Dr. Lisa Dolovich obtained her Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy and Doctor of Pharmacy degrees from the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto. She completed a Canadian Society of Clinical Pharmacology Fellowship at the Centre for Evaluation of Medicines in 1998 and completed her Master of Science degree in Health Research Methodology at McMaster University.

Dr. Dolovich leads the Team for Individualizing Pharmacotherapy in Primary Care for Seniors (TIPPS) research program tippsnetwork, a research program associated with over 45 research studies that aim to find better solutions to the problems seniors face when choosing or using medications in the primary care setting. She is also co-leading a large demonstration project examining pharmacist integration into family practice, IMPACT. Dr. Dolovich also runs a Medication Assessment Clinic at St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton together with Dr. Mitchell Levine. The Clinic was recognized with a Douglas J. Stewart Award from the Ontario Branch of the Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists. Lisa serves as the chair of the Canadian Pharmacy Practice Research Group (2002-present) and President of the Canadian College of Clinical Pharmacy (2004-2005). She was recognized with the Piafsky Young Investigator Award from the Canadian Society of Clinical Pharmacology in 2001 and was the first-ever Canadian Pharmacist of the Year (2003).

Research Interests

Her research interests include the following main areas; the patient perspective about using or deciding to use medications, pharmacist integration into primary care practice, continuity of healthcare, pharmacy and health services practice research, and evaluating the clinical and policy relevance of interventions that can improve prescribing and patient medication-taking behaviour. She has also completed a number of systematic overviews including evaluations of low molecular weight heparins in the treatment of venous thromboembolism, nitrates for stable angina, and the risks of benzodiazepines during pregnancy. She holds research grants from government, academic, and industry sources, including the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Canadian Health Services Research Foundation and the Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists.

Selected Research Projects

1. IMPACT: Integrating family Medicine and Pharmacy to Advance primary Care Therapeutics. Dolovich L (PI), Pottie K (PI), Farrell B, Kaczorowski J, Austin Z, Babcock K, Berstein R, Goeree R, Lau E, Hogg B, Hollingworth G, Howard M, Lavack L, Lemelin L, Martin C, Sellors C, Sellors J, Viner G, Wichman K, Woodend K, Woodward C, Kennie N. Primary Health Care Transitions Fund ($1,893,300)
2. Communicating therapeutic information to patients: A survey to determine the importance and scope of features that seniors consider when reviewing written information about drug therapy –chronic disease. Dolovich L (PI), Lau E, Marshall D, Thabane L, Agarwal G, Butler C, Holbrook A, Levine M, Papaioannou A. Green Shield Canada ($27,210)
3. The Vascular Intervention Program. Lee H (PI), Crookston D, Dolovich L, Holbrook A, Ciliska D, Aktar-Danesh N, Hutchinson B, Fera M. MOHLTC - Primary Health Care Transition Fund ($744,500)
4. Optimizing and Reducing Drug Excess in Renal Insufficiency (ORDER). Papaioannou A (PI), Ray J, Garg A, Goeree R, Ferko N, Campbell G, Dolovich L, Holbrook A, Kaczorowski J, Agarwal G, Butler C, Levine M. Ontario Program for Optimal Therapies ($14, 020)
5. A Pragmatic Trial of Community Pharmacy Blood Pressure Clinics Linked with Family Medicine Practices to Improve the Monitoring and Management of High Blood Pressure Among Older Adults. Chambers L (co-PI) Kaczorowski J (co-PI), Black M, Dolovich L, Harmer M, Karwalajtys T, Levitt C, McDonough B, McKelvie R, Sellors C, Thabane L. Canadian Institutes of Health Research ($441,800). Ontario Ministry of Health ($128,753)
6. Helping seniors and primary care professionals optimize and individualize the use of drugs to improve health. New Emerging Team Program. L.Dolovich (PI), C. Butler, A. Holbrook, K. Kaczorowski, M. Levine, A. Papaioannou. Canadian Institutes of Health Research ($1,238,965)

