UMSOP Professor Assumes Presidency of ISPOR

Eberechukwu Onukwugha is a professor of practice, sciences, and health outcomes research.

By Andrew Tie
July 25, 2024

Eberechukwu Onukwugha, PhD, MSc, professor in the Department of Practice, Sciences, and Health Outcomes Research (P-SHOR) and executive director of Pharmaceutical Research Computing (PRC) at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, began her tenure as president of ISPOR—The Professional Society for Health Economics and Outcomes Research on July 1.

“It is exciting to see one of our faculty members leading the premier organization dedicated to health economics and outcomes research,” said Sarah L.J. Michel, PhD, dean of the School and professor of pharmaceutical sciences. “Dr. Onukwugha brings a wealth of knowledge, passion, and innovation to her work, and I know she will do the same at ISPOR.”

Onukwugha has been an active member of ISPOR for more than a decade and has held multiple leadership roles. She served on ISPOR’s Board of Directors from 2020 to 2023 and has also served as conference co-chair for ISPOR 2022, co-chair of the research review committee for the ISPOR 2018 and 2019 conferences, and president of its faculty advisor council from 2013 to 2015. At the School, she served as faculty advisor of the ISPOR UMB student chapter from 2011 to 2015.

“I am honored to serve as the ISPOR president for the coming year and look forward to the work ahead,” Onukwugha said. “ISPOR is uniquely positioned to advance the science and application of health economics and outcomes research to address the challenges faced by individuals, families, and health care systems. As a member-driven organization, ISPOR has a strong reputation for building collaborations and strategic partnerships across multiple stakeholders in academia, industry, government, health care organizations, and more.”

Onukwugha said she brings a global perspective through experiences living and attending school in Nigeria, the United States, and France. That perspective shapes her outlook for both evidence generation for decision making and the advancement of ISPOR’s core mission: “to improve decision making for health globally.” The mission also factors heavily into ISPOR’s newly launched Strategic Plan 2030, which will guide the organization over the next six years.

“ISPOR’s strategic direction for 2030 resonates with me because it honors ISPOR’s long-standing commitment to scientific rigor while acknowledging the continuing need for better outcomes at the individual and health care system level,” Onukwugha said.

Onukwugha’s research interests include cost analysis, health disparities, and medical decision making by individuals and institutions. She has 20 years of experience conducting health economics and outcomes research using administrative medical and pharmacy claims, hospital discharge, and prospectively-collected data.

Onukwugha joined the faculty at the School of Pharmacy in 2006 and teaches in the Pharmaceutical Health Services Research and the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) programs. Since 2014, she has led PRC, which is a dynamic research center that offers responsive and client-focused computer programming, data management, pharmaceutical classifications, and analytic support for health services research and evaluation.

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