Programs
SIHI is committed to advancing the role of the pharmacist through training in interprofessional practice models and other unique interprofessional educational experiences. This includes support for IPE Hotspotting, interprofessional simulation, telehealth collaborations, and integration of pharmacy students and pharmacy faculty expertise into other programs in the College of Health, such as New Directions Wellness Center and the Big Sky Aphasia Program.
ImProving Health Among Rural Montanans - referred to as IPHARM - has been in existence since 2002 as a means to assist in managing chronic diseases in rural communities around Montana. The program utilizes clinical students in pharmacy, nursing, physical therapy, and social work in an educational setting to provide point-of-care screenings/assessments and counseling for community members to manage chronic conditions such as hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes, and asthma. The program has worked closely with local pharmacies, clinics, senior centers, and health departments to support these rural communities across the state
IPHARM Pharmacy was established in 2018 as a Medication Therapy Management Center focused on disease state management education for patients through telehealth. It employs pharmacists, a pharmacy technician, and pharmacy fellows and provides clinical education for pharmacy students. The students learn to interact with patients, provide education on disease states like diabetes and asthma, and provide comprehensive medication reviews and targeted medication reviews. Our current focus is working with one insurance benefit plan helping members manage their health conditions through self-management education while providing cost savings on medications and supplies.
In 2017, the Skaggs School of Pharmacy joined Montana DPHHS, the Montana Hospital Association, and Mountain-Pacific Quality Health to form the Montana Antimicrobial Stewardship Collaborative, a group designed to facilitate the development of Antimicrobial Stewardship (AMS) Programs in Montana Hospitals. They provide a range of antimicrobial stewardship services to Critical Access Hospitals, including remote antibiotic monitoring, educational webinars, and analysis of Antimicrobial Use and Antimicrobial Resistance data. Their ultimate goal is to develop a sustainable AMS program that will continue to provide services to rural healthcare facilities and educate students who will have the opportunity to work in rural communities.
Pharmacogenetics helps prescribers choose the right medication at the right dose for their patients. With >99% of patients carrying information in their genes that can be used to tailor medications, pharmacogenetic testing provides potential benefits for both patients and healthcare systems. SIHI has partnered with rural and tribal providers across the state to implement pharmacogenetic testing services in their facilities. Our goal is to ensure pharmacogenetic testing technologies are accessible to all patients regardless of ancestry, geographic location, and socioeconomic status.
If you are interested in learning more or scheduling a consultation, email pgx@umontana.edu .
The research focus of the Precision Medicine Project within the Woodahl laboratory is on precision medicine and pharmacogenomics to identify sources of interindividual variability in disease treatment and prevention (e.g. genes, environment, and lifestyle). We are interested in genetic and environmental factors that alter the pharmacokinetics, or ADME (absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination), and pharmacodynamics of many therapeutic compounds. Translation of pharmacogenomics into clinical practice requires genetic research with diverse patient populations to accurately predict drug response and toxicity for all people. Toward this end, we focus on precision medicine and pharmacogenomics with rural and underserved populations
The Rocky Mountain (RMT) Research Evaluation and Commercialization Hub (RMT-REACH) is a National Institute of Health (NIH)-funded academic hub dedicated to accelerating the translation of biomedical research discoveries into technologies that address unmet medical needs, disease burden, and health disparities for populations across the Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, Idaho (WWAMI) region.
