This is a resubmission for a K23 award for Dr. Jennifer Cocohoba, an HIV Pharmacist and Associate Clinical Professor at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Cocohoba is establishing herself as a young investigator in patient-oriented research. She is interested in evidenced-based methods by which pharmacists can improve medication adherence for chronic diseases, particularly for patients with HIV. This K23 award will provide Dr. Cocohoba with the necessary support to accomplish the following goals: (1) to conduct quantitative, qualitative, and interventional studies that seek to understand and measure the impact pharmacists have on antiretroviral adherence;(2) to implement advanced biostatistical methods in clinical studies;and (3) to develop an independent, patient-oriented, clinical research career studying medication adherence. To achieve these goals, Dr. Cocohoba has assembled a mentoring team comprised of a primary mentor, Dr. Ruth Greenblatt, principal investigator of the San Francisco site of the Women's Interagency HIV Study, who conducts research on the effects of HIV on women;a co-mentor, Dr. Mallory Johnson, Associate Professor at the UCSF Center for AIDS Prevention Studies who conducts interventional studies to improve antiretroviral adherence;and two scientific advisors: Dr. Peter Bacchetti, an expert on study design and state- of-the-art biostatistical methods, and Dr. Megan Comfort, an expert in qualitative research. Dr. Cocohoba's long-term goal is to enhance the impact pharmacists have on improving adherence to medications. The objective of this application is to assess the multiple sociodemographic and pharmacy factors associated with receipt of pharmacist adherence counseling (Aim 1);to understand the pharmacist- patient adherence counseling dynamic (Aim 2);and to measure the impact counseling has on HIV treatment outcomes by conducting a pilot study of a pharmacist-delivered, telephone counseling intervention based on the Information-Motivation-Behavior model.
(Aim 3). This research will form the basis of a randomized interventional trial that will be submitted in an R01 grant application before the end of the K award.

Public Health Relevance

There is a critical need to develop simple methods that utilize novel human and physical resources to improve adherence to antiretroviral therapy. Pharmacists remain a large, untapped resource for HIV treatment advocacy. Engaging pharmacists to effectively counsel on adherence may result in an improvement in HIV treatment effectiveness and reduction in HIV viral resistance and transmission.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Type
Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award (K23)
Project #
5K23MH087218-03
Application #
8240545
Study Section
Behavioral and Social Science Approaches to Preventing HIV/AIDS Study Section (BSPH)
Program Officer
Stirratt, Michael J
Project Start
2010-04-01
Project End
2014-03-31
Budget Start
2012-04-01
Budget End
2014-03-31
Support Year
3
Fiscal Year
2012
Total Cost
$162,118
Indirect Cost
$12,009
Name
University of California San Francisco
Department
Pharmacology
Type
Schools of Pharmacy
DUNS #
094878337
City
San Francisco
State
CA
Country
United States
Zip Code
94143
Cocohoba, Jennifer; Dong, Betty J; Johnson, Mallory O et al. (2014) Reporting of critical information in studies of pharmacists in HIV care. Int J Pharm Pract 22:375-85
Cocohoba, Jennifer; Comfort, Megan; Kianfar, Hamaseh et al. (2013) A qualitative study examining HIV antiretroviral adherence counseling and support in community pharmacies. J Manag Care Pharm 19:454-60
Saberi, Parya; Dong, Betty J; Johnson, Mallory O et al. (2012) The impact of HIV clinical pharmacists on HIV treatment outcomes: a systematic review. Patient Prefer Adherence 6:297-322
Cocohoba, Jennifer M; Althoff, Keri N; Cohen, Mardge et al. (2012) Pharmacist counseling in a cohort of women with HIV and women at risk for HIV. Patient Prefer Adherence 6:457-63
Cocohoba, Jennifer M; Althoff, Keri N; Godfrey, Rebecca et al. (2012) Influence of gender on receipt of guideline-based antiretroviral therapy in the era of HAART. AIDS Care 24:20-9
Murphy, Patricia; Cocohoba, Jennifer; Tang, Andrew et al. (2012) Impact of HIV-specialized pharmacies on adherence and persistence with antiretroviral therapy. AIDS Patient Care STDS 26:526-31
Cocohoba, Jennifer M; Murphy, Patricia; Pietrandoni, Glen et al. (2012) Improved antiretroviral refill adherence in HIV-focused community pharmacies. J Am Pharm Assoc (2003) 52:e67-73
Yi, Thomas; Cocohoba, Jennifer; Cohen, Mardge et al. (2011) The impact of the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) on use of highly active antiretroviral and antihypertensive therapy among HIV-infected women. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr 56:253-62