The UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy highlights the bold work of researchers who have received funding from the Eshelman Institute for Innovation (EII). The Eshelman Institute for Innovation is made possible by a $100 million gift from Fred Eshelman to accelerate the creation and development of ideas leading to discoveries and transformative changes in education, research and health care. To learn more about the EII’s impact, visit unceii.org/impact.
Meet: Casey Tak
Project Title: Improving rates of audiology screening for pediatric cystic fibrosis patients exposed to high-dose aminoglycosides through pharmacist administered testing.
Funded Amount: $26, 281
Co PI: Cameron McKinzie, Pharm.D.
About project: Because of their multi-drug resistant infections, patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) are at an increased risk of development of ototoxicity related to drug exposure, particularly aminoglycosides. This study aims to develop a protocol for pharmacist-driven audiology screening protocol to increase screening rates and early identification of high frequency hearing loss in pediatric patients with CF.
“The funding generously provided by the EII allowed us to collect critical pilot data needed to inform a multi-site study proposal,” Tak said.