• 2019, 2020 Society of Behavioral Medicine Leadership Institute Fellow
• 2008 Recipient of Dissertation Fellowship, College of Pharmacy, University of Iowa, IA
• 2008 Rho Chi Pharmaceutical Honor Society
• 2007 Received honorable mention for the paper submitted to the Jakobsen Conference in the Biological & Health Sciences Division, University of Iowa, Iowa in March 2007
• 2006 Finalist for Wiederholt podium presentation at the Midwest Social and Administrative Pharmacy Conference, University of Minnesota, Minnesota in July 2006
• 2006 Received first place for the paper submitted to the Jakobsen Conference in the Biological & Health Sciences Division, University of Iowa, Iowa in March 2006
• 2004 Recipient of Department Fellowship, Division of Clinical and Administrative Pharmacy, University of Iowa, IA
• 2003 Recipient of Outstanding MBA Graduate, University of Louisiana at Monroe, LA
• 2003 Beta Gamma Sigma Academic Society

Research

Elizabeth’s research interest is in health services and include medication non-adherence, patient’s beliefs in their medicines and illnesses, health literacy, and self-efficacy. Her interest lies in developing theoretical models that explain medication non-adherence based on the various psychosocial variables that define medication adherence. She has also developed a self-reported scale to measure medication adherence, the Medication Adherence Reasons Scale (MAR-Scale). As an academician, she also has interest in the scholarship of teaching and learning. Elizabeth believes in collaborative research and has conducted research with academicians from several Universities and researchers from pharmaceutical industry and consulting.

Recent publications

• Chen P, Chang EH, Unni EJ, Hung M. Development of the Chinese Version of Medication Adherence Reasons Scale (ChMAR-Scale). Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health. 2020: 17, 5578; doi:10.3390/ijerph17155578
• Rose TM, Unni EJ. A pilot evaluation of I’M HAPPY: An interactive module to halt abuse of prescriptions in preteens and youth. Games for Health Journal. 2020: 9(4): DOI: 10.1089/g4h.2019.0037
• Unni EJ, Gabriel S, Ariely R. A review of the use and effectiveness of digital health technologies in asthma patients. Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology. 2018; 121: 680 -691.
• Unni EJ, Sternbach N, Goren A. Using the Medication Adherence Reasons Scale (MAR-Scale) to identify the reasons for non-adherence across multiple disease conditions. Patient Preference and Adherence. 2019; 13: 993 – 1004. doi: 10.2147/PPA.S205359
• Unni EJ, Wagoner EV, Shiyanbola OO. Utilizing a 3S (Strategies, Source, and Setting) approach to understand the patient’s preferences when addressing medication non-adherence in patients with diabetes: A focus group study in a primary outpatient clinic. BMJ Open. 2019; 9(1): e024789.
• Shiyanbola OO, Unni EJ, Huang Y, Lanier C. Utilizing the Extended Self-Regulatory Model to Characterize Diabetes Medication Adherence: A Cross-Sectional Study. BMJ Open. 2018; 8: e022803. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2018-022803.
• Unni EJ, Sharp L. Giving adherence intervention programs their due. Accepted for publication with Current Medical Research & Opinion. 2017; 11: 1 – 2DOI: 10.1080/03007995.2017.1356709
• Unni EJ, Shiyanbola OO. Clustering Medication Adherence Behavior based on Beliefs in Medicines and Illness Perceptions in Patients Taking Asthma Maintenance Medications. Current Medical Research and Opinion. 2016; 32(1): 113-21
• Unni EJ, Farris KB. Medication non-adherence and beliefs in medicines over time in older adults. Global Journal of Health Science. 2015;8(5): 512017doi:10.5539/gjhs.v8n5p39
• Unni EJ, Olson J, Farris KB. Establishing the validity of the MAR scale in patients taking cholesterol lowering medications and asthma maintenance medications. Current Medical Research and Opinion. 2014; 30(2): 211-221
• Unni EJ, Le MT, Whitaker A. Implementation of a Continuing Professional Development Course in a Longitudinal Didactic Curriculum for Pharmacy Students(opens in a new tab). Accepted for publication with the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education. Posted online on 24 August 2018.
• Echeverri M, Unni EJ, Harpe S, et al. A Revised Scale of Cultural Competence Curriculum in Pharmacy Education: A Multi-School Validation Trial. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education. 2018; https://doi.org/10.5688/ajpe6602
• Rose T, Unni EJ. Using Drawings to Probe the Affective Experience of Pharmacy Students on Rotation: A Pilot Study. Accepted for publication with the Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cptl.2018.05.011. Available online.

