CRoME Team

Olufunmilola Abraham, PhD, MS, BPharm

Director, Principal Investigator olufunmilola.abraham@uky.edu

Dr. Olufunmilola "Funmi" Abraham is an Associate Professor and Chair of Pharmacy Practice & Science at the University of Kentucky. She is a NIH/UW Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (ICTR) KL2 Scholar. She received her BPharm Degree from the University of Lagos, Nigeria, and practiced as a hospital and community pharmacist in Nigeria. Dr. Abraham received her MS and PhD in Social and Administrative Pharmacy from the UW School of Pharmacy. She also received a PhD minor in Industrial and Systems Engineering from UW, focused on human factors and ergonomics and a graduate certification in patient safety.

Dr. Abraham has served as a faculty member at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Pharmacy and the University of Pittsburgh Schools of Pharmacy, Medicine (Departments of Pediatrics, Biomedical Informatics), Health Policy Institute, Center for Pharmaceutical Policy and Prescribing (CP3), and the Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI). Dr. Abraham’s research goal is to improve medication use for vulnerable and underserved populations such as children, young adults, women, and people living with serious chronic health conditions. Dr. Abraham has over ten years of experience in conducting research to improve pharmacy practice and quality of patient care. Her research focuses on the development and dissemination of innovative interventions, such as serious games, to promote medication safety and adherence. Dr. Abraham uses human factors and system engineering concepts and techniques to characterize pharmacy practice and the medication use process.

Dr. Abraham is the author of over 60 publications and has over 70 scientific presentations which include invited lectures, seminars, and conference presentations. She has been funded by the AcademyHealth, American Cancer Society, UW Institute for Clinical and Translational Research, UW Carbon Cancer Center, UW Prevention Research Center, UW Morgridge Center for Public Service, UW Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education (OVCRGE), UW Ira and Ineva Reilly Baldwin Wisconsin Idea Endowment, Robert F. and Jean E. Holtz Center, Science and Technology Studies, UW School of Medicine and Public Health, Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, University of Pittsburgh Clinical Translational Science Institute, Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association, Community Pharmacy Foundation, and the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP).

Israel Sarpong-Adu

Administrative Research Assistant Seniorsarpongadu@uky.edu

Originally from Ghana – West Africa, Israel pursued MS Environmental Observation and Informatics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where his major focus was on applying the latest conservation methods and technologies in agriculture, especially by implementing Geospatial Information Systems, Remote Sensing, and Data analysis methods. In his free time, Israel loves to sing and dance to Christian music of different genres including afrobeat and amapiano. He also loves to play worship piano and guitar, and for sports, he loves slalom rollerblading. Due to his extensive musical background and experiences with African cultural dance and Christian music along with his skills in research, he joined CRoME Labs after completing his Master's degree in order to contribute towards the common goal of applying community-engaged, collaborative, and transdisciplinary approaches to improving medication use and health outcomes for families through education, prevention, and intervention programs.

Sydney Thao

Administrative Research Assistant Seniorsydney.thao@uky.edu

Sydney Thao is an Administrative Research Assistant Senior for the CRoME Lab. She grew up in Madison, Wisconsin and received her Bachelor's of Science in Global Health and Data Science certificate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2024.

She first became interested in health services research, public health, and adolescent healthcare when her baby brother was born in 2020. She first joined the CRoME Lab in 2021, which she explored these interests through opioid medication safety education interventions for adolescents and families. In 2023, she was given the opportunity to engage more with the Hmong elderly population in Wisconsin through the Hmoob Lub Neej project at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Nursing and Center for Demography of Health and Aging. Here, she was able to help develop a linguistically and culturally appropriate survey for the Hmong elderly population in Wisconsin.

She is currently interested in perusing a Master's in Public Health with a concentration in Health Policy. She hopes to engage more with Hmong and adolescent populations and integrate systems-thinking in health policies. In her free time, she loves to paint, watch movies, and hang out with friends and family.