What is POP all about?
Areas of Specialization
Each area focuses on certain competencies, which are met with a focused selection of course work and research experiences. However, students will have exposure to all areas of specialization through exchange with faculty and other students, joined seminars and journal clubs, and shared core didactic course work. All areas cross disciplinary boundaries and many faculty are engaged in more than one specialty area.
Some students have concrete ideas about their specialty before joining our graduate program, but some do not or gain a better understanding after more in-depth exposure. The selection of a specialty area should be based on individual student interests and future career and research goals. Much like those faculty who are engaged in more than one specialty area, some students may find that their research interests intersect with more than one area; these students would work with their advisor to explore the coursework most appropriate for their interests.
Pharmacoepidemiology & Safety Sciences
Applies epidemiologic reasoning, methods, and knowledge to studies that examine the safety, effectiveness, and quality of drugs in human populations as well as healthcare systems that impact medication use. Examples of areas of research interest include drug safety, comparative effectiveness, drug utilization and quality measures for medication safety and appropriateness.
Pharmacoeconomics & Outcomes Research
Assesses the value (clinical and economic) of pharmaceutical products and related services in the delivery of healthcare. It aims to provide patients, providers, and payers with evidence to inform decision making. Important research areas include economic evaluations, budget impact analysis, multi-criteria decision analysis, and policy evaluations related to drug formulary, reimbursement and pricing.
Pharmaceutical Health Services Research
Establishes the ability to evaluate the quality of medication use and medication use systems, to develop target interventions for identified quality deficits, and to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of such interventions. Examples of research include the development and validation of quality measures, or the implementation and evaluation of quality improvement programs.
AI Focus Area in POP Research
Many faculty have increasingly incorporated Artificial Intelligence (AI) methods into their research, and some faculty have research programs that are singularly focused on AI in pharmaceutical outcomes and policy research. Students may choose to have exposure to AI methods as a focus area and take advantage of didactic coursework relevant to AI offered within the Health Science Center as well as the Colleges of Engineering, Business, and elsewhere throughout the university.
Focus Area
Artifical Intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI) has become increasingly prevalent in various sectors of society, including pharmacy and related fields, representing the method by which a computer is able to act on data through statistical analysis, enabling it to understand, analyze, and learn from data through specifically designed algorithms. An example of an area of research includes developing and evaluating potential interventions related to a medication that can be offered in conjunction with prediction models in decision-support applications.
What Our Students Are Saying
Application Deadlines
Students are admitted into the Ph.D. and residential M.S. programs in the fall semester. We do not admit students to begin their studies in the spring or summer semesters except for rare circumstances. Review of applications begins December 1. Decisions on first-round interviews and nominations for fellowships are finalized by January 15; thus, completing your application before December 1 is strongly encouraged. Note that we will accept applications after December 1, but it will benefit applicants to submit their application materials by January 1 to be given consideration. If there are exceptional circumstances related to the application deadline, please contact Dr. Richard Segal at segal@cop.ufl.edu. The online M.S. programs offer rolling admission.
Explore Further
Stem and POP: The University of Florida College of Pharmacy Department of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy offers a STEM-designated Ph.D. program in Pharmaceutical Sciences with a concentration in Pharmaceutical Outcomes & Policy Research (POP Ph.D.). This program has the Department of Education’s Classification of Instructional Program, or CIP, taxonomy code CIP 51.2010. This code denotes Pharmaceutical Sciences and is a STEM-designated degree program.