Dima M. Qato, PharmD, MPH, PhD

Dima Mazen Qato, PharmD, MPH, PhD serves as the Hygeia Centennial Chair and Associate Professor (with tenure) in the Titus Family Department of Clinical Pharmacy. She has also been appointed as a Senior Scholar with the USC Leonard D. Schaeffer Institute for Public Policy & Government Service. Dr. Qato is currently leading the Program on Medicines and Public Health within the Titus Family Department of Clinical Pharmacy at USC. Read more about it here.

Prior to joining USC, Dr. Qato was an Associate Professor in the Department of Pharmacy Systems, Outcomes and Policy at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Pharmacy (2012-2020). She also serves as a National Academy of Medicine Pharmacy Fellow for 2018-2020. Dr. Qato received her PharmD from UIC, an MPH from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health and a PhD in Public Health from the University of Illinois School of Public Health.

At the USC Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, she will develop and lead interdisciplinary research efforts focusing on drug utilization, access to medicines, and pharmaceutical policy both in the U.S. and globally to better understand why medications are used, or not used, and how they can and should be used in the population to promote equity, longevity and good health.

Dr. Qato’s research utilizes population-based methods to better understand the underlying mechanisms responsible for the use, underuse and unsafe use of medications, how these patterns may influence health outcomes and health disparities, and what can be done from a community and policy perspective to address these growing public health problems. Dr. Qato’s goal is to promote public accountability to better ensure access to, and safe use of, medications at the national, state and local levels. In an effort to achieve this goal, Dr. Qato is interested in incorporating the concept of ‘essential medicines’ in payment and regulatory decision-making in ongoing health care reform.

Recent Work

Pharmacy Benefit Manager Market Concentration for Prescriptions Filled at US Retail Pharmacies

A few pharmacy benefit managers dominate each of the payer markets, and the three biggest PBMs appear to be targeting different markets.”

Changes in Emergency Contraceptive Fills After Massachusetts’ Statewide Standing Order

Policies that reduce prescribing barriers may improve access to emergency contraceptives, particularly ulipristal.

Use of Oral and Emergency Contraceptives After the US Supreme Court’s Dobbs Decision

The Dobbs decision was associated with declines in oral contraceptives, particularly ECs, in states enacting the most restrictive abortion policies.

School Closures and Prescription Medication Use among Children and Adolescents Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic in the USA, 2019–2022

The underuse of ADHD medications may be an overlooked contributor to declines in academic performance observed during periods of school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Shingles Vaccination in Medicare Part D After Inflation Reduction Act Elimination of Cost Sharing

Unlike commercially insured individuals who have no cost sharing for recommended vaccinations, in 2021, Medicare beneficiaries receiving vaccines covered under Medicare Part D paid $234 million out of pocket (OOP), with a mean OOP cost of $76.94 for shingles vaccines.