EPI-Q's experts are interdisciplinary and reflect the perspective, training and experience of the very people you need to influence. Among our consultants are epidemiologists, economists, statisticians, physicians, pharmacists, nurses and quality improvement experts. Our project teams typically include both clinical and methodological experts in order to generate and communicate the evidence of your products' value that healthcare decision makers around the world now demand in order to defend changes in delivery and policy.

Click on a name or scroll down to see their full biographies:

Cheryl Brewster, MHA
Katie L. Deering, PharmD, BCPS
Andris Dzelme, CPA
P. Anne Farley, MSM, RN
Carla B. Frye, PharmD, BCPS, FASHP
Qing Harshaw, MD, PhD
Peter M. Herout, PharmD
Mark A. Jewell, PhD
Laura A. Romeu
Alicia C. Shillington, PhD
Stephen J. Sokalski, DO

Cheryl Brewster, MHA
Director of Health Outcomes

• Cheryl is the Director of Health Outcomes and provides project management for a variety of clinical practice initiatives including commended programs for congestive heart failure, diabetes, adult and pediatric asthma, and bipolar disorder.
• Cheryl’s background as a health care executive with over 30 years’  experience as a hospital administrator, managed care director, and quality management consultant includes extensive involvement with health care regulatory compliance, hospital medical staff services, and clinical quality improvement. She has developed evidence-based practice protocols, implemented clinical quality improvement projects, and designed clinical performance measurement and reporting systems.
• Before joining EPI-Q in 2005, Cheryl served as the Regional Director of Quality Management and Regulatory Compliance for the Adventist Health System's Midwest Region. She was also the Director of Quality Management for Rush Prudential Health Plans in Chicago, with responsibility for NCQA clinical quality management initiatives and HEDIS compliance, and Corporate Vice President of Quality Management for Advocate Health Care in Chicago, where during her tenure the health system won the prestigious national Commitment to Quality Award from the Healthcare Forum.
• Cheryl holds a Master's in Healthcare Administration from The George Washington University and a BS in Medical Record Administration from the University of Illinois.

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Katie L. Deering, PharmD, BCPS
Associate Director, Global Health Economics & Outcomes Research

• Dr. Deering joined EPI-Q in 2006, and with over 7 years’ experience working in health systems, she has led initiatives in the areas of nephrology pharmacy services, protocol development, and pharmacy residency program development. Previously, Dr. Deering served as the Nephrology Clinical Specialist for Saint Joseph Mercy Hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
• Dr. Deering has published and presented in the areas of nephrology, transplant, and emergency department care. Her publications have appeared in American Journal of Health-System Pharmacists, Transplantation, Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, and the American Journal of Transplantation. Dr. Deering has presented at meetings such as the American Transplant Congress, the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Meeting, and the American Society of Nephrology Meeting.
• Dr. Deering holds a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Missouri—Kansas  City School of Pharmacy, completed an ASHP-accredited Pharmacy Practice Residency at Saint Luke’s Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri, and has a BS in Biology from the University of Illinois.
• Dr. Deering is a Board Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialist (BCPS) and is currently working on her Master’s in Public Health—Epidemiology at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She is also an adjunct faculty member for 5 schools of pharmacy. Dr. Deering maintains active affiliations with many professional organizations and is currently serving on ASHP’s Council on Therapeutics and as the Communications Officer for the International Society of Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research—Chicago Regional Chapter.

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Andris Dzelme, CPA
Vice President, CFO and Co-Founder

• Andris has extensive experience in managing operational, sales, and financial functions of organizations. He has used his experience in diverse industries to assist various organizations by facilitating team building, instilling management disciplines, and advancing organizational restructuring.
• Andris has held senior management positions during his professional tenure, including President and CEO of Spanjer Brothers in Chicago, Illinois; CEO/CFO of Priam Corporation in San Jose, California; and Senior Vice President of Operations and Finance at Schnadig Corporation in Chicago, Illinois.
• Andris holds a BS in Accounting from the Loyola University Chicago and earned his CPA degree from the University of Illinois.

