PhD Thesis Defense: Sura Al Mahasis

Sura Al Mahasis, HSRP graduate student (Ford Research Group), will be defending her PhD research thesis:

Antibiotic Prescribing Practices in Wisconsin Urgent Care Centers: A Statewide All-Payer Claims-Based Analysis

This dissertation aimed to examine antibiotic prescribing practices across urgent care centers in Wisconsin using the Wisconsin All-Payer Claims Database (APCD). The study characterized oral antibiotic prescribing patterns, evaluated prescribing appropriateness using a two-level framework based on antibiotic necessity and clinical practice guideline concordance, and identified distinct prescriber trajectories of inappropriate prescribing over time using group-based trajectory modeling. Findings provide new evidence on antibiotic prescribing in urgent care settings and highlight opportunities to support targeted antimicrobial stewardship efforts.