Grace M. Kuo

Dr. Grace Kuo is Associate Professor of Clinical Pharmacy in the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences; she is also a member of UCSD Health Services Research Center.

Before pursuing a career in clinical pharmacy, Dr. Kuo received her undergraduate degree in psychobiology at UCLA. After receiving her pharmacy degrees from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy (MCP/AHS) and Oregon State University/Oregon Health Sciences University (OSU/OHSU), she completed postdoctoral training at the W. G. Magnuson Clinical Center at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland. She has a master of public health degree in health promotion and health education from the University of Texas-Houston School of Public Health (UTHSPH); she is currently completing her PhD training in health services research. Prior to joining UCSD in October 2007, Dr. Kuo worked as Assistant Professor of Family and Community Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX and Program Director for a physician-based practice-based research network, the Southern Primary-care Urban Research Network (SPUR-Net).

At UCSD, Dr. Kuo is conducting several practice-based research projects with the Medical Group, Internal Medicine, and Family Medicine clinics. She collaborates with the Health Services Research Center and the Center for Management Science in Health on campus. Dr. Kuo is collaborating with pharmacist practitioners and researchers to form a pharmacist-based practice-based research network in San Diego. Network practitioners work in inpatient and outpatient pharmacies from community and institutional settings. Research members of the network have expertise in health services research and translational research. Dr. Kuo teaches at both the pharmacy school (e.g., study design, pharmacy practice, pharmacy informatics) and the medical school (health care system). She works with attending physicians to precept UCSD family medicine residents in ambulatory care clinics.

Research

Dr. Kuo's research focuses on medication safety, practice-based health services research, and chronic disease management. Currently Dr. Kuo and her investigative teams are conducting the following projects:

The Effect of Electronic Medical Records on Medication Safety
This study evaluates and compares the frequency, type, severity, and preventability of medication errors in primary care clinics that use either electronic medical records or paper medical records. Secondary analyses assessed medication counseling and prescribing in various clinics. (Funded by AHRQ R03 HS14406)

Effects of Literacy on Medication Safety in the Elderly
This study evaluates and compares the frequency, type, severity, and preventability of medication errors among primary care patients 65 years and older in different health literacy groups. (Funded by NIA/NIH R03 AG026420)

Safe Use of Medications in Primary Care Practices
The research plan aims to identify exemplars and exemplary methods for medication reconciliation, and to evaluate the feasibility of best practices in primary care practice-based research network clinics. The research team applies the concept of operations management to evaluate the workflow of medication reconciliation practice. (Funded by (AHRQ K08 HS014552)

In addition, Dr. Kuo collaborates with the national MEADERS study group to evaluate a medication error and adverse event reporting system implemented within primary care clinics. Dr. Kuo has over 10 years of clinical experience working at different pharmacies (hospital, retail, homecare), as well as providing consultations and patient care in ambulatory care clinics. In 2002, she was selected by the Texas Society of Health-System Pharmacists to receive its Lewis S. Smith Pharmacy Practitioner Award for her commitment to the profession by rendering exemplary patient care and by fostering exceptional relationships with other health-care professionals. In 2005, Dr. Kuo received a literature award of Innovation in Pharmacy Practice in Health Systems from the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists for her collaborative medication therapy management services. As a contributing author, Dr. Kuo collaborated with the Institute of Medicine Committee and worked on the commission report "Preventing Medication Errors" released in July, 2006. Dr. Kuo serves as a grant reviewer for both the NIH and AHRQ and as a peer reviewer for several scientific journals; she currently serves on the editorial board for the American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy.

Selected Publications

Kuo GM, Boumpas DT, Illei GG, Yarboro C, Pucino F, Burstein AH. Fludarabine pharmacokinetics after subcutaneous and intravenous administration in patients with lupus nephritis. Pharmacotherapy 2001;21(5):528-33.

Neff N, Kuo G. Acute Manic Psychosis Induced by Triple Therapy for H. pylori. Journal of the American Board of Family Practice 2002;15(1) 66-8.

Opekun AR, Abdalla N, Sutton FM, Hammoud F, Kuo GM, Torres E, Steinbauer J, Graham DY. Urea breath testing and analysis in the primary care office. Journal of Family Practice 2002; 51(12):1030-4.

Brasch E, Ulbricht C, Kuo G, Szapary P, Smith M. Therapeutic applications of Fenugreek. Altern Med Rev 2003;8(1):20-7.

Kuo GM, Buckley TE, Fitzsimmons D, Steinbauer JR. Collaborative drug therapy management services and reimbursement in a family medicine clinic (special feature article). Am J Health-Syst Pharm 2004;61:343-54.

Kuo GM, Hawley ST, Weiss LT, Balkrishnan R, Volk RJ. Herbal use among urban multiethnic primary care patients: a cross-sectional survey. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2004, 4:18 (2 December 2004). Available from: URL: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6882/4/18.

Kuo GM. Medication errors in community/ambulatory care: incidence and reduction strategies. Journal of Pharmaceutical Finance, Economics and Policy 2006;15(3):43-136.

Kuo GM, Mullen PD, McQueen A, Swank PR, Rogers J. Cross-sectional comparison of electronic and paper medical records on medication counseling in primary care clinics: A Southern Primary-care Urban Research Network (SPUR-Net) study. J Am Board Fam Med 2007;20:164 -173.

Dickerson LM, Kraus C, Kuo GM, Weber C, Bazaldua O, Tovar J, Hume A, Ives T, Gums J, and Carter B. Formation of a primary care pharmacist practice-based research network. Am J Health Syst Pharm. 2007; 64:2044-9.

Kuo GM, Steinbauer JR, Spann SJ. Conducting medication safety research projects in a primary care physician practice-based research network. J Am Pharm Assoc. 2008:48:163-70.

Refer to web-links for additional publications

List of Publications in Pub Med