March 15, 2021
AUBURN, Alabama - Tasked with identifying ways to account for underrepresented populations when it comes to health disparities, the Harrison School of Pharmacy’s Dr. Surachat Ngorsuraches rose to the top with a second-place award in the Valuing Diversity: Addressing Health Disparities Challenge.
Ngorsuraches, an associate professor in the Harrison School of Pharmacy’s Department of Health Outcomes Research and Policy, placed with his submission titled “Using Latent Class and Quantum Models to Value Equity in Healthcare: A Tale of Two Stories.”
“In my submission, I describe two novel approaches, including latent class and quantum models, to rigorously value equity in health care,” Ngorsuraches said. The latent class model is based on random utility theory with the classical theories of probability that has been widely used in choice modeling, while the quantum choice model is flexible enough to capture complex decisions as such decisions under equity.
“These approaches will improve existing value assessment methods that inadequately address health disparities and underrepresented populations.”
With his study, Ngorsuraches hopes these approaches can be used to ensure the systematic consideration of health equity in decision makings. He also believes they will determine how equity enters the preferences of decision makers.
Participants in the competition were asked to respond to the question, “How can value assessment methods and processes better account for populations that are typically underrepresented in research and drivers of health disparities?”
A part of the PhRMA Foundations Value Assessment Initiative, the goal of the program is to advance a more equitable, value-driven health care system.
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Auburn University’s Harrison School of Pharmacy is ranked among the top 25 percent of all pharmacy schools in the United States, according to U.S. News & World Report. Fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), the School offers doctoral degrees in pharmacy (Pharm.D.) and pharmaceutical sciences (Ph.D.) while also offering a master’s in pharmaceutical sciences. The School's commitment to world-class scholarship and interdisciplinary research speaks to Auburn's overarching Carnegie R1 designation that places Auburn among the top 100 doctoral research universities in the nation. For more information about the School, please call 334.844.8348 or visit http://pharmacy.auburn.edu.