Faculty and alumnus to participate in legislative briefing on prescription drugs

Kevin Look, assistant professor in the Social and Administrative Sciences Division, and Joe Cesarz, PharmD  ‘10, Director of the UW Health Specialty Pharmacy Residency, are invited speakers for The Evidence-Based Health Policy Project (EBHPP) legislative briefing on prescription drug pricingin Wisconsin.

The event, Feeling the Squeeze: Prescription Drug Pricing Trends and Options for State Policymakers, will feature four speakers. Look who received his PharmD ’09, MS ’11, and PhD ’13, from the UW-Madison School of Pharmacy will provide an overview of the drug pricing process along with statewide and national trends and the implications of rising drugs costs for payers, patients, and pharmacies. Cesarz will discuss specialty drugs and UW Health activities in specialty pharmacy programs. Other speakers will include:

  • Rachel Currans-Henry, Director of the Medicaid Bureau of Benefits Management at the Wisconsin Department of Health Services will present on controlling prescription drug costs in the state’s Medicaid program.
  • Eileen Mallow, Deputy Director of the Office of Strategic Health Policy with the Wisconsin Department of Employee Trust Funds will present on state policy options developed by the National Academy for State Health Policy’s Pharmacy Costs Workgroup.

The event will be held at the Wisconsin State Capitol, Room 411-South, on Thursday, April 27th, from 9-11:30 a.m. Advance registration is recommended: Register now.

The EBHPP is a partnership with the UW Population Health Institute, the La Follette School of Public Affairs, and the Wisconsin Legislative Council. The non-partisan project bridges medicine and health policy, as well as research and practice, to serve the Wisconsin Legislature and other decision-makers. Originally formed in 2002, the EBHPP provides public briefings on health topics and aims to connect localized health research with key stakeholders in Wisconsin.