Michael J. Oldani
Michael J. Oldani
Clinical Associate Professor
Department of Pharmacy Practice
Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences
Specialty/Research Focus
Collaborative and Integrated Care; Community Health Research; Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry; Global Health; Medical Anthropology; Medical Education Research; Pharmacotherapy; Psychiatry; Qualitative Methods; Real-world approaches; Social Determinants of Health; Team Science; Workforce Development
Professional Summary:
Dr. Oldani is a trained medical anthropologist (Princeton University 2006), who continues to focus his ethnographic and mixed methods research into several overlapping areas. These areas include the sales and marketing tactics of the pharmaceutical industry (including conflicts of interests for everyday prescribers); gift exchange within the healthcare marketplace; changes in psychiatry during the blockbuster era of psychotropics; the mental health of vulnerable communities; deprescribing; and most recently ketamine uses and new markets.
In addition, for the last decade Dr. Oldani has been collaboratively leading campus communities as they build interprofessional education (IPE) infrastructures and develop meaningful pathways for learners across multiple health and social care professions. His IPE research has focused on collaborative practice agreements between providers and pharmacists; in-home care opportunities for collaborative teams, team-based deprescribing of psychotropics, and the role of focused ethnography for future practitioners. His research has been published in a range of journals from Medical Anthropology Quarterly to the Journal of Interprofessional Care to Transcultural Psychiatry. He has been a PI, Co-PI and mentor on several grants supporting his research, including funding from the US Fulbright Program (both a recipient and a mentor); HRSA (mentor); Department of Public Health (State of WI); Retirement Research Foundation; NSF-I-Corp; American Lung Association; and the Council for Independent Colleges.
Education and Training:
- PhD, Medical Anthropology, Princeton University (2006)
- MS, Anthropology (Four-Field), University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (1998)
- BS, Biological Sciences (Pre-medicine), University of Wisconsin-Parkside, Cum Laude (1989)
Awards and Honors:
- Elected/voted Associate Member (Pharmacy) (2025)
- Nominated for Member/National Academies of Practice, Section: Pharmacy (2025)
Research Expertise:
- Clinical Ethnography: Trained in focused and long-term ethnographic methods, which include participant observation, in-depth interviewing and cultural emersion.
- Qualitative/mixed-methods assessment of health sciences education: Experience using focused ethnography, focus group narratives, interviewing and narrative capture to complement the use of validated assessment tools to produce mixed methods reports and original research articles.
Grants and Sponsored Research:
- September 2023
Western New York Blood Care: Health Mentors, WISTER, and Innovation Sprint
Western New York Blood Care center/foundation
Role: Other
$300,000
Journal Articles:
- Oldani MJ. (2026) Pharma-cology 101: Educating future prescribers on drug reps, dead drugs, and the hidden scripts of pharmaceutical industry relationships. Social science & medicine (Jan), 392: 118952.
- Oldani MJ, Chou E. (2023) Interprofessional Practice and Education and Innovation. AMA journal of ethics (May), 25(5): E307-310.
- Lokken, J., T. Lee, E. Mauer, C. Wagner, J. Sanders, M. Oldani. (2023) How Rohingya Language Educational Videos Help Improve Refugee Interprofessional Health Service Delivery in Milwaukee. AMA Journal of Ethics (May), 25(5): 365-374. doi:10.1001/amajethics.2023.365
- M. Oldani. (2004) Thick prescriptions: toward an interpretation of pharmaceutical sales practices. Medical Anthropology Quarterly (Sep), 18(3): 325-356. doi:10.1525/maq.2004.18.3.325
- Oldani MJ. (2023) Papal Doctrines' Deep Trauma Legacies in Minoritized Communities. AMA journal of ethics (Feb), 25(2): E141-147.
- Petrassi A, Chiu M, Porada K, Johnston B, Toppe M, Oldani M, Kaeppler C. (2022) Caring for Refugee Patients: An Interprofessional Course in Resettlement, Medical Intake, and Culture. WMJ : official publication of the State Medical Society of Wisconsin (Jul), 121(2): 145-148.
