Dr. Gilson presents and publishes about policy-related issues related to the pharmaceutical distribution system and healthcare professional practice.  His current research focuses on developing and implementing a formal policy surveillance methodology to analyze content from state drug control and healthcare practice policies, as well as to apply that methodology to other pharmacy-related policy topic determining the extent that diversion is considered when reporting about controlled medication-related harms and promoting the importance of evaluating for diversion strengthening the role of pharmacists in educating patients about using controlled medication storage and disposal opportunities in their community; and examining the influence of prescription monitoring programs on the retail sales of controlled medications.  He also is conceptualizing ways that these issues can, individually, be linked empirically to patient care and public safety outcomes.  Much of this work is being accomplished in collaboration with Dr. David Mott, Professor and Chair of the Social Administrative Sciences Division.  Dr. Gilson’s work on prescription medication abuse and diversion is based on a public health approach, emphasizing the need to address and identify the variety of sources of the controlled medications used for non-medical purposes.

Affiliations: Research affiliate appointment with the Population Health Institute and the Institute for Clinical and Translational Research, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.

Aaron M. Gilson, MS, MSSW, PhD, is a Health Policy Research Scientist for the Sonderegger Research Center, a program of the School of Pharmacy at the University of Wisconsin.  He obtained his PhD in social welfare from the University of Wisconsin in Madison, where he had a dual concentration in social policy and in child maltreatment, with emphases on prevention, theory, and survey research.