People
Dima M. Qato, PharmD, MPH, PhD
Senior Scholar, USC Schaeffer Institute
Hygeia Centennial Chair and Associate Professor, USC Mann School
Director, Program on Medicines and Public Health, USC Mann School

Biography
Dima Mazen Qato, PharmD, MPH, PhD serves as the Hygeia Centennial Chair and Associate Professor (with tenure) in the Titus Family Department of Clinical Pharmacy. She has also been appointed as a Senior Scholar with the USC Leonard D. Schaeffer Institute for Public Policy & Government Service. Dr. Qato is currently leading the Program on Medicines and Public Health within the Titus Family Department of Clinical Pharmacy at USC. Read more about it here.
Prior to joining USC, Dr. Qato was an Associate Professor in the Department of Pharmacy Systems, Outcomes and Policy at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Pharmacy (2012-2020). She also serves as a National Academy of Medicine Pharmacy Fellow for 2018-2020. Dr. Qato received her PharmD from UIC, an MPH from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health and a PhD in Public Health from the University of Illinois School of Public Health.
At the USC Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, she will develop and lead interdisciplinary research efforts focusing on drug utilization, access to medicines, and pharmaceutical policy both in the U.S. and globally to better understand why medications are used, or not used, and how they can and should be used in the population to promote equity, longevity and good health.
Dr. Qato’s research utilizes population-based methods to better understand the underlying mechanisms responsible for the use, underuse and unsafe use of medications, how these patterns may influence health outcomes and health disparities, and what can be done from a community and policy perspective to address these growing public health problems. Dr. Qato’s goal is to promote public accountability to better ensure access to, and safe use of, medications at the national, state and local levels. In an effort to achieve this goal, Dr. Qato is interested in incorporating the concept of ‘essential medicines’ in payment and regulatory decision-making in ongoing health care reform.
Latest Research View All
In The News View All
Marketwatch
While traditional pharmacies remain essential, new care models may cater to higher-income and privately insured patients, Qato predicts
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Marketplace
Declining reimbursements on prescriptions have hit retail pharmacy chains hard, Qato says
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Oprah Daily
Qato discusses disparities in GLP-1 coverage
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New York Times
Unprecedented decline in retail pharmacy closures may get worse, Qato warns
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CNN
CNN cites Qato’s research on pharmacy closures
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Associated Press
Qato discusses new research on ‘unprecedented’ pharmacy closures
Featured Experts: Dima M. Qato