• School of Pharmacy
• 777 Highland Avenue
• Madison, WI 53705-2222

Maithili Deshpande, B.S., M.S.

Fellow

Joseph B. Wiederholt Wisconsin Distinguished Graduate Fellow in SAS
2504 Rennebohm Hall
Phone:608-262-6534

---

Education:

• M.S. 2009 Pharmacy Admin - University of Toledo
• B.S. 2007 Pharmacy - University of Pune

Bio:

Background:

Undergraduate study:
Maithili Deshpande graduated with a B.S. in Pharmacy from University of Pune, India. During her undergraduate study in India, she worked with Dr. N.S.Vyawahare in understanding the effects of Clitoria ternatea extract on radial arm maze task performance and central cholinergic activity in rats. She also worked as an intern at Emcure Pharmaceuticals Ltd. Unit V, Pune as a part of curriculum (http://www.emcure.co.in/). While working as an intern in the pharmaceutical industry, she became interested in administrative sciences. As she progressed through the final year of pharmacy school, she explored the opportunities to study the people aspect of the field of pharmacy and eventually decided to pursue pharmacy health care administration.

Graduate study/ Masters:
She joined the University of Toledo to pursue her Masters in Pharmacy Health Care Administration in Fall 2007. Her thesis focused on the medication utilization and adherence patterns among the low income, un- and under insured Toledo/Lucas County CareNet patients. Toledo/Lucas County CareNet provides coordinated healthcare on a sliding fee scale for eligible low-income Lucas County residents. They introduced a prescription saving program in 2008 so that patients could receive their medications at a low cost. The thesis looked at the utilization of this program in terms of medications obtained and their cost along with demographics. Along with utilization she also analyzed adherence to diabetes, hypertension and hyperlipidemia medications. The study found that over 80% of the patients enrolled in the program paid $1- $10 for their prescription medications. Also, age, amount paid by the patient, location of pharmacy and location of patient did not seem to correlate with adherence to prescription medications.

She also contributed to another project that evaluated the difference in prescribing patterns among male and female physicians and presented the study at the Midwest Social and Administrative Pharmacy Conference in 2008 and APhA annual conference.

Graduate study/ Ph.D:
Her research interests include, but are not limited to, disparities research and access to care issues. Coming from a developing country that struggles with poverty, the problems of low income, uninsured America immediately drew her to their health care access issues. Similarly, racial and ethnic disparities are also unsettling. She hopes that her research would help to make positive changes to reduce the health care disparities and have a healthier community.

Along with Ph.D coursework, she is currently working with Dr. Joshua Thorpe on analyzing disparities in access to asthma care and outcomes among midlife (50-64yrs) adults.

She has been a Teaching Assistant for 2 years at the University of Toledo (2007-2009). She has continued to work as a Teaching Assistant at the University of Wisconsin and has been a discussion leader for Social & Administrative Pharmacy courses: Professional Decision-Making in Pharmacy Practice and Pharmacists and Pharmacy in the Health Care System (2009-Present).

Highlighted Publications:

• Poster: Joshua Thorpe, PhD, Maithili Deshpande M.S., Disparities in Access to Asthma Care and Outcomes Among Near Old (50-64yrs) Adults. American Public Health Association Annual Meeting, Denver, Colorado, 2010. (In process)
• Poster: Maithili Deshpande M.S., Monica Holiday-Goodman PhD., Medication Utilization and Adherence Patterns Among Lucas county CareNet Patients. Presented at the Ohio Pharmacists Association Annual Conference, Columbus, Ohio, 2009.
• Poster: Maithili Deshpande M.S., Sharrel Pinto, PhD., Physician Gender and Prescribing Behavior. American Pharmacists Association Annual Conference, San Antonio, Texas, 2009.
• Poster: Maithili Deshpande M.S., Sharrel Pinto, PhD., Gender Differences in Physician Prescribing Behavior. Midwest Conference, Chicago, 2008.
• Vyawhare NS, Nikam AP, Sharma RG, Deshpande MM, Tarnalli AD, Bodhankar SL. Effect of Clitoria ternatea extract on radial arm maze task performance and central cholinergic activity in rats. Journal of Cell and Tissue Research. 2007. 7(1) 949-952.

Advisor:

• Joshua Thorpe