November 19, 2021 | Erin Bluvas, bluvase@sc.edu
As a pharmacy student in Greece, Theodoros Giannouchos observed that nearly all healthcare systems fall short of providing excellent care to all groups. He also realized he could do something about it.
“I noticed that healthcare systems globally strive to achieve the triple aim in healthcare – quality, access and cost – but historically struggle,” Giannouchos says. “I discovered I could have the opportunity to make some contribution towards this goal at a larger scale and help more patients through expanding my education.”
After completing a pharmacy degree from the University of Patras in 2013, Giannouchos gained clinical experience at hospitals and community pharmacies in Greece. In 2017, he graduated at the top of his class with a master’s degree from the University of Piraeus, where he studied health economics and health management.
That fall, Giannouchos enrolled in the Ph.D. in Health Services Research program at Texas A&M University. He followed his three-year doctoral degree with one year as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Utah’s Pharmacotherapy Outcomes Research Center. Over Giannouchos’ 15 years of education and training, he developed research interests in health services utilization and patient preferences, health outcomes, policy evaluation, and comparative effectiveness.
“My interest in emergency departments, in particular, was a result of both a personal adverse experience and by witnessing firsthand that for many individuals, emergency departments are the only option for care, often for reasons unrelated to medical urgency,” Giannouchos says.
As a result, his research focuses on emergency department utilization. Giannouchos is especially interested in factors associated with frequent use and non-urgent visits, such as lack of health insurance, limited access to outpatient settings, and other socioeconomic and contextual variables. His work also looks at racial disparities and the evaluation of federal and state policies (e.g., Medicaid expansion).
Giannouchos joined the Department of Health Services Policy and Management this fall with nearly 30 peer-reviewed publications to his name and many more in preparation or planning stages as he launches his research program. He also looks forward to teaching courses in health economics, health insurance, health technology assessment and health services research methods.
“I felt that the Arnold School of Public Health and the Department of Health Services Policy and Management have a very strong research agenda,” Giannouchos says of his decision to join UofSC. “They also provide opportunities and support for early-career faculty to conduct high-quality research in an environment that fosters collaborations, not only within the university but also throughout the community and healthcare system stakeholders.”
"We enjoyed a fantastic recruiting pool of applicants for our most recent faculty search, and we were impressed by the potential that Dr. Giannouchos represented," says James Hardin, Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs and Curriculum and Interim HSPM Chair. "He has a strong background in areas of interest to our department. We are very pleased that he has joined us, and we are excited about the potential projects he will bring to our campus."