Selected Publications

1. Dolovich L, Nair K, Ciliska D, Lee H, Birch S, Gafni A, Hunt D. The Diabetes Continuity of Care Scale: the development and evaluation of a scale that measures continuity from the patient perspective. Health and Social Care in the Community. 2004;12(6):475-487.
2. Dolovich L. The challenge and importance of ensuring that patient information needs are met. (editorial) Canadian Journal of Hospital Pharmacy. 2003;56:133-135.
3. Howard M, Trim K, Woodward C, Dolovich L, Sellors C, Kaczorowski J, Sellors J. Collaboration between community pharmacists and family physicians: Lessons learned from the Seniors Medication Assessment Research Trial (SMART). Journal of the American Pharmaceutical Association. 2003;43:566-72.
4. Sellors J, Kaczorowski J, Woodward C, Willan A, Sellors C, Dolovich L, Goeree R, Cosby R, Trim K, Sebaldt R, Howard M, Poston J. Randomized controlled trial of a pharmacist consultation program for family physicians and their elderly patients. CMAJ 2003;169:17-22.
5. McCormack JP, Dolovich L, Burns S, Levine M, Nair K, Cassels A, Mann K, Gray J. Providing evidence-based information to patients in general practice and pharmacies: what is the acceptability, usefulness and impacy on drug use? Health Expectations 2003; 6:281-9.
6. Nieuwstraten C, Dolovich L, Chase H. The use of goal attainment scaling in the provision of pharmaceutical care to hospitalized patients: a pilot study. Can J Hosp Pharm 2002;55:262-71.
7. Papastavros T, Dolovich L, Holbrook A, Whitehead L, Loeb M. Adverse events associated with pyrazinamide and levofloxacin for the treatment of latent multi-drug resistant tuberculosis. CMAJ 2002;167:131-6.
8. Marshall JK, Grootendorst PV, Dolovich LR, O'Brien BJ, Holbrook AM, Levy AR. Impact of reference-based pricing of H2-receptor antagonists and special access for proton pump inhibitors on drug use and costs in British Columbia, Canada. CMAJ 2002; 166: 1655-62.
9. Dolovich L, Ho CS, Wichman K, Bowles Jordan J. The provision of enhanced pharmacy services in Ontario. CPJ 2002; 5: 29-36.
10. Nair K, Dolovich L, Cassels A, McCormack J, Levine M, Gray J, Mann K, Burns S. Patient and clinician perspective of patient medication information needs. A focus group study. Canadian Family Physician 2002;48:104-110.
11. Grootendorst P, Dolovich L, O'Brien B, Holbrook A, Levy A. The impact of reference based pricing of nitrates on the use and costs of anti-anginal drugs. Canadian Medical Association Journal. Canadian Medical Association Journal 2001;165:1011-9.
12. Sellors J, Sellors C, Woodward C, Dolovich L, Poston J, Trim K, Hardcastle L. Expanded role pharmacists consulting in family physicians' offices - a highly acceptable program model. Canadian Pharmaceutical Journal 2001;134:27-35.
13. Nieuwstraten C, Dolovich L. Comparing bupropion and selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors in the treatment of depression: a meta analysis. Annals of Pharmacotherapy 2001;35:1608-13.
14. Dolovich LR, Ginsberg JS, Douketis JD, Holbrook AM, Cheah G. A meta-analysis comparing low molecular weight heparins (LMWHs) to unfractionated heparin in the treatment of venous thromboembolism: examining some unanswered questions regarding location, product type, and dosing frequency of LMWHs. Archives of Internal Medicine 2000;160:181-88.
15. Dolovich L, Addis A, Vaillancourt JMR, Power JDB, Koren G, Einarson TR. Benzodiazepines in Pregnancy and Major Malformations or oral cleft: a meta-analysis of cohort and case control studies. BMJ 1998;317:839-844.