- Oldani MJ, Prosen D. (2021) Trauma-Informed Caring for Native American Patients and Communities Prioritizes Healing, Not Management. AMA journal of ethics (Jun), 23(6): E446-455.
- Gampa V, Bernard K, Oldani MJ. (2020) Racialization as a Barrier to Achieving Health Equity for Native Americans. AMA journal of ethics (Oct), 22(10): E874-881.
- Suss T, Oldani M. (2020) Little Helpers No More: A Framework for Collaborative Deprescribing of Benzodiazepines in Older Adults. Journal of psychosocial nursing and mental health services (Jan), 58(1): 23-28.
- Ray S, Lokken J, Whyte C, Baumann A, Oldani M. (2020) The impact of a pharmacist-driven, collaborative practice on diabetes management in an Urban underserved population: a mixed method assessment. Journal of interprofessional care (Jan), 34(1): 27-35.
- DeJongh B, Oldani M. (2018) Case reports of interprofessional care for clients enrolled in a mental health court. The mental health clinician (Nov), 8(6): 317-321.
- Oldani M, Ecks S, Basu S. (2014) Anthropological engagements with modern psychotropy. Culture, medicine and psychiatry (Jun), 38(2): 174-81.
- Oldani M. (2014) Deep pharma: psychiatry, anthropology, and pharmaceutical detox. Culture, medicine and psychiatry (Jun), 38(2): 255-78.
- Wang X, Oldani MJ, Zhao X, Huang X, Qian D. (2014) A review of cancer risk prediction models with genetic variants. Cancer informatics (Jan), 13(Suppl 2): 19-28.
- Oldani MJ. (2010) Assessing the 'relative value. Anthropology & medicine (Aug), 17(2): 215-28.
- Applbaum K, Oldani M. (2010) Special issue for anthropology & medicine. Anthropology & medicine (Aug), 17(2): 113-27.
- Oldani MJ. (2009) Uncanny scripts: understanding pharmaceutical emplotment in the aboriginal context. Transcultural psychiatry (Mar), 46(1): 131-56.
- Oldani M. (2009) Beyond the naïve "no-see": ethical prescribing and the drive for pharmaceutical transparency. PM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitation (Jan), 1(1): 82-6.
- Oldani, M. (2002) Tales from the 'Script': An Insidere/Outsider View of Pharmaceutical Sales Practices. Kroeber Anthropological Society Papers (Jan), 87(6): 147-176.
Books and Book Chapters:
- Oldani, Michael. (2025) In: Michael Systems and Practices (The Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Health, Illness, Behavior, and Society). Wiley Blackwell
Presentations:
- "Pharma-cology: Medication/Rx Education from Opioids to Ozempic" Pre-medicine/Medical Anthropology Course, Princeton University (Carolyn Rouse Instructor) (2025)
- "Meeting the Demands of Interprofessional Practice and Education for “Learners” Today (Grand Rounds, Aurora/Advocate, Internal Medicine, Residency Program)" Grand Rounds; Internal Medicine Department Aurora/Advocate (2025)
- "After Prozac: How Psychiatry Became the Last Interprofessional Frontier to Conquer" NexusIPE.org National Symposia (Virtual/U of Minnesota) (2025)
- "Phraudulent: Conflicts of Interests & Combatting Big Pharma's Hold on the Culture of Prescribing" M2 Teaching rounds, University of Illinois-Chicago, Medical School (2025)
- "Phraudulent: Conflicts of Interests & Combatting Big Pharma's Hold on the Culture of prescribing" M2 Teaching Rounds, University of Illinois-Chicago (2025)
- "Phraudulent: Conflicts of Interests & Combatting Big Pharma's Hold on the Culture of Prescribing" M2 Teaching Rounds, University of Illinois-Chicago, Rockford (2025)
- "Using Ai/Chat GPT Case Generator to Develop TeamSTEPPS Simulation Cases for Novel IPE Pathway" ASAHP National/Annual Meeting (Association of Schools Advancing Health Professions) (2025)
- "From Interdisciplinary to Interprofessional: Deploying Collaborative Care Teams to Improve Community Health and Wellness" Inaugural Wisconsin Interdisciplinary Research Symposium (WIRS) (2025)
