David Dadiomov, PharmD, BCPP, assistant professor of clinical pharmacy at the USC Mann School, has received a 2024 Safety Net Innovation Award with $125,000 in grant funding for the project “Transformative Chronic Pain Management for Sickle Cell Anemia Patients: A Multidimensional Approach.”
Sponsored by the Southern California Clinical and Translational Science Institute (SC CTSI) and the Southern California Healthcare Delivery Science Center, the Safety Net Innovation Award Program aims to bridge the research-policy-practice gap and improve healthcare for underserved, high-disparity populations.
Sickle cell disease affects approximately 10,000 people in the United States, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and more than 90% of patients are Black or African American and an estimated 3-9% are Hispanic or Latino. Complications associated with sickle cell disease include acute and chronic pain, anemia, infections, pneumonia and acute chest syndrome, stroke, and kidney, liver, and heart disease.
Dadiomov’s project aims to enhance chronic pain management for individuals with sickle cell disease at Los Angeles County Department of Health Services (DHS) by developing and implementing comprehensive guidelines that integrate buprenorphine, non-opioid treatments and non-pharmacological treatments. The project will establish standardized pain management protocols, educate healthcare providers and patients and monitor healthcare utilization and patient outcomes to ensure effective implementation.
“Our goals are to improve the quality of care and address healthcare disparities in sickle cell disease patients, promoting sustainable and safer healthcare practices,” Dadiomov notes.