Ascension St. John Hospital/Wayne State University
Health Systems Outcomes Fellowship

The Department of Pharmacy Practice at Wayne State University Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, in partnership with Ascension St. John Hospital, offers a health systems outcomes fellowship.  Formalized training in conjunction with the Wayne State University Master of Public Health Program will be provided.  Research will focus on health system outcomes locally, across the state of Michigan,  and nationally across Ascension Health.   The fellow will have the opportunity to teach at WSU and provide research mentorship to pharmacy practice residents. Our mission is to improve the quality of healthcare on a state and national level by using data to drive health decisions.

The fellow will be responsible for at least 4 research proposals and at least 2 grant applications over the course of the fellowship along with development of a database of 450 DOAC patients in collaboration with the Michigan Anticoagulation Quality Improvement Initiative (MAQI²), a multi-center collaborative of anticoagulation clinics across the state of Michigan.  The fellow will also co-lead at least 1 system level initiatives at Ascension Health.  Fellows will present their research at state and national meetings.  A variety of designs will be utilized to address health outcomes on a state and national level. Data will come from registries or health system level data; observational research will be the primary methodologic approach.  Research will involve advanced statistical techniques such as regression, survival analysis, propensity matching, and other approaches dependent upon the research objective.  Training on conducting advanced statistical analysis will be provided.

At WSU, the fellow will develop two learning experiences and lead a small group of students in a problem-based learning course.  Fellows will enroll in the Public Health Certificate Program and take Biostatistics I and II and Epidemiology I.   This will be optional if similar training has already been completed.  Fellows may also enroll in the Master of Public Health (MPH) degree program.  There are no credit hour charges for coursework in either the Public Health Certificate or MPH degree when enrolled in the fellowship training program.  After completion, fellows will be prepared to improve outcomes in health systems on a state and national level.  Fellowships will be completed over 1-2 years depending on prespecified goals of the fellow.

Opportunities for clinical rotations are available to support professional goals.

Program Director: Christopher Giuliano, Pharm.D., M.P.H.

Dr. Giuliano is a clinical professor within the Department of Pharmacy Practice at the Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences at Wayne State University.  He also serves as a clinical pharmacy specialist with a focus of internal medicine at Ascension St. John Hospital.  He actively collaborates on multicenter projects, grants, and presentations, contributing to the publication of 50+ papers focused on a diverse array of topics including the use of anticoagulants in special populations and innovative pharmacy services. 

Stephanie Edwin, Pharm.D. Cardiac ICU Pharmacy Specialist, Ascension St. John Hospital  
Dr. Edwin serves at the chair of the Ascension Cardiology Expert Review Panel, a group which makes formulary and policy decisions for the national health system.  She is highly engaged in research, leading multicenter projects and authoring peer-reviewed publications focused on anticoagulation and critical illness.  

Paul Kilgore, M.D., M.P.H.  Professor of Pharmacy & Medicine, Wayne State University
Dr. Kilgore conducts research in close cooperation with community partners, non-governmental stakeholders, faith-based organizations, public health experts, and other technical experts with the goal of supporting the development of health programs and policies that improve outcomes, safety and reduce health disparities.  Dr. Kilgore’s focus on public health issues will lead the identification of grant opportunities.