Graduate Student Directory

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Bio

Education:

• B.S., Psychology - Virginia Commonwealth, 2018
• B.S., Sociology - Virginia Commonwealth, 2018

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Research Interests

• Patient-Centered Research
• Inflammatory Arthritis
• Health Behaviors
• Machine Learning
• Real-World Data

Nick McCormick is a graduate student at the Harrison College of Pharmacy, pursuing his Ph.D. in the Health Outcomes Research and Policy option, specializing in chronic disease management with a focus on inflammatory arthritis, pain, and medication management behaviors. His research focuses on chronic disease management, with an emphasis on rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases, pain, medication use, and patient-centered outcomes. His dissertation examines patient-driven approaches to treatment adjustment by aligning medication strategies with individuals’ self-identified goals for pain, physical functioning, and fatigue in inflammatory arthritis.

His work integrates social and behavioral science with pharmacoepidemiology and real-world evidence, using large observational datasets alongside primary data collection. Methodologically, his research applies advanced statistical modeling and machine learning techniques to evaluate treatment effectiveness, health behaviors, and patient, provider, and stakeholder perceptions. He has extensive experience working with electronic health records, registries, and claims data, including the ACR Rheumatology Informatics System for Effectiveness (RISE).

Originally from Virginia, Nick McCormick joined HORP in August 2021 as a staff Research Assistant under Dr. Salisa Westrick. Prior to this role, he served as a Project Coordinator at Virginia Commonwealth University from 2018 to 2020 in the Department of Counseling and Special Education, where he facilitated a randomized controlled trial aimed at replicating and evaluating the effectiveness of an intervention for children with emotional and behavioral disorders.

Active Research Projects

• “Aligning Treatment to Self-Identified Goals: Exploring Patient-Driven Approaches to Pain, Functionality, and Fatigue Management in Inflammatory Arthritis”
  PI: Nicholas McCormick
• “Assessing the patient experience in patients diagnosed with rheumatologic conditions, Part 2: Living with RA survey”
  PI(s): Dr. Kimberly Garza and Dr. Jeffrey Curtis
• "Satisfaction with Treatment among Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis"
  PI(s): Dr. Kimberly Garza and Dr. Jeffrey Curtis
• Naloxone policies and its use and preferences among healthcare professionals and patients
  PI: Dr. Lindsey Hohmann
• NIH Community Engagement Alliance (CEAL): Patient trust in healthcare providers and their Influenza and COVID-19 vaccination uptake
  PI(s): Dr. Salisa Westrick and Dr. Spencer Durham
• Center for Opioid Research, Education, and Outreach (COACH): Program evaluation of PDMP-focused town halls and workshops for interdisciplinary healthcare professionals
  PI(s): Dr. Karen Marlowe, Dr. Brent Fox, Dr. Haley Phillippe, Dr. Lindsey Hohmann

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Selected Publications

• McCormick NP, Ezeala OM, Durham SH, Westrick SC. Assessing Barriers to COVID-19 Diagnostic Testing in Community Pharmacies: Insights from Alabama. J Am Pharm Assoc. 2025; 65(1). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.japh.2024.102286
• Zongliang Y, McCormick NP, Ezeala OM, Durham SH, Westrick SC. EMSIG: Uncovering Factors Influencing COVID-19 Vaccination Across Different Subgroups Charactered by Embedding-based Spatial Information Gain. Vaccines. 2024; 12(11):1253. https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines12111253
• Ezeala OM, McCormick NP, Meininger CL, Fish H, Beckner J, Ha D, Snead R, Vance H, Westrick SC. Factors Associated with the Implementation of Pediatric Immunization Services: A Survey of Community Pharmacies. Vaccines. 2024; 12(1):93. https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines12010093
• Meininger C, Ezeala O, McCormick N, Fish H, Beckner J, Ha D, Westrick SC. Utilization of Immunization Information Systems (IIS) among independently owned community pharmacies: A national survey. Vaccine. 2024; 42(2):65-68. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2023.12.040
• McCormick N, Jackson BN, Durham SH, Hohmann NS, Westrick S. Qualitative Analysis of Community Pharmacy-Based COVID-19 Immunization Service Operations. J Am Pharm Assoc. 2023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.japh.2023.06.022
• Shahariar MF, Alexander C, Qian J, Ngorsuraches C, Hohmann N, Lloyd KB, Reagan A, Hart L, McCormick N, Westrick SC. A Scoping Review to Synthesize Current Evidence on the Barriers and Facilitators to Implementation of Pharmacogenetic Testing in a Healthcare Setting. J Am Pharm Assoc. 2023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.japh.2023.04.022

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Selected Presentations

• McCormick NP, Curtis JR, Mudano A, Venkatachalam S, Gavigan K, Xie F, Stewart P, Garza KB. Exploring Barriers to Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment Changes: Insights into Patient Concerns. Poster presented at: American College of Rheumatology Convergence 2024; November 14-19, 2024; Washington, DC. https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/exploring-barriers-to-rheumatoid-arthritis-treatment-changes-insights-into-patient-concerns/
• Marlowe K, McCormick NP, Hohmann L, Fox BI, Phillippe H. The Impact of an Interprofessional Educational Summit on Healthcare and Law Enforcement Professionals’ Perceptions and Readiness Regarding Collaborative Substance Misuse Prevention and Treatments. Poster presented at: PAINWeek Conference; September 3-6, 2024; Las Vegas, NV. https://painweek2024.eventscribe.net/fsPopup.asp?efp=QUFTWkFKRVEyMjMxMg&PresentationID=1481675&rnd=0.3649954&mode=presInfo
• Ezeala OM, McCormick NP, Meininger CL, Durham SH, Westrick SC. Patients' Awareness and Preferences in Shared Clinical Decision-Making for Vaccine Recommendations. Oral Podium presented at: National Immunization Conference; August 12-14, 2024; Atlanta, GA.
• McCormick NP, Ezeala OM, Durham SH, Westrick SC. Leveraging Machine Learning to Identify Determinants of COVID-19 and Influenza Vaccination Uptake Among Alabama Residents. Oral Podium presented at: Southern Pharmaceutical Association Conference; August 8-10, 2024; Athens, GA.
• McCormick NP, Curtis JR, Nowell B, Gavigan K, Hawkins G, Seals C, Rose CG, Yang H, Garza KB. Association of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) Patient Characteristics and Perceived Treatment Satisfaction, RA Impact on Life, and Task Difficulty with PROMIS Measures’ Physical Functioning and Upper Extremity Scores. Poster presented at: International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research Conference; May 5-8, 2024; Atlanta, GA. https://www.valueinhealthjournal.com/article/S1098-3015(24)02086-2/abstract.
• McCormick NP, Ezeala OM, Meininger CL, Durham SH, Hastings TJ, Westrick SC. Development of Measures to Assess Pharmacists’ Perceived Barriers and Role in Pediatric Immunization Delivery. Oral Podium presented at: American Pharmacists Association Conference; March 22-25, 2024; Orlando, FL. https://apha2024.eventscribe.net/fsPopup.asp?efp=T0RXVFBOT00yMTI3Mg&PosterID=656087&rnd=0.4744592&mode=posterInfo

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