Jonathan Watanabe, associate dean of assessment and quality and professor of clinical pharmacy at the UCI School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, received a $75,000 gift from Syntropy to support his research on medication use patterns and real-world effectiveness around COVID-19.
Syntropy is a technology company specializing in healthcare data governance, harmonization, and collaboration to accelerate breakthroughs in care and research.
Watanabe’s research applies real-world data to develop policy solutions to improve patient care and enhance access to care for older adults and underserved populations.
In the context of COVID-19, Watanabe aims to reduce hospitalizations, identify at-risk patients, and determine the efficient use of treatment regimens.
“We are delighted to be able to strengthen the efforts of Dr. Watanabe and his team at UCI as they work to make a difference to patients with COVID today and in the coming years. Their research will enhance collective understanding of COVID and help inform how future health crises are managed,” says Michael Vande Vrede, Head of Digital Products at Syntropy.
To date, there have been over 573 million cases of COVID-19, with over 6.37 million deaths worldwide and more than 1 million deaths in the US.
Using large datasets, Watanabe continues to evaluate the clinical benefits of arrays of medications and medication use policies on diverse populations to enhance decision-making to improve the treatment of COVID-19.
“The Syntropy platform enhances data accessibility that we will continue to utilize as our questions surrounding COVID-19 grow,” says Watanabe. His research bolsters precision health by shedding light on which populations utilized and benefited from the therapies that were deployed.
“I am grateful to Syntropy for their generous gift. Their support will embolden our efforts to improve care for patients with COVID, not only during this current pandemic but also in future epidemics,” says Watanabe. “Quickly understanding what works now during the current COVID-19 pandemic will help us navigate as we reach endemicity and improves our position for future health crises caused by respiratory viruses and beyond. We cannot predict the future, but we can be prepared for it.”