Jacqueline McRae is a motivated pharmacist and health services researcher. She is a full-time PhD student in pharmaceutical health services research at the University of Maryland, Baltimore School of Pharmacy, and expects to graduate with an MS in Applied Health Economics and Outcomes Research (HEOR) in May 2019. She holds a PharmD from Mercer University and aspire to contribute to the promotion of patient-centered healthcare policies through research and advocacy in high need communities. Her dissertation research aims to improve measurement of two distinct domains, underinsurance and direct non-medical costs, that affect healthcare access among Hispanic adults in the United States. Her dissertation research will help refine a novel approach to leverage the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, a publicly funded nationally representative survey on health insurance and health expenditures, to improve measurement of out-of-pocket costs and health insurance. Her current research on health disparities in the Hispanic community was presented as part of a special panel at the 2018 American Public Health Association meeting entitled "Health Equity Now for Immigrants, Migrants, and Refugees". As a Board Member of the Maryland Public Health Association, she also works collaboratively with public health stakeholders to improve health equity among Maryland residents.
Prior to beginning her PhD studies, she served as a Post-Doctoral Fellow in Health Economics and Outcomes Research (HEOR) at Thomas Jefferson University College of Population Health and Janssen Scientific Affairs. During the two-year fellowship, her research focused on health policy and HEOR. During the first year of the fellowship, her research identified changes to US pharmaceutical reference drug prices since passage of the Affordable Care Act. In the second year, she worked collaboratively as a member of the Janssen US HEOR organization and developed outcomes research in the areas of schizophrenia, leukemia, and treatmentresistant depression.
Her prior research in health policy and outcomes research and formal training in HEOR have provided foundational academic support to enable her to confidently undertake study of underinsurance and direct nonmedical costs in the Hispanic community. After completion of her PhD, she will pursue a career in the public or private sector that merges her interests in healthcare expenditures, health insurance, health equity, and public policy. She remains committed to conducting cost-related research around contemporary issues that impact high need communities such as the underinsured and the translation of evidence through advocacy and scientific writings.