The major goal of this contract is to evaluate the effect of a pediatric antipsychotic registry on metabolic screening and antipsychotic utilization in the NC Medicaid population. Joel Farley, Ph.D., Principal Investigator

The UNC-CH Sheps Center will perform two sets of activities as described below: Collaborate with NCCNC staff to create an integrated database linking three data sets maintained by the NC Department of Health and Human Services: HEARTS (state psychiatric hospital admissions), IPRS (outpatient mental health services), and Medicaid claims. Sheps Center staff will provide technical… Read more »

Prescription opioid abuse is a growing public health epidemic in the US, contributing to an estimated 15,000 deaths and more than $55 billion in societal costs per year. In response, states are increasingly managing CS abuse with Medicaid Lock in Programs (MLIP). The North Carolina (NC) Recipient Management MLIP, initiated in October of 2010, was… Read more »

Comorbid cardiometabolic health conditions are a significant burden to the health of patients with schizophrenia representing a major source of morbidity and mortality. For patients taking medications to manage schizophrenia and comorbid health conditions, poor care coordination can result in inappropriate prescribing, duplication of medication therapy, medication non-adherence, and more aggressive health service utilization for… Read more »

Alan Kinlaw is an epidemiologist and health services researcher, currently serving as a postdoctoral fellow at the Sheps Center. Alan grew up in Greensboro, North Carolina and attended North Carolina State University where he earned baccalaureate degrees in textile engineering and French in 2008. Following undergrad, he worked as a chemist for two years in… Read more »

Parth Shah is a pharmacist and PhD candidate in Health Behavior at UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. Parth grew up in Los Angeles, CA, and received his BS in biochemistry from the University of Southern California in 2008. He received his PharmD from the USC School of Pharmacy in 2012 before beginning the… Read more »

Research Interests My overarching interests lie in the application of the research process to an identified need or problem. To date, my research has experience has spanned substantive areas, but the underlying commonality has been populations that are vulnerable or stigmatized (e.g., foster children with mental health problems, Arab Americans with mental health problems, poor… Read more »

Leslie Adams is a 3rd year doctoral student in the Department of Health Behavior at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. While at UNC, Leslie has worked primarily on the M.A.N.H.O.O.D.S study, which focuses on examining the relationship between neighborhood contexts and risk-taking behavior among African American men. She has also contributed to… Read more »

John Duncan “Dunc” Williams, Jr. is a NRSA Pre-Doctoral Fellow assessing the financial impact of mergers on rural hospitals. Dunc is currently pursuing a PhD in health policy and management at the University of North Carolina Gillings School of Public Health, with an emphasis on health care financial management. Dunc graduated from the University of… Read more »

Aaron Mitchell is a fellow in medical oncology at the University of North Carolina. Aaron grew up in North Carolina, and received his BS in biology from Yale University in 2005. He received his MD from New York University School of Medicine in 2011, before returning to his home state to train in internal medicine… Read more »

Academic Interests I am interested in the dissemination and implementation of innovative interventions for persons with multiple morbidities – mental illness, substance abuse, and chronic physical health problems. My research interests also include disparities in access to high-quality services for mental health and substance abuse disorders in the US, and internationally.   Current Research Projects… Read more »