PharmaSafe is a multidisciplinary research group, with expertise in a wide range of topics, including pharmacoepidemiology and drug safety, pharmaco(epi)genetics, biostatistics, health economics, and pharmacotherapy.
Using epidemiological methods, we address questions of drug safety that are challenging to study in randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Our work includes monitoring of drug utilization in pregnancy, examination of perceptions toward medications, methodology and health economic research, and analysis of medication safety on patient outcomes, including genetic and epigenetic contributions.
Pharmacoepidemiology: medication safety in pregnancy
For ethical reasons, pregnant women are rarely included in clinical studies, and consequently, drugs are often marketed with a general clause against use during pregnancy. Nevertheless, diseases require pharmacological treatment even during pregnancy, and women may often use medication before discovering that they are pregnant. Furthermore, our knowledge on underlying reasons for low birth weight, prematurity, stillbirths, malformations, and perinatal complications, is sparse, albeit several studies suggest that medication exposure during pregnancy may contribute to these negative pregnancy outcomes. Therefore, the need for evidence-based information about the safety of medication during pregnancy is great.
To this end, our main research focus within pharmacoepidemiology is medication safety in pregnancy. We use data from large, population-based health registries, and birth cohorts, as well as patient interviews. Medication groups of special focus are psychotropics, analgesics, and antibiotics.
Clinical pharmacy and pharmacotherapy research
Our clinical pharmacy and pharmacotherapy research projects include patient surveys to assess risk perception associated with medication use, as well as attitude towards and adherence to, medications in various diseases at different stages in life (e.g., migraine, depression, and pregnancy). Research activities also cover medication reviews within a clinical pharmacy setting, to identify and solve drug-related problems.
The role of the pharmacist
We examine the role of the pharmacist in the health care system in several ways, e.g., by how the role is perceived by pharmacists themselves, or by how other involved stakeholders perceive pharmacists.
Team members at the Department of Pharmacy
- Professor Hedvig Nordeng
- Professor Anne Gerd Granås
- Professor Angela Lupattelli
- Associate professor Ingunn Björnsdottir
- Senior researcher Marleen van Gelder
- Postdoc Alma Mulac
- Postdoc Emilie Willoch Olstad
- Researcher Anteneh Assefa Desalegn
- Researcher Nhung Trinh
- Researcher Saeed Hayati
- Researcher Saima Orangzeb
- Researcher Mahmoud Zidan
- Researcher Rajesh Shigdel
- Research coordinator Maren Mackenzie Olson
- PhD student Fatima Tauqeer
- PhD student Akhila Srinivas Reddy
- PhD student Milica Zugic
- PhD student Alexis Carson
- PhD student Lavin Kadir
- PhD student Liv Vidas
- Lecturer Mia Catharina Nikolaisen Heimdal
- Lecturer 50% Anne Gyri Gløersen
- Lecturer 20% Hilde Kloster Smerud
- Guest researcher Eivind Ystrøm
- Guest researcher Kristina Gervin
- Guest researcher Mollie Wood
- Guest researcher Anette Vik Jøsendal
- Guest researcher Eirin Guldsten Robinson
- Guest researcher Vera Mitter
- Guest researcher Benjamin Geisler
Collaborations
The research group has close collaborations with:
- Center for Better Beginnings, UC San Diego, USA
- Center for Pharmacy, University of Bergen
- Social pharmacy, University of Tromsø
- University hospitals in Norway (OUS, UNN, St. Olav’s hospital, Akershus)
- National Institute of Public Health, Norway
- Regional Drug Information Services
- University of Reykjavik, Iceland
- University of Copenhagen, Denmark
- University of Umeå, Sweden
- University of Massachussets, Worcester, USA
- Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, USA