Associate Professor
Unit: Health Outcomes Research and Policy
Auburn University
Harrison School of Pharmacy
4306c Walker Building
Auburn, AL 36849
Email: kavooja@auburn.edu
Phone: 334-844-8301
Fax: 334-844-8307
National Center for Biotechnology Information Listing
Dr. Jan Kavookjian joined the faculty of the Harrison School of Pharmacy in June 2006 and currently serves as an associate professor in the Department of Health Outcomes Research and Policy. Dr. Kavookjian has been named a Fellow of APhA (2018) and ADCES (2020). In addition to her faculty role, she also is a National Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) Lifestyle Coach and was elected as the 2022 President of the Association of Diabetes Care and Education Specialists.
Dr. Kavookjian’s research areas include behavior sciences and outcomes research in chronic disease management (diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease) and prevention. She studies patient-reported psycho/social variables, health behaviors, and humanistic outcomes (satisfaction and quality of life). She also studies behavior interventions and their impact on patient outcomes, with a particular expertise in evidence-based Motivational Interviewing training (has trained over 3,000 interprofessional practitioners); she also has a central focus on behavioral intervention research assessing patient and practitioner outcomes from MI-based behavioral intervention strategies.
Dr. Kavookjian’s expertise in Motivational Interviewing training as an intervention has been applied in various projects to impact patient behavior changes (MI-trained pharmacists talking with persons with diabetes about medication taking), and provider behavior changes (recent projects focused on provider-based opioid abuse prevention strategies).
Kavookjian J. Theoretical and Behavioral Approaches to the Self-Management of Health, Ch3, in Cornell S, Halstenson C, Miller DK, The Art and Science of Diabetes Care and Education. 5th ed Chicago: Association of Diabetes Care and Education Specialists;2020: 97-129.
Kavookjian J. Motivational Interviewing. (Invited Chapter). In Richardson M, Chant C, Chessman KH, Finks SW, Hemstreet BA, Hume AL, et al, eds. Pharmacotherapy Self-Assessment Program, 7th ed. Book 8: Science and Practice of Pharmacotherapy. Lenexa, KS: American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP), 2011:1-18.
Suire K, Kavookjian JS, Wadsworth D. Motivational interviewing impact on overweight children: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Pediatrics 2020; 146(5) e20200193; DOI: https//doi.org/10.1542/peds.2020-0193
Suire K, Kavookjian J, Feiss R, Wadsworth D. Motivational interviewing for weight management among women: A systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs. Int J Behavioral Medicine 2021; 28(4): 403-416.
McDaniel CC, Kavookjian JS, Whitley HP. Telehealth delivery of motivational interviewing for diabetes management: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Patient Education and Counseling 2021;in press.
Echeverri M, Unni E, Harpe SE, Kavookjian J, Alkhateeb F, Ekong G, Law A, Moorman K, Radhakrishnan R. Student-reported cultural competence in pharmacy education: A multi-school study. Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning 2021; in press.
Poudel N, Kavookjian JS (corresponding author), Scalese M. Motivational Interviewing as a strategy to impact outcomes in heart failure patients: A systematic review. The Patient- Patient Centered Outcomes Research 2020; 13(1): 43-55. DOI: 10.1007/s40271-019-00387-6
Ekong G, Chou C, Lakin J, Hardin A, Fox B, Hunt C, Kavookjian JS. Pharmacist-led motivational interviewing for diabetes medication adherence in a worksite wellness program. Journal of American Pharmacists Association 2020; 60(6): e224 – e229.
LaManna J, Lichtman ML, Dickinson JK, Todd A, Julius MM, Whitehouse CR, Hyer S, Kavookjian JS (corresponding author and methods lead). Diabetes education impact on hypoglycemia outcomes: A systematic review of evidence and gaps in the literature. The Diabetes Educator 2019; 45(4): 349-369.
Schaefer MR, Wagoner ST, Young ME, Kavookjian JS, Shapiro SK, Gray WN. Parent perceptions of their college student’s self-management of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. J Adolescent Health 2018; 63(5): 636-642.
Schaefer MR, Kavookjian JS. The impact of motivational interviewing on adherence and symptom severity in adolescents and young adults with chronic illness: A systematic review. Patient Education and Counseling 2017; 100(12): 2190-2199.
Schaefer MR, Resmini-Rawlinson A, Wagoner ST, Shapiro SK, Kavookjian JS, Gray WN. Adherence to Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder medication during the transition to college. J Adolescent Health 2017; 60(6): 706-713.
Ekong G, Kavookjian J. Motivational interviewing and outcomes in adults with type 2 diabetes: a systematic review of the literature. Patient Education and Counseling 2016; 99(6):944-52.
Alatawi Y, Kavookjian J, Ekong G. A pilot study of medication adherence beliefs in patients with type 2 diabetes. Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy 2016; 12(6):914-925.
Teeter BS, Kavookjian J. Telephone-based motivational interviewing for medication adherence: A systematic review. Translational Behavioral Medicine, 2014. 4(4): 372-381.
Hill S, Kavookjian J. Motivational interviewing as a behavioral intervention to increase HAART adherence in patients who are HIV+: A systematic review of the literature. Aids Care 2012.1-10.
Sundaram M, Kavookjian J, Patrick JH, Madhavan SS, Miller LA & Scott V. Quality of Life, Health Status, and Clinical Outcomes in Type 2 Diabetes Patients. Quality of Life Research 2007.16(2):165-177.
PharmD Professional Curriculum:
Patient-Centered Skills for first year students
Motivational Interviewing advanced elective course for third year student
Motivational Interviewing skills training labs coordinator
Health Literacy Communication curricular content
Cultural Competence curricular content
Graduate Program in Health Outcomes Research and Policy:
Advanced Motivational Interviewing Elective course coordinator and instructor
Social and Behavioral Theory core course content instructor
Graduate Students Advised (Auburn University – AU; West Virginia University – WVU)
PhD Students:
Robert Alongi (AU, Chair)
Gladys Ekong (AU, Chair)
Tatjana Petrova (AU, Chair)
Michelle Breland (AU, Co-Chair)
Linda Byrd (AU, Chair)
Cassidi McDaniel (AU, Committee Member)
Yi Zhao (AU, Committee Member)
Margaret Young (Clinical Psychology) (AU, Committee Member)
Kameron Suire (Kinesiology) (AU, Committee Member)
Darby Winkler (Kinesiology) (AU, Committee Member)
Scott Wagoner (Clinical Psychology) (AU, Outside Reader)
Megan Schaefer (Clinical Psychology) (AU, Outside Reader)
Abhishek Krishna Pillai (AU, Committee Member)
Andrea Pfalzgraf (WVU, Committee Member)
Vivek Pawar (WVU, Committee Member)
Mariam Hassan (WVU, Committee Member)
Khalid Kamal (WVU, Committee Member)
MS Students:
Amie Hardin (Nutrition and Dietetics) (AU, Committee Member)
Seth Hill (AU, Chair)
Rahul Khanna (WVU, Chair)
Murali Sundaram (WVU, Chair)
Siddhesh Kamat (WVU, Chair)
Abhishek Krishna Pillai (AU, Committee Member)
Honors College Senior Thesis:
Patrick Llewellyn (AU, Chair)