- "The Value of Interprofessional Micro-credentialling (digital badge) Pathways: IPE @ UB" City Tech (NYC) Micro-Credential Forum (2025)
- "Academic Detailing: Responding to Pharma Marketing through Evidence Based Story Telling" Phar 6420 School of Pharmacy, Concordia University Wisconsin (2025)
- "The Cost(s) of Pharmaceutical Sales and Marketing" PHAR 7470 Pharmaco-epi and Pharmaco-economics (2025)
- "UB Interprofessional Practice and Education" VPHS Collaborative Conversations Series/virtual (2025)
- "IPE at UB for Accelerated Nursing" Introductory Presentation during Orientation (2025)
- "Ketamine: Medicine, Markets and Madness" Holz Center for Science and Technology Studies, UW Madison (2025)
- "Revitalizing the Role of Anthropologists in Health Professions Education (Higher Ed TIG)" Society for Applied Anthropology (2025)
Service Activities:
- Reviewer for medical anthropology, social science, pharmaceutical, deprescribing and interprofessional topics.; Peer Reviewer for American Medical Association Journal of Ethics (AMA JOE) (2026–2020)
- Member Office of Health Sciences Leadership Team; Member (2026)
- Invited Pain Stewardship Team (Medical College of Wisconsin) to present at UB; Recruiter/Moderator for VPHS Collaborative Conversations Lecture (2025)
- Jerico Road, New Arrival Community Center, Training for English Language Instructor; Language (English Instructor) - In training (2025)
- Cook/Cleaner/Server, Friends of the Night; Allentown Buffalo; Volunteer (2025)
- Part of team screening the initial 25 candidates for this position; Search Committee member, Chair of Pharmacology Toxicology Department (2025–present)
- Freedom Park, Outreach event/Mobile Health Unit - Buffalo, NY; Attendee-Participant (2025–2026)
- Planning yearly lecture series, for Chicago, Peoria, and Rockford M2 medical Students; Attendee/Planner, Health Humanities Curriculum Planning Meeting, University of Illinois-Chicago, Medical School, Medical Education Department (2025–2026)
- UB School of Public Health and Health Professions Advisory Council Meeting; Attendee/Presenter (2025–2026)
- ad hoc committee that meets regularly to improve TeamSTEPPS training for medical, nursing, pharmacy, OT, PT and Clinical Nutrition Students; Co-chair, TeamSTEPPS planning sub-committee, Office of IPE (2025)
- Participating, commenting, critiquing Masters students final presentations; Attending Masters Thesis Defense(s) (2025–2026)
- Annual interprofessional health fair and hands on learning workshop for Western NY Indigenous students; Planning Committee, 7th Generation Operation, with JBMS Students (2025–present)
- Prepared and reviewed Dental School of Medicine Accreditation Standards for the school's review; Advising Dental Accreditation and IPE (2025)
- Co-chair that executes regular and yearly meetings, awards, budgets, and agenda items/new initiatives; Co-Chair, Complementary and Alternative Medicine/Integrative Medicine, Special Interest Group, Society of Medical Anthropology, American Anthropological Association (2025)
- Member, Jacobs School of Medicine Executive Committee; Member (2025)
- Student Advisor for Western New York Blood Care Initiatives; Main Street, Buffalo; Mentor/Advisor (2025)
- Mobile Health Consortium, School of Public Health and Health Professions; Committee Member (2025–present)
- Founding member of special interest group charged with advancing the role of anthropologists in health sciences education.; Member, Special Interest Group (SIG) Medical Anthropology and Health Sciences, Society of Medical Anthropology (SMA); American Anthropological Association (AAA) (2021–present)