What Starts Here Changes the World
Our M.S. and Ph.D. graduates are making outstanding contributions to the field through positions in academia, government, and the corporate sector.

Alumni Spotlight
Matthew “Matt” Hill, Ph.D.

Current Title: Senior Manager, Health Economics and Outcomes Research (HEOR)
Institution: Karius, Inc.
Dissertation title: Retrospective analysis of treated prevalence, psychiatric condition prevalence, and healthcare utilization and expenditures in commercially insured children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder
Year graduated: 2019
Advisor: Dr. Kenneth A. Lawson
“My graduate education… fundamentally changed the way I approach questions and perceive the world.”
Motolani “Tolani” Ogunsanya, Ph.D.

Current Title: Assistant Professor of Clinical and Administrative Sciences in the Department of Pharmacy
Institution: University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center
Dissertation title: Using the revised Wilson and Cleary model to explore factors affecting quality of life in patients with cutaneous lupus erythematosus
Year graduated: 2017
Advisor: Dr. Carolyn M. Brown
“My education at UT has shaped me in more ways than I can count. Truly what starts here changes the world, and I am proof of this!”
Komal Singh, Ph.D.

Current Title: Worldwide Health Economics and Outcomes Research Lead for Immunology
Institution: Bristol Myers Squibb
Dissertation title: Treatment patterns of antiepileptic drugs and economic outcomes in patients with potential refractory epilepsy in the Texas Medicaid program
Year graduated: 2015
Advisor: Drs. Jamie C. Barner and James P. Wilson
“In addition to the graduate coursework, engagement in multiple research projects and numerous internship opportunities, I was able to keep abreast of the most advanced scientific methods in designing and implementing HEOR work in the industry…”
Meet Our Recent Ph.D./M.S. Alumni
2022
Ph.D.
Nisha Kumaraswamy, Advisor(s): Karen L. Rascati
Title: Pharmacy provider fraud detection utilizing administrative claims data: A machine learning approach
Yi Liang, Advisor(s): Karen L. Rascati
Title: Treatment patterns, clinical and economic outcomes in adults with immune thrombocytopenia receiving pharmaceutical second-line therapies: an administrative claims database analysis
Chinelo Orji, Advisor(s): Carolyn M. Brown
Title: Using the theory of planned behavior to assess factors that influence the intent to use human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine among young adult college students
Rachel Raia, Advisor(s): Kenneth A. Lawson
Title: Adults seen in the emergency department with nonemergency respiratory diagnoses: an investigation of costs and utilization in a commercial health plan
Nidhi Shukla, Advisor(s): Jamie C. Barner
Title: Comparison of medication utilization patterns and healthcare resource utilization outcomes in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer receiving novel hormonal therapies
Yogesh Vohra, Advisor(s): Carolyn M. Brown
Title: Impact of hepatic and pancreatic cancers on the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of patients
Hanxi “Molly" Zhang, Advisor(s): Jamie C. Barner, Leticia R. Moczygemba
Title: Neoadjuvant versus adjuvant chemotherapy for older adults with stage I–III breast cancer
M.S.
Emma Gugala, Advisor(s): Jamie C. Barner
Title: Comparison of receipt of postpartum care and pregnancy-related risk factors among Texas Medicaid pregnant enrollees
Cindy Nguyen, Advisor(s): Karen L. Rascati
Title: The impact of race and ethnicity on healthcare utilization, medication utilization, and obesity-related clinical measurements in an employee-based insured population
2021
Ph.D.
Qiujun (Samantha) Shao, Advisor(s): Karen L. Rascati
Title: Healthcare utilization, expenditure, and medication use in commercially insured patients with migraine
Joshua Toliver, Advisor(s): Karen L. Rascati
Title: Development and validation of a claims- based algorithm to predict multiple sclerosis disease severity in the Medicare and commercially insured populations
Shiyu (Serene) Zhang, Advisor(s) Karen L. Rascati
Title: Opioid use, opioid use disorder, and poisoning among children and adolescent cancer survivors
M.S.
Chinyere Okoh, Advisor(s): Leticia R. Moczygemba
Title: Community paramedics' perception of their roles in community paramedicine programs
Andrew Osterland, Advisor(s): Karen L. Rascati
Title: Real-world outcomes of patients receiving prophylactic therapies for hepatic encephalopathy
Esther Yi, Advisor(s): Karen L. Rascati
Title: The association between a copay reduction program for chronic preventive medications and adherence within an integrated delivery
2020
Ph.D.
None
M.S.
Somraj Ghosh, Advisor(s): Kenneth A. Lawson
Title: Determining prescription opioid use among pregnant women in Texas Medicaid
Elizabeth Ibiloye, Advisor(s): Jamie C. Barner
Title: Prevalence of and factors associated with gabapentinoid use and misuse among Texas Medicaid recipients
Nina Kim, Advisor(s): Karen L. Rascati
Title: Impact of obesity on real-world clinical outcomes in patients with atrial fibrillation on direct oral anticoagulant therapy: a retrospective cohort study
Yogesh Vohra, Advisor(s): Carolyn M. Brown
Title: The association of patient activation with the health-related quality of life of pancreatic cancer patients
Hanxi “Molly” Zhang, Advisor(s): Jamie C. Barner, Leticia R. Moczygemba
Title: Medication adherence among type 2 diabetes Texas Medicaid patients using basal insulin
2019
Ph.D.
Matthew Hill, Advisor(s): Kenneth A. Lawson
Title: Healthcare services utilization and expenditures in autism spectrum disorder
Hyeun Ah Kang, Advisor(s): Jamie C. Barner
Title: Review of economic studies of sickle cell disease and adherence to hydroxyurea and clinical and economic outcomes among Texas Medicaid enrollees with sickle cell disease
Chisom Chimah Kanu, Advisor(s): Carolyn M. Brown
Title: The relationship between health literacy, patient activation, and health outcomes in breast cancer patients
Sabina Nduaguba, Advisor(s): Jamie C. Barner, Kentya Ford
Title: Reducing health disparities among blacks with HIV – a focus on drug treatment and quality of care
M.S.
Linda Chen, Advisor(s): Karen L. Rascati
Title: Cost-effectiveness and cost-utility of universal versus selective pediatric lipid screening methods in the United States
Chinelo Orji, Advisor(s): Carolyn M. Brown
Title: White blood cell growth factor utilization among metastatic colorectal cancer patients: findings from a multi-center oncology practice network
Elmor Pineda, Advisor(s): Karen L. Rascati
Title: Evaluation of cardiovascular outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes newly initiated on sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors, glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists, and other antidiabetic medications
Nidhi Shukla, Advisor(s): Jamie C. Barner
Title: Use of medications and services for the management of sickle cell disease
2018
Ph.D.
Cat Bui, Advisor(s) Karen L. Rascati
Title: Impact of surveillance and early-stage versus late-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) detection on patient overall survival
Sanket Shah, Advisor(s) Karen L. Rascati
Title: Patterns and predictors of opioid use in migraine patients presenting to the emergency department (ED)
M.S.
Joseph Goble, Advisor(s): Karen L. Rascati
Title: Impact of CYP3A4/P-GP interacting medications on clinical outcomes in nonvalvular atrial fibrillation patients managed on rivaroxaban
Pin Xiang, Advisor(s): Karen L. Rascati
Title: Predictive modeling pilot project for readmissions in heart failure patients with preserved ejection fraction