Recent presentations

• Unni EJ, Wagoner E, Rose T. Insights from individuals with type 2 diabetes regarding diabetes patient education materials and their educational needs in diabetes medication management. Presented at the International Conference on Communications in Healthcare, October 29, 2019.
• Unni EJ, Gupta S, Sternbach S. Estimating the reliability of the Mediation Adherence Reasons Scale (MAR-Scale) in asthma and COPD and identifying the reasons for non-adherence. Presented at ISPOR, November 3, 2019.
• Unni EJ, Farahbakhshian S, Maculaitis M, Gupta S, Spalding W. Assessment of the internal consistency and concurrent validity of the Medication Adherence Reasons Scale (MAR-Scale) in an Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity disorder population-based sample. Poster presented at ISPOR, Copenhagen, Denmark, November 4, 2019.
• Shiyanbola OO, Pigarelli D, Unni EJ, Maurer M, Huang Y. Preliminary results from a mixed method randomized clinical trial: ADdressing Health literacy, bEliefs, adheRence and self-Efficacy (ADHERE) program to improve diabetes outcomes. Poster presented at the International Conference on Communication in Healthcare, San Diego, CA, October 28, 2019.
• Kaleb Payne, Elizabeth Unni, Benjamin Jolley. Impact of dispensing services in an independent community pharmacy. Poster presented at the APhA Annual Meeting, Seattle, WA, March 22 – 24, 2019.
• Michelle Hon, Elizabeth Unni, Jamie Montuoro, Warren Young. Impact of integrating position-specific roles for comprehensive medication reviews into community pharmacy workflow. Poster presented at the APhA Annual Meeting, Seattle, WA, March 22 – 24, 20189.
• Brittany Brown, Elizabeth Unni, Ashley Rush, Brenda Ralls. Community pharmacist’s perceptions regarding their role in the healthcare team of patients with chronic conditions. Poster presented at the APhA Annual Meeting, Seattle, WA, March 22 – 24, 2019.
• Brittany Brown, Elizabeth Unni, Ashley Rush, Janet Norman, Amy Schmidt. Prevalence of enhances services provided by community pharmacies in Utah. Poster presented at the APhA Annual Meeting, Seattle, WA, March 22 – 24, 2019.
• Velliyur V, Gupta V, Cone C, Unni EJ. Motivators and barriers to improve the response rate of student evaluations of teaching. Poster presented at the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Annual Meeting, Boston, MA, July 22-23, 2018.
• Unni EJ, Lawrence P. Management of Chronic Disease Conditions by Pharmacists versus Other Healthcare Providers in the Veterans Affairs Healthcare Administration System. Poster presented at the American Pharmacists Association Annual Meeting, Nashville, TN, March 16-19, 2018.
• Unni EJ, Shiyanbola OO, Ruiz-Negron N, Weathers T, Olson C, Bellows B. Reasons for non-adherence with statins among patients who had a primary cardiovascular event. Poster presented at the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research Annual Meeting, Baltimore, DC, May 19 – 23, 2018.
• Unni EJ, Wagoner E, Shiyanbola OO. Utilizing the 3S framework to understand the patient’s preference when addressing non-adherence on patients with diabetes. Poster presented at the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research Annual Meeting, Baltimore, DC, May 19 – 23, 2018.
• Unni EJ, Goren A. Comparing rates and reasons for medication non-adherence across seventeen disease conditions, three modes of administration, and two frequencies of administration, using the Medication Adherence Reasons Scale (MAR-Scale). Poster presented at the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research Annual Meeting, Baltimore, DC, May 19 – 23, 2018.
• Goren A, Unni EJ. Replicating and extending the four-factor structure of the Medication Adherence Reasons Scale (MAR-Scale) in pain, migraine, and sleep conditions among people using daily and weekly administered oral medications. Poster presented at the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research Annual Meeting, Baltimore, DC, May 19 – 23, 2018.

Professional service

Member of International Society of Quality of Life (ISOQOL), American Pharmacist’s Association (APhA), and American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP), and holds several leadership positions with these organizations. Currently, she is a leadership fellow with the Society of Behavioral Medicine. In addition to serving as a peer reviewer with various journals such as Medical Care, Patient Education and Counseling, PLOS One, and BMJ, she is also a member of the editorial board of Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy, the peer-reviewed journal in her field.