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P. Anne Farley, MSM, RN
Vice President and Co-Founder

• Anne serves as a Project Director responsible for design, management, and execution of outcomes research studies on behalf of life sciences firms and managed care.
• Among her most noteworthy projects, Anne has directed studies sponsored by pharmaceutical companies in the mental health (depression, bipolar disorder), infectious disease (HIV, pneumonia), and anticoagulation therapeutic categories. Most recently she provided project direction in collaboration with Harvard University Medical Center’s School of Health Policy to develop and validate a screening tool for mood disorders to be used by primary care providers. In addition, she has authored peer-reviewed articles and presented posters at multiple health-related national meetings.
• Anne worked to coordinate the development of order sets to be included in the product portfolio of a large international publishing company and is currently working on projects in the multiple sclerosis and post- operative GI recovery arenas.
• Anne is currently a Clinical Instructor and Adjunct Clinical Professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Pharmacy and Midwestern University, Chicago College of Pharmacy. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from D'Youville College in Buffalo, New York, completed graduate course work at the State University of New York at Buffalo, and received a Master’s degree in Management and Organizational Behavior from Benedictine University in Lisle, Illinois.

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Carla B. Frye, PharmD, BCPS, FASHP
Clinical Research Scientist

• Dr. Frye joined the staff of EPI-Q as a Clinical Research Scientist in 2005. She has more than 25 years’ experience in health-system pharmacy and cholesterol research.
• Dr. Frye began her career by holding clinical and management roles at St. Anthony Hospital and the Oklahoma Cardiovascular Institute in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and held adjunct clinical faculty positions at Southwestern Oklahoma State University and the University of Oklahoma. Dr. Frye was the Oklahoma Hospital Pharmacist of the Year in 1989. In 1990, Dr. Frye joined the faculty of Butler University in Indianapolis and practiced in Internal Medicine at Community East Hospital. Later she practiced at Indiana University Hospital and Clinics. While at Butler, Dr. Frye was recognized as the Mortar Board Outstanding Professor and was promoted to Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice and tenured in 1997. Dr. Frye left full-time academia in 2000 to become a Senior Clinical Development Associate at Eli Lilly and Company in the cardiovascular program group. Subsequently, she served as Director, Section of Clinical Specialists and Scientists of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) before joining EPI-Q.
• Dr. Frye is a Fellow of the ASHP and is the author of many scientific papers and publications. She is a recognized leader in clinical pharmacy and frequent speaker at national pharmacy meetings. Dr. Frye is a specialist in the treatment of cholesterol disorders and diabetes.
• Dr. Frye received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Nebraska Medical Center, College of Pharmacy, and completed an ASHP accredited clinical pharmacy specialty residency at Hamot Medical Center in Erie, Pennsylvania. Dr. Frye is a Board Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialist (BCPS) and currently serves as adjunct clinical pharmacy faculty for 7 schools of pharmacy.

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Qing Harshaw, MD, PhD
Research Director, Health Economics and Outcomes Research

• Dr. Harshaw joined EPI-Q in 2003 and has more than 20 years’ experience in health services research. Her work includes health policy research, econometric modeling, outcomes and clinical effectiveness research, as well as retrospective database analysis. Over the past 10 years, Dr. Harshaw’s research articles have been published in numerous journals, including Medical Care, Annals of Internal Medicine, Circulation, and the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery.
•  Before joining EPI-Q, Dr. Harshaw served as a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Outcomes Research, Effectiveness, and Education at the University of Alabama and served as a consultant to The World Bank's Economic Development Institute.
• Dr. Harshaw received her Master of Biostatistics and Doctor of Medicine degrees from Beijing Medical University and served as Deputy Chair of the Department of Health Economics. She holds a Master of Arts (with Distinction) in Population Studies from the University of Exeter, England, and has received a Doctorate in Administration Health Services from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

