for the History of Pharmacy, and the North Carolina Association of Pharmacists.