Clinical Pharmacy Fellowship in Outcomes Research

Mission

The Houston Methodist Clinical Pharmacy Fellowship in Outcomes Research provides highly-customized research training and experiences to pharmacists. Graduates will be prepared to meet research expectations of a pharmacy faculty member and clinical pharmacist scientist at a heath-system or biopharmaceutical research company.

Fellowship Objectives

Provide the fellow(s) with structured education and applied research experience that will help the fellow(s) improve healthcare capacity by impacting large groups of patients through the following mechanisms:

• Remove variation and streamline healthcare delivery processes in a healthcare setting
• Identify medication use practices that are not safe or not cost-efficient
• Develop interventions to deliver standardized medical care that is consistent with high-quality research
• Develop evidence summaries and economic projections to support the medication policy decisions in a hospital setting

Structure

The 2-year fellowship will immerse the fellow(s) in the research portfolio of the fellowship director and will provide over 3,000 hours of structured education and first-hand applied experiences in the topics of epidemiology, biostatistics, clinical pharmacology, ethics, and regulatory compliance.

Goals & Outcomes

• Develop skills for study team leadership, data management, and project management
• Advance pharmacy practice by providing pharmacist colleagues with research training and support
• Serve as co-author of ≥2 manuscripts submitted to peer-reviewed medical journals, including ≥1 as primary author
• Serve as primary fellow on ≥1 funded project and secondary fellow on ≥2 funded projects
• Assist with document preparation and preliminary data management of ≥2 funding applications
• Assist with peer-review on ≥2 manuscripts under peer-review at medical journals

Positions Available

1-4 per year

Education Requirements

• Graduate from an accredited College of Pharmacy or be recognized as a Foreign Pharmacist Equivalent Graduate by the Texas State Board of Pharmacy

Application

• Application due January 5th
• Application includes two letters of reference, a letter of intent, one example of previous scholarship (manuscript, abstract, or poster), transcripts of all college courses, and a curriculum vitae
• Submit all application materials by email to Fellowship Director: Elsie Rizk, PharmD at erizk@houstonmethodist.org
• Interview required

Certificates & Licenses

• Human subjects research credentialing from the Houston Methodist Research Institute within 30 days of employment
• Texas Pharmacist licensure is required within 90 days of starting the program
• American Heart Association BLS
• American Heart Association ACLS certification, preferred

View Alumni Directory ➝

2019 Publications

• Rizk E, Swan JT, Cheon O, Colavecchia AC, Bui LN, Kash BA, Chokshi SP, Chen H, Johnson ML, Liebl MG, Fink E. Quality indicators to measure the effect of opioid stewardship interventions in hospital and emergency department settings. Am J Health Syst Pharm. 2019 Feb 1;76(4):225-235. doi: 10.1093/ajhp/zxy042. PMID: 30715186.
• Rizk E, Swan JT, Fink E. Prioritization of quality indicators for opioid stewardship. Am J Health Syst Pharm. 2019 Sep 16;76(19):1458-1459. doi: 10.1093/ajhp/zxz163. PMID: 31504119. (Letter to the editor)
• Hwang GS, Rizk E (co-primary), Bui LN, Iso T, Sartain EI, Tran AT, Swan JT. Adherence to guideline recommendations for human rabies immune globulin patient selection, dosing, timing, and anatomical site of administration in rabies postexposure prophylaxis. Hum Vaccin Immunother. 2020;16(1):51-60. doi: 10.1080/21645515.2019.1632680. Epub 2019 Aug 1. PMID: 31210569; PMCID: PMC7012082.
• Ajewole VB, Cox JE, Swan JT, Chikermane SG, Lamoth B, Iso T, Okolo LO, Ford CL, Schneider AM, Hobaugh EC, Baker KR. Incidence of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy within 12 weeks of starting neurotoxic chemotherapy for multiple myeloma or lymphoma: a prospective, single-center, observational study. Support Care Cancer. 2020 Apr;28(4):1901-1912. doi: 10.1007/s00520-019-05006-6. Epub 2019 Jul 29. PMID: 31359183.

2020 Publications

• Rizk E, Haas EM, Swan JT. Opioid-Sparing Effect of Liposomal Bupivacaine and Intravenous Acetaminophen in Colorectal Surgery. J Surg Res. 2021 Mar;259:230-241. doi: 10.1016/j.jss.2020.09.002. Epub 2020 Oct 10. PMID: 33051063.
• Iso T, Rizk E, Harris JE, Salazar E, Heyne K, Herrera E, Varisco J, Swan JT. Viable Hemostasis Obtained With Prothrombin Complex Concentrate in Patients Who Refuse Standard Allogeneic Blood Transfusion and Undergo Complex Cardiac Surgery: A Case Series. A A Pract. 2020 Jul;14(9):e01276. doi: 10.1213/XAA.0000000000001276. PMID: 32909724.   
• Haddad N, Paranjpe R, Rizk E, Basit SA, McNamara C, Okoro E, Gilmore J, Liebl M, Swan JT. Value of pharmacy services in an outpatient, preoperative, anesthesia clinic. J Am Pharm Assoc (2003). 2020 Nov-Dec;60(6):e264-e278. doi: 10.1016/j.japh.2020.03.014. Epub 2020 Apr 15. PMID: 32303426.
• Bui LN, Swan JT, Perez KK, Johnson ML, Chen H, Colavecchia AC, Rizk E, Graviss EA. Impact of Chlorhexidine Bathing on Antimicrobial Utilization in Surgical Intensive Care Unit. J Surg Res. 2020 Jun;250:161-171. doi: 10.1016/j.jss.2019.12.049. Epub 2020 Feb 15. PMID: 32065967.

2021 Publications

• Swan JT, Iso T, Rizk E, Trachtenberg B, Krisl J, Varnado S, Suki WN, Frost AE, Suarez E, Uddin FS, Kassi M, Giesecke NM, Bhimaraj A, Masud FN. Defining vasoplegia following durable, continuous flow left ventricular assist device (CF-LVAD) implantation. (Accepted for publication in the American Society for Artificial Internal Organs (ASAIO) Journal on January 6, 2021)
• Hughes CG, Mailloux PT, Devlin JW, Swan JT, Sanders RD, Anzueto A, Jackson JC, Hoskins AS, Pun BT, Orun OM, Raman R, Stollings JL, Kiehl AL, Duprey MS, Bui LN, O'Neal HR Jr, Snyder A, Gropper MA, Guntupalli KK, Stashenko GJ, Patel MB, Brummel NE, Girard TD, Dittus RS, Bernard GR, Ely EW, Pandharipande PP; MENDS2 Study Investigators (including Rizk E). Dexmedetomidine or Propofol for Sedation in Mechanically Ventilated Adults with Sepsis. N Engl J Med. 2021 Apr 15;384(15):1424-1436. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2024922. Epub 2021 Feb 2. PMID: 33528922.
• Swan JT, Rizk E, Kwak N, Guastadisegni J, Thompson-Moore N, Liebl MG. Publication of pharmacy residency research: a 12-year cohort from an academic medical center. (Accepted for publication in the Journal of Pharmacy Practice on May 9, 2021)