Utibe Essien, MD, MPH
CHERP COIN Investigator
Staff Physician at the VA Pittsburgh Healthsystem
Assistant Professor of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Profile
Dr. Essien is a health services researcher who conducts research on racial/ethnic health disparities. His specific focus is on the use of novel therapeutics and technologies in the management of chronic diseases and understanding mechanisms by which differences exist in their uptake and diffusion.
As a General Medicine Fellow, Dr. Essien applied innovative methods to study whether racial/ethnic differences exist in the use of novel anticoagulants in patients with atrial fibrillation, including after controlling for patient-level socioeconomic status factors. Additionally, he examined the role of social determinants such as food insecurity and housing instability on patients with diabetes.
Currently, Dr. Essien is a Core Investigator in the VA Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion (CHERP). He is studying patient, provider, and system-level predictors of the use of anticoagulants in Veterans with atrial fibrillation. He is also interested in developing patient-centered interventions to increase knowledge of therapeutic options
Utibe R. Essien, MD, MPH is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and a Core Investigator in the Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion. Dr. Essien is also a board-certified internist, providing clinical care at VA Pittsburgh. Dr. Essien joined the Center for Research on Health Care in September 2018 as a health services researcher with a focus on the use of novel therapeutics and technologies in the management of chronic diseases and understanding mechanisms by which differences exist in their uptake and diffusion. Currently, Dr. Essien is studying patient, provider, and systems-level predictors of the use of novel treatments in Veterans with chronic cardiovascular diseases and developing interventions to improve equity in their use. Dr. Essien was recently selected as one of the University of Pittsburgh’s Institute for Clinical Research Education Career Education and Enhancement for Healthcare Research Diversity (CEED) Scholars for 2019-2020.
Published Research
Racial/Ethnic Differences in the Medical Treatment of Opioid Use Disorders Within the VA Healthcare System Following Non-Fatal Opioid Overdose. J Gen Intern Med (2020)Association of Race/Ethnicity With Oral Anticoagulant Use in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation: Findings From the Outcomes Registry for Better Informed Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation II. JAMA Cardiol (2018)
Unstable Housing and Diabetes-Related Emergency Department Visits and Hospitalization: A Nationally Representative Study of Safety-Net Clinic Patients. Diabetes Care (2018)
Awards
- NMQF 40 Under 40
- ACLGIM Unified Leadership in Diversity Training award
- Pittsburgh Research Day Best Health Science Abstract award
- American Heart Association Young Investigator Award
