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Faculty Profile

Hua ChenHua Chen

Professor and Assistant Department Chair, 
Department of Pharmaceutical Health Outcomes and Policy

Office: 
University of Houston College of Pharmacy
Health 2, Room 4048
4349 Martin Luther King Boulevard
Houston, TX 77204-5047

Contact: hchen20@uh.edu - 832-842-8355

Research:

  • Pediatric medication effectiveness, safety, quality and disparity
  • Integration of information from insurance claims, electronical medical records, national surveys and other publicly available data to gain a 360-degree view on pediatric medical care
  • Application of multidisciplinary measures and methods from biostatistics (longitudinal data analysis, machine learning based risk prediction), econometrics (instrumental variable, propensity score), sociology (social network analysis), and geology (Albuquerque Geographic Information System (AGIS))
  • Ph.D. in Pharmacy Care Administration, University of Georgia College of Pharmacy, Athens, GA
  • Master of Science in Pharmacology, Hunan Medical University, China
  • Medical Degree in General Medicine, Hunan Medical University, China

  • Nair AA, Farber HJ, Chen H. Utilization of opioid versus non-opioid analgesics in Medicaid and CHIP enrolled children with current asthma. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf. 2021 Jul 29;. doi: 10.1002/pds.5336. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 34322934
  • Chen H, Upadhyay N, Lyu N, Rowan PJ. Association of Primary and Behavioral Health Integrated Care Upon Pediatric Mental Disorder Treatment. Acad Pediatr. 2021 Jun 1;. doi: 10.1016/j.acap.2021.05.021. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 34087480.
  • Upadhyay N, Aparasu RR, Rowan PJ, Fleming FL, Balkrishnan RB, Chen H. The association between geographic access to providers and the treatment quality of pediatric depression. J Affect Disord. 2019 Apr 22; 253:162-170. PMID: 31035217.
  • Upadhyay N, Patel A, Chan W, Aparasu RR, Ochoa-Perez M, Sherer JT, Sanyal S, Chen H. Reversibility of psychotropic medication induced weight gain among children and adolescents with bipolar disorders. Psychiatry Research. 2019 Jun; 276:151-159. PMID: 31085419.
  • Medhekar R, Fujimoto K, Aparasu RR, Bhatara VS, Johnson ML, Alonzo JP, Schwarzwald HL, Chen H. Physician care coordination and the use of psychotropic polypharmacy in the management of pediatric mental disorders. J Manag Care Spec Pharm. 2019 Jan; 25(1):29-38. PMID: 30589632
  • Patel A, Chan W, Aparasu RR, Ochoa-Perez M, Sherer JT, Medhekar R, Chen H. Effect of psychopharmacotherapy on body mass index among children and adolescents with bipolar disorders. J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol. 2017 May; 27(4):349-358. PMID: 28422528.
  • Patel A, Medhekar R, Ochoa-Perez M, Aparasu RR, Chan W, Sherer JT, Alonzo J, Chen H. Care provision and prescribing practices of physicians treating children and adolescents with ADHD. Psychiatr Serv. 2017 Jul 1; 68(7):681-688. PMID: 28196459
  • Bhowmik D, Aparasu RR, Rajan SS, Sherer JT, Ochoa-Perez M, Chen H. Risk of manic switch associated with antidepressant therapy in pediatric bipolar depression. J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol. 2014 Dec; 24(10):551-61. PMID: 25470655.
  • Chen H, Mehta S, Aparasu R, Patel A, Ochoa-Perez M. Comparative effectiveness of monotherapy with mood stabilizers versus second generation (atypical) antipsychotics for the treatment of bipolar disorder in children and adolescents. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf. 2014 Mar; 23(3):299-308. PMID: 24459113.
  • Chen H, Patel A, Sherer J, Aparasu R. The definition and prevalence of pediatric psychotropic polypharmacy. Psychiatr Serv. 2011 Dec; 62(12):1450-5. PMID: 22193792.
  • Chen H, Reeves JH, Fincham JE, Kennedy WK, Dorfman JH, Martin BC. Off-label use of antidepressant, anticonvulsant, and antipsychotic medications among Georgia Medicaid enrollees in 2001. J Clin Psychiatry. 2006 Jun; 67(6):972-82. PMID: 16848658

Honors & Awards

  • 2021 Finalist of the Best Paper Award 2021 for the Journal of Child and Adolescent Mental Health
  • 2019 Bronze medal presentation award, Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA
  • 2017 Silver medal presentation award, AMCP Annual Meeting, Denver, CO
  • 2017 Best poster award at ISPOR 22st Annual International Meeting, Boston, MA
  • 2013 Best podium presentation award at ISPOR 18th Annual International Meeting, New Orleans, LA
  • 2012 Best podium presentation award at ISPOR 17th Annual International Meeting, Washington, D.C.
  • 2008 Best Poster Presentation, 13th Annual ISPOR International Meeting, Toronto, ON, Canada
  • 2008 Best Podium Presentation, 11th Annual ISPOR European Congress, Athens, Greece
  • 2008 1st Place Poster Presentation, 8th Annual Outcomes Research Symposium, Kelsey Research Foundation
  • 2006 Top 10% Reviewer, Journal of Managed care & Specialty Pharmacy
  • 2004 ISPOR Distinguished Service Award