Dr. Jacinda (JAM) Abdul-Mutakabbir, PharmD, MPH, AAHIVP

Assistant Professor of Clinical Pharmacy
Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

jam
Jacinda (JAM) Abdul-Mutakabbir, PharmD, MPH, AAHIVP
Email
jabdulmutakabbir@health.ucsd.edu
Phone
(858) 822-5574
Support

Human Resources

Mandi Garhartt (formerly Walker)
mjwalker@health.ucsd.edu
858-246-0080

Reimbursements

Cristal Magana
camagana@health.ucsd.edu
858-822-7642

Research Summary

Dr.  Jacinda Abdul-Mutakabbir is currently an Assistant Professor of Clinical Pharmacy at the University of California San Diego in the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences and the Division of the Black Diaspora and African American Studies (. She completed her Doctorate in Pharmacy at the University of Saint Joseph School of Pharmacy, located in Hartford, CT. Following pharmacy school, she completed her pharmacy residency at the Howard University Hospital in Washington, DC. She also completed an Infectious Disease Pharmacokinetics/ Pharmacodynamics (PK/PD) Research Fellowship under the tutelage of Dr. Michael J. Rybak PharmD, MPH, PhD, and went on to earn a Masters of Public Health at Wayne State University in Detroit, MI. Her research in mitigating antimicrobial resistance has led her to be recognized by the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases as one of their 30 under 30 outstanding young scientists, for their ECCMID 2021 31st annual meeting.  Dr. Abdul-Mutakabbir is also dedicated to magnifying and rectifying health inequities in minoritized communities. To that point, she currently serves as the Lead Pharmacist and Educator for Congregations Organized for Prophetic Engagement-Health Equity Collaborative.

Dr. Abdul-Mutakabbir’s research utilizes a two-fold approach to explore the intersection of antibiotic resistance, and health/vaccine equity; with a specific focus on racial differences observed across racially and ethnically minoritized groups. With this, her scholastic contributions, are focused into three very distinct categories, vaccine equity, equity in pharmacy and medicine, and the utilization of antimicrobial synergistic activity to overcome multidrug-resistant organisms. Currently, she serves as the lead pharmacist for the low-barrier community vaccination clinics held within the Black and Hispanic/Latino communities. The methods for the completion of these clinics have served as a basis for her vaccine equity research and have been published in The Lancet Global Health amongst other journals. Of note, more than 3,000 vaccination doses have been provided to racially and ethnically minoritized individuals, under her direct guidance, within these clinics. Jacinda has received numerous national awards for her contributions and research in the vaccine equity clinics, and the work as well as her expertise on health and vaccine equity has been documented in several top-ranking new sources including NPR, The Atlantic, US News, Scientific American, and the Daily Mail. Jacinda’s work and research to expand vaccination efforts to increase uptake and confidence amongst people with substance use disorders is also featured on the National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse web page, Jacinda was appointed to the CVSH National Health Equity Advisory Board as a Pharmacist Expert based on her published research on vaccine equity

Jacinda is currently involved in several mentorship and sponsorship programs (including the Pharmgrad Wishlist), designed to reduce disparity gaps for racially and ethnically minoritized pharmacy students as they matriculate through the profession. She has collaborated with a variety of authors, representing numerous disciplines within healthcare, to advocate for diverse, equitable, and inclusive initiatives for minoritized students and practicing professionals. Of note, two manuscripts that she served as an author on were included on the AJHP Top 25 Journal Articles of 2021 list.

Finally, in several collaborative efforts, Jacinda evaluated the synergistic activity of combination antimicrobial regimens against microbes in which advanced mechanisms of resistance were identified. For these projects, she was integral to the completion of both static and dynamic pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic experiments, simulating human parameters, to assess the therapeutic enhancement of the antibiotic combination regimens against Gram-positive and Gram-negative organisms including Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus spp., Enterobacteriaceae, Acinetobacter baumannii, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Several projects have included novel antibiotics and treatment modalities, such as bacteriophage, as the base for the investigated combination regimens. As antimicrobial resistance is a growing public health threat, continued research that optimizes their use and defines mediators of resistance of the utmost importance. 

Academic Achievements

Education: B.S in Human Performance and Leisure Studies, (2014) Howard University; Pharm.D., (2017) University of Saint Joseph; Postdoctoral Fellowship in Infectious Diseases (2020) Wayne State University; Master of Public Health (MPH) (2020) Wayne State University.

Awards and Honors: Dorothy Ingram Trailblazer Award, Inland Empire Concerned African American Churches (IECAAC) (2022); American Pharmacists Association Immunization Champion (Honorable Mention); Institute of Health Literacy Awards-Innovative Program (Program Representative) (2022); Loma Linda University School of Pharmacy Community Service Award (2022); Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists Early Career Research Award (2021); Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists Gita Patel Award (2021); Wayne State University Warrior of Distinction Award (2021); Pharmacy Podcast Network 50 Most Influential Pharmacists (2021); Women’s Pharmacist Day-Woman Pharmacist of the Year Finalist (2021); European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases 30 under 30 Outstanding Young Scientists Award (2020); IDweek 2020 Trainee Award (2020; American Society of Microbiology (ASM) Trainee Travel Award (2019); Making a Difference in Infectious Diseases (MAD-ID) Trainee Travel Award (2019); United States Public Health Service Award (2017).

Leadership Experience: Director of Education: COPE Health Equity Collaborative, Editorial Board Member: Journal of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (*first Black Woman to be appointed) (2022-2025), Infectious Diseases and Therapy (2022-2026), Clinical Microbiology Reviews (*first PharmD to be appointed, also first Black woman PharmD to be appointed) (2022-2025), Appointed Expert: CVSH National Health Equity Board (2022-2025), Leadership/Advisory Board Member: Pharmgrad Wishlist, Research Mentor: Loma Linda University Pharmacotherapy Fellowship, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee and Awards and Recognitions Committee: Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacist (SIDP), Chair of the Health Equity Practice Research Network (2022-2023): American College of Clinical Pharmacy, Immediate Past Chair of the Health Equity Practice Research Network (2023-2024): American College of Clinical Pharmacy, Scientific Committee Member (2021-2024): Making a Difference in ID (MAD-ID), Programming Committee, Junior Advisory Group Member (2022-2026): American Society of Microbiology, Special Issue Guest Editor: Treatment of Acinetobacter baumannii Infections (Antibiotics).

Key Contributions
  • Authorship on the international consensus recommendations for the use of prolonged-infusion β-lactams (major contributor in therapeutic drug monitoring section)
  • In-vitro effectiveness (pharmacokinetic/ pharmacodynamics) of novel therapeutics against multi-drug resistant gram-negative pathogens
  • Exploration of the intersection of racism, antimicrobial resistance/stewardship, and vaccine equity
  • Advocacy for health, vaccine, and pharmacoequity within racially and ethnically minoritized communities
  • Innovation in the development of community-academic partnerships to increase vaccine uptake and healthcare access within Black communities
  • Promotion of diversity, equity, and inclusion in pharmacy and medicine education and postgraduate training
Selected Publications
Potential Collaborative Programs
  • Research pertaining to the use of novel therapeutics or synergistic antimicrobial combination therapies against multidrug resistance
  • Research regarding health equity and antimicrobial resistance/stewardship
  • Research involving innovative approaches to enhancing diversity, equity, and inclusion across pharmacy and medicine
  • Research pertaining to the equitable distribution and uptake of therapeutics and vaccines within racially and ethnically minoritized communities