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Peter M. Herout, PharmD, BCPS
Clinical Research Scientist

• Dr. Herout joined EPI-Q in 2007 and has more than 10 years’ experience as a clinical pharmacist.
• Dr. Herout has spent a majority of his professional career caring for patients with a variety of critical conditions, including trauma victims, cardiology patients, patients undergoing cardiothoracic surgery, and the medically ill.
• Before joining EPI-Q, Dr. Herout spent 4 years practicing at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, Illinois. His contributions to the medical literature have included articles published in Critical Care Medicine and the American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy. 
• Dr. Herout received his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and completed two residencies accredited by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists: in Pharmacy Practice at Washoe Medical Center in Reno, Nevada, and in Critical Care Pharmacy Practice at University Medical Center in Tucson, Arizona.

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Mark A. Jewell, PhD
President and Co-Founder

• Dr. Jewell has focused his career within the life science industry and with managed care providers developing population-based predictive models to identify patients at risk for significant events; he has co-authored numerous peer-reviewed articles.
• Early in his career, Dr. Jewell's work was integral to the development and implementation of the Clinical Quality Improvement Program at Advocate Health System, the largest integrated system in Illinois. In addition, he has provided design, analytic, and pharmacoeconomic expertise for Phase III and Phase IV clinical trials that were part of FDA submissions.
• Before joining EPI-Q, Dr. Jewell served as a consultant to the Institute for Cultural Affairs in developing HIV testing strategies in developing nations and has chaired professional organizations and task forces related to health improvement initiatives.
• Dr. Jewell received his Master of Public Health degree from the University of Illinois School of Public Health and a Doctorate in Health Services and Epidemiology from Walden University in Minneapolis. He holds faculty positions at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Pharmacy and School of Public Health and remains active in professional organizations such as the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR).

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Alicia C. Shillington, PhD
Senior Vice President and Co-Founder

• Among her responsibilities, Dr. Shillington provides expertise in quantitative methods in measuring clinical and economic outcomes associated with health care delivery and health program implementation.
• With nearly 25 years' experience in clinical, epidemiologic, pharmacoeconomic, and outcomes research, Dr. Shillington’s areas of research focus have included oncology, vascular surgery, metabolic disease, asthma, allergy and immunology, cardiology, cardiopulmonary medicine, and infectious disease, including HIV-AIDS.  Dr. Shillington has also published and presented extensively.
• Before joining EPI-Q in 1994, Dr. Shillington spent 10 years developing the Epidemiology and Outcomes Research function within Advocate Health Care, a leading integrated healthcare delivery system. She collaboratively created and implemented clinical treatment guidelines and outcomes improvement programs.
• Dr. Shillington holds a PhD in Public Health Sciences, Health Policy/Health Services Research, and an MPH in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She also holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Valparaiso University in Indiana. Among her honors, Dr. Shillington has received awards from the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) for her research into disparities in antithrombotic therapy.

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Stephen J. Sokalski, DO
Vice President, Medical Affairs, and Co-Founder

• Dr. Sokalski is a Board Certified Infectious Disease Specialist, serving as both Vice President of Medical Affairs and Medical Director for EPI-Q. For the past 15 years, he has guided the organization in the commercialization of evidence-based solutions for life science clients.
• Dr. Sokalski is a Lecturer in Clinical Quality Improvement, Hospital Epidemiology, and Infectious Disease. He has authored numerous peer-reviewed articles and book chapters in his distinguished career, and serves as a media spokesman for issues impacting public health and patient safety in the Chicago metropolitan area.
• Aligned with his role at EPI-Q, Dr. Sokalski serves as Chief, Section of Infectious Disease and Medical Director of Epidemiology at Advocate-Christ Hospital and Medical Center in suburban Chicago.
• Dr. Sokalski is a graduate of Midwest University Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine. He holds faculty positions at The University of Illinois School of Medicine, Chicago; Rush University, College of Medicine; and The Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine.

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