Schall Collaborates with Multidisciplinary Team Addressing Hidden Dangers in IV Medication
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Assistant Professor of Health Policy and Management Theo Schall is part of a multidisciplinary research team awarded a seed grant from the Institute of Diversity Sciences (IDS) through its annual seed grant competition. Schall's team will examine how intravenous medication errors in intensive care units in hospitals disproportionately affect older adults and patients from diverse social class and racial and ethnic backgrounds.
The goal of these grants is to support STEM research that addresses pressing social problems and advances public interest. This year, IDS awarded two seed grants: one for $14,619 and another for $23,234, the latter jointly funded by the Elaine Marieb Center for Nursing and Engineering Innovation (EMCNEI). Researchers supported by these grants come from seven departments at UMass Amherst.
In addition to Schall, collaborators include Jeannine Blake (Nursing faculty), Hari Balasubramanian (Mechanical & Industrial Engineering faculty), Lucy Xiaolu Wang (Resource Economics faculty), Yash Javalkar (Engineering Management student), and Tiffany Hopper (Nursing student). Their proposal notes that a single incorrect medication dose can be the difference between recovery and tragedy. Medication errors are among the most common—and deadliest—hospital mistakes, disproportionately harming older, poorer, and racially diverse patients in intensive care. This study brings together nursing, engineering, economics and health equity to examine how high-risk medications and complex clinical scenarios compromise medication safety and increase the potential for life-threatening harm.
“At a time when higher education is facing real uncertainty—especially around research funding—it’s more important than ever to invest in research that addresses the needs of our communities,” says Nilanjana (Buju) Dasgupta, director of IDS. “These projects bring together faculty and students from multiple disciplines to tackle real-world problems with STEM theories and techniques. IDS is proud to be a launchpad for this kind of socially impactful research—work that might otherwise go unsupported in this political climate.”