Associate Professor, Division of Clinical Pharmacy
Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

Pronouns: She|Her|Hers
I began my career as faculty member at the University of Pittsburgh in 2016. In 2021, I joined UCSD as an Associate Professor with tenure. My research has focused on evaluating clinical and economic outcomes of oral anticoagulant agents and studying pharmaceutical pricing. I have published over 80 peer-reviewed manuscripts with more than 60 as first or senior author. Some of these articles have been published in top-tier journals, including JAMA, Annals of Internal Medicine, JAMA Internal Medicine, and Health Affairs. My research has been featured in the main media outlets, including New York Times, Washington Post, NPR, CNN, Forbes, BBC, ABC, CNBC, or Bloomberg. I am the PI of a K01 and an R01 award on anticoagulation use in atrial fibrillation. My drug pricing research is funded by West Health Policy Center.
I was tenured and awarded my first R01 as PI at the age of 30. In 2021, I became the first pharmacist to be recognized with the Academy Health Alice S. Hersh Emerging Leader Award. In 2018, I was named one of the “30 under 30” young leaders in healthcare research by Forbes Magazine. I am a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association Academic Achievements
Education: PharmD (2013) University of Navarra (Spain); Master of Science in Health Economics and Pharmacoeconomics (2013) University Pompeu i Fabra (Spain); PhD in Health Services Research and Poilicy (2016) University of Pittsburgh.
Awards and Honors:
- National Academy of Medicine Fellow in Pharmacy (2022)
- Alice S. Hersh Emerging Leader Award (2021)
- University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health Alumni Award for Research (2021)
- Seema S. Sonnad Emerging Leader in Managed Care Research Award (2019)
- Fellow, American Heart Association (2019)
- Delta Omega Public Health Honor Society Inductee (2019)
- Rho Chi Society Outstanding Scholarly Contribution Award (2019)
- Forbes 30 under 30 (2018)
- Fellow, American College of Cardiology (2018)
- Delta Omega National Public Health Honor Society Omicron Chapter Best Doctoral Dissertation Award (2017)
- PCORI/AHA Comparative Effectiveness Research and Precision Medicine Approaches for Heart Disease and Stroke Treatment Research Clinician Challenge Award (2016).
- Introduction to Health Care Systems and Policy.
- First nation-wide study quantifying access to potential COVID-19 administration facilities
- First estimation of the effect of rising manufacturer discounts in offsetting increases in list prices of drugs (Hernandez et al. JAMA 2020)
- First validation of SSR Health Data in drug pricing research (Hernandez et al. JAMA 2020)
- First publication demonstrating to what extent rising drug prices are due to innovation versus inflation (Hernandez et al. Health Affairs 2019)
- First report demonstrating changes in prices of drugs under shortages (Hernandez et al. Ann Intern Med 2019)
- First evidence on outcomes associated with the resumption of direct oral anticoagulants in patients surviving a major bleeding event (Hernandez et al. Stroke 2018)
- First estimation of the risk of bleeding with dabigatran in the real-world clinical practice (Hernandez et al. JAMA Intern Med 2015)
- Hernandez I, et al. (2022) Disparities in Distribution of COVID-19 Vaccines across U.S. Counties: A Geographic Information System-Based Cross-sectional Study
- Berenbrok LA, (…) Hernandez I. (2021) Access to Potential COVID-19 Vaccine Administration Facilities: A Geographic Information Systems Analysis
- Hernandez I, et al. (2020) Changes in List Prices, Net Prices, and Discounts for Branded Drugs in the US, 2007-2018. JAMA 323(9):854-862
- Hernandez I, et al. Drug Shortages in the United States: Are Some Prices Too Low? JAMA 323(9):819-820
- Hernandez I, et al. (2019) Trends in Medicaid Prices, Market Share and Spending on Long-Acting Insulins from 2006-2018. JAMA 321(16):1627-1629
- Hernandez I, et al. (2019) The Contribution of New Product Innovation vs Existing Product Inflation in the Rising Costs of Prescription Drugs. Health Affairs 38(1):76-83
- Hernandez I, et al. (2017) Comparison of the Effectiveness and Safety of Apixaban, Dabigatran, Rivaroxaban and Warfarin in Newly Diagnosed Atrial Fibrillation. Am J Cardiol 120(10):1813-1819
- Hernandez I, et al. (2017) Anticoagulation Use and Clinical Outcomes After Major Bleeding on Dabigatran or Warfarin in Atrial Fibrillation. Stroke 48 (1) 159-166
- Hernandez I et al. (2015) Risk of Bleeding with Dabigatran in Atrial Fibrillation. JAMA Intern Med; 175(1):18-24
- Health economics and outcomes research studies of anticoagulants.
- Evaluation of new insurance programs and provider payment models.
- Drug pricing research.
- COVID-19 pandemic disruptions of cardiovascular disease care.
- Application of geographic information systems (GIS) methods to quantify disparities in access to health care facilities.