The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB Health) Family Medicine Pharmacy team received the Clinical Pearl Award at the North American Primary Care Research Group (NAPCRG) 2025 Annual Meeting for a collaborative project focused on improving diabetes outcomes in primary care.
Project contributors include Family Medicine physician Dr. Laura Porterfield, HSPAL pharmacy resident Vida Ordonez, and clinical pharmacists Shannon Nieto and James Papadatos.
“This work reflects what’s possible when pharmacists and primary care teams partner closely around patient care,” said Porterfield. “Seeing meaningful improvements in diabetes outcomes reinforces the value of collaboration.”
This award recognizes the Family Medicine Pharmacy team’s evaluation of different clinical pharmacist involvement models across primary care clinics, with findings showing that clinics with consistent pharmacist engagement achieved the greatest improvements in A1c levels and higher rates of diabetes control.
“Recognition like this reflects the care our teams bring to patients every day,” said Dr. Akeem Bale, vice president of Pharmacy Services at UTMB. “I’m proud of the work behind this project and the impact it has on improving diabetes care in our clinics.”
Read the full research abstract, “Impact of clinical pharmacist integration models on diabetes outcomes in primary care clinics” in the Annals of Family Medicine.