Medication Safety for Older Adults-Team Alice

Our research on medication safety blends with advocacy as we partner with members of the community, caregivers, medical practitioners and others to promote deprescribing and the safety of older adults.

Medications sometimes do more harm than good, especially for older adults. Alice Brennan was an independent, energetic older adult in our community who died due to unsafe prescribing. The healthcare system failed to recognize that many of her symptoms (such as confusion and falls) were actually medication side effects and added more medications instead of deprescribing the offending ones. Sadly, this is a common occurrence. To save other older adults from medication harm, researchers at PCRI teamed up with an interdisciplinary roster of staff and faculty across UB and partnered with Alice’s daughter to form Team Alice. Learn more about Team Alice's origins.

Current Research Projects

  • Patient-Driven Medication Safety Learning Laboratory in Care Transitions
    6/27/25
    This AHRQ-funded initiative aims to better understand barriers and facilitators to preventing, identifying, and resolving medication safety problems in transitions across levels of care within the healthcare system. We are utilizing a combination of patient and caregiver surveys and interviews, workflow analyses, and insights from a community-wide clinical dataset. Following data collection and synthesis, we will work with patients, providers, and staff together with a Community Advisory Board to design prototype interventions to overcome medication safety problems for older adults during transitions of care.
  • Evaluating Medication Safety Metrics among Western New York Patients using HEALTHeLINK Data
    11/4/25
    This retrospective cohort study uses HealtheLink data to assess medication safety among primary care patients aged 65 and older. It evaluates current metrics, such as polypharmacy and deprescribing rates, and explores new measures to improve medication management. Findings will inform strategies to enhance medication safety and outcomes for older adults.
  • Evaluating Medication Harms & Outcomes Among Patients Using BIG Data
    11/17/25
    The cited studies collectively focus on the impact of potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) on older adults in the United States, particularly those aged 65 and older. The research highlights the association between PIMs and various health outcomes, including health-related quality of life, health care utilization, and costs.
  • Community-Based Participatory Research for Reducing Medication Harm Among Retirees
    6/27/25
    This project developed and tested short, animated videos to educate them and their caregivers about medication risks and deprescribing. Members of the "Elder Voices Network" helped create and test the videos, which were evaluated through a clinical trial in primary care offices. The hypothesis was that viewers would experience improvements in medication use, hospitalizations, attitudes toward deprescribing, awareness of medication issues, and discussions with health care providers.
  • Advancing Geriatrics Infrastructure & Network Growth (AGING) Initiative
    9/27/23
    Using novel analytic methods with systemwide Health Information Exchange (HIE) data, we will explore new risk factors relevant to Multiple Chronic Conditions (MCCs) in older adults. This pilot study is also using a participatory patient-care partner approach to gain insight on MCC patient experiences and ensure the relevance of risk factors developed for future patient-provider interactions.  

Interdisciplinary Faculty

Leadership

Mary Brennan-Taylor.

Mary Brennan-Taylor

Daughter of Alice Brennan; Patient Advocate; Adjunct Faculty; Patient Safety Action Network Charter Member

Department of Family Medicine

77 Goodell St., Ste. 220, Buffalo, NY 14203

Phone: 716-870-9543

Email: marybrennantaylor@gmail.com

Singh, Ranjit

Ranjit Singh, MB BChir, MBA

Associate Professor; Vice Chair for Research, Director, Primary Care Research Institute

UB Gateway Building Department of Family Medicine 77 Goodell Street, Suite 220L Buffalo, NY 14203

Phone: 716-816-7275; Fax: 716-845-6899

Email: rs10@buffalo.edu

Robert Wahler.

Robert Wahler, PharmD

Clinical Associate Professor, Division of Outcomes and Practice Advancement

Department of Pharmacy Practice

211 Pharmacy Building, Buffalo 14214

Phone: 716-645-4777

Email: rgwahler@buffalo.edu

Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences

image of Jennifer Stoll.

Jennifer Stoll, PhD

Research Assistant Professor

Department of Family Medicine

77 Goodell St., Ste 220, Buffalo 14203

Phone: 716-816-7240

Email: jstoll@buffalo.edu

Baumgartner, Andrew

Andrew Baumgartner, MD

Clinical Assistant Professor

UBMD Primary Care at Sheridan 2465 Sheridan Drive Tonawanda, NY 14150

Phone: 716-835-9800; Fax: 716-835-9888

Email: adbaumga@buffalo.edu

School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

Collin Clark, PharmD.

Collin Clark, PharmD, BCPS, BCGP

Clinical Assistant Professor, Division of Outcomes and Practice Advancement

Department of Pharmacy Practice

312 Pharmacy Building, Buffalo 14214

Phone: 716-645-4762

Email: collincl@buffalo.edu

Christopher Daly, PharmD/MBA.

Christopher Daly, PharmD, MBA, BCACP

Clinical Associate Professor, Division of Outcomes and Practice Advancement

Department of Pharmacy Practice

204 Pharmacy Building, Buffalo 14214

Phone: 716-645-4793

Email: cjdaly@buffalo.edu

David Jacobs, PharmD, PhD.

David Jacobs, PharmD, PhD

Associate Professor, Division of Outcomes and Practice Advancement

Department of Pharmacy Practice

316 Pharmacy Building, Buffalo 14214

Phone: 716-829-2134

Email: dmjacobs@buffalo.edu

Scott V. Monte, PharmD.

Scott V. Monte, PharmD

Clinical Assistant Professor, Division of Outcomes and Practice Advancement

Department of Pharmacy Practice

213 Pharmacy Building, Buffalo 14214

Phone: 716-713-0368

Email: svmonte@buffalo.edu

School of Engineering and Applied Sciences

Headshot of Ann Bisantz.

Ann Bisantz

Vice Provost & Dean of Undergraduate Education; SUNY Distinguished Professor

Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering

415 Capen Hall

Phone: 716-645-8989

Email: bisantz@buffalo.edu

Huei-Yen “Winnie” Chen.

Huei-Yen “Winnie” Chen, PhD

Associate Professor

Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering

318 Bell Hall, Buffalo 14260

Phone: 716-645-4705

Email: winchen@buffalo.edu

Kenneth Joseph, PhD.

Kenneth Joseph, PhD

Associate Professor

Department of Computer Science and Engineering

335 Davis Hall, Buffalo 14260

Phone: 716-645-0682

Email: kjoseph@buffalo.edu

School of Nursing

Sharon Hewner, PhD, RN, FAAN.

Sharon Hewner, PhD, RN, FAAN

Professor

School of Nursing

311 Wende Hall, Buffalo 14214

Phone: 716-829-2092

Email: hewner@buffalo.edu

College of Arts and Sciences

Picture of Kelly Tenzek.

Kelly Tenzek, PhD

Assistant Professor

Department of Communication

323 Baldy Hall Buffalo NY, 14260

Phone: 716-645-1514

Email: kellyten@buffalo.edu