Harrison College of Pharmacy

Faculty and Staff Directory

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Bio

Research Interests

The overarching goal of Dr. Loop's research program is to estimate the effects of treatments using observational data. After completing a B.S. in Biology at the University of Alabama, he completed an M.S. and Ph.D. in the Department of Biostatistics at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). His graduate work was focused on two areas: (1) spatial point processes and their use in studying geographic variation in cardiovascular risk factors; and (2) the association between air pollution and cardiovascular disease. Loop then completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Epidemiology at UAB, which focused on pharmacoepidemiology and health services research among Medicare beneficiaries with heart failure.

His current focus is on estimating the effects of longitudinal therapies (i.e., sequences of treatment decisions made over time) in pregnant women. This population is one of the most vulnerable among us yet has the least evidence for effective therapies. Little evidence exists because randomized controlled trials are difficult to conduct in this population. Therefore, robust observational studies using cutting-edge statistical tools are critical for improving our knowledge of the best treatment strategies in these vulnerable patients.

Dr. Loop's research experience has led to several opportunities to provide outreach, including leading the writing of the Total Cardiovascular Disease chapter for the AHA/ASA statistics updates in 2021 and 2022, serving as a statistical reviewer for JAMA Network Open, an ad hoc reviewer for other journals focused on cardiovascular disease, an ad hoc reviewer for study section at NIH, and statistical consulting for individuals and organizations.

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Recent Funded Research

Title: Arterial stiffness and brain health in African Americans
Source: National Institute of Aging, R01AG062488
Role: Co-Investigator (PI: Michelle Meyer, UNC Chapel Hill)
Date: 1/7/19 – 3/4/23

Title: Well-being initiative for women faculty of color to promote professional advancement in pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences research
Source: Amgen, Inc.
Role: Co-Investigator (PI: Carla White, UNC Chapel Hill)
Date: 1/1/21 – 3/4/23

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Selected Publications

1. Tsao CW, Aday AW, Almarzooq ZI, Alonso A, Beaton AZ, Bittencourt MS, Boehme AK, Buxton AE, Carson AP, Commodore-Mensah Y, Elkind MSV, Evenson KR, Eze-Nliam C, Ferguson JF, Generoso G, Ho JE, Kalani R, Khan SS, Kissela BM, Knutson KL, Levine DA, Lewis TT, Liu J, Loop MS, Ma J, Mussolino ME, Navaneethan SD, Perak AM, Poudel R, Rezk-Hanna M, Roth GA, Schroeder EB, Shah SH, Thacker EL, VanWagner LB, Virani SS, Voecks JH, Wang N-Y, Yaffe K, &  Martin SS; on behalf of the American Heart Association Council on Epidemiology and Prevention Statistics Committee and Stroke Statistics Subcommittee (2022). Heart disease and stroke statistics—2022 update: a report from the American Heart Association [published online ahead of print Wednesday, January 26, 2022]. Circulation. doi: 10.1161/CIR.0000000000001052.
2. Loop MS, Howard G, de Los Campos G, Al-Hamdan MZ, Safford MM, Levitan EB, et al. Heat Maps of Hypertension, Diabetes Mellitus, and Smoking in the Continental United States. Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes. 2017;10. doi:10.1161/CIRCOUTCOMES.116.003350
3. Lemas DJ, Loop MS, Duong M, Schleffer AB, Collins C, Bowden JA, Du X, Patel KU, Ciesielski AL, Ridge Z, Wagner J, Subedi B, & Delcher C (2021). Estimating drug consumption during a college sporting event from wastewater using liquid chromatography mass spectrometry. Science of the Total Environment 764:143963. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143963.
4. Loop MS, Van Dyke MK, Chen L, Brown TM, Duran RW, Safford MK, & Levitan EB (2020). Evidence-based beta blocker use associated with lower heart failure readmission and mortality, but not all-cause readmission, among Medicare beneficiaries hospitalized for heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. PLOS ONE 15(7):e0233161. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0233161.
5. Loop MS, Van Dyke MK, Chen L, Safford MM, Kilgore ML, Brown TM, Durant RW, & Levitan EB (2018). Low utilization of beta blockers among Medicare beneficiaries hospitalized for heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. Journal of Cardiac Failure. doi:10.1016/j.cardfail.2018.10.00

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Teaching

• DRDD 7000 Grant Writing
• HORP 7540 Pharmacoepidemiology: Methods and Applications

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Graduate Students Advised (as a Major Advisor)

Ahmed Kamel, 2023 - present

Nick McCormick, 2022 - present

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