Carlos Rojas-Fernandez

Cross appointment with the School of Public Health and Health Systems. Affiliated with the School of Pharmacy.

Courses

Pharm 421: Neuropsychiatric pharmacotherapy.

Pharm 466: Advanced geriatric care.

Research areas

Geriatric pharmacotherapy, appropriate medication use, psychopharmacology, falls medication adherence, pain management, long term care setting, dementia, depression.

Research interests

The goal of my clinical research program in the long term care setting is to enhance the quality of life and care of older people by optimising medication use. Our work seeks to identify novel methods of effecting change in the process of care in order to achieve these goals.  Current projects include assessing contemporary use of psychotropic drugs for residents with behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia, investigating potential medication related contributors to falls among older residents with a recent fall, development, implementation and assessment of an interdisciplinary pain management model for older adults living in long term care and investigating adherence in patients with Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders (ADRD) and their caregivers.

I am also part of a primary care, interdisciplinary memory clinic.  In this setting we endeavour to more clearly define the role of a clinical pharmacist in this setting in order to optimise medication use in patients with ADRD.

Major funding sources

• Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Aging

• Pfizer

• Purdue

• AstraZeneca

Selected publications

* represent student or post-doctoral resident author

• Rojas-Fernandez C, Viana L, Dadfar F*. Contemporary considerations for the use of digoxin for heart failure in older patients. CPJ 2011;144(6):265-69

• Rojas-Fernandez CH, Miller LJ, Sadowski CA. Considerations in the treatment of Geriatric Depression: Overview of pharmacotherapeutic and psychotherapeutic treatment options. Research in Gerontological Nursing 2010; 3(3):176-186.

• Rojas-Fernandez CH, Moorhouse P. Current concepts in vascular cognitive impairment and pharmacotherapeutic implications. Annals Of Pharmacotherapy 2009:43(7):1310-23.

• Eng ML*, Rojas-Fernandez CH. Blood pressure elevation with rofecoxib in older adults. J Pharm Technol. 2004; 20(2): 80-84.

• Rojas-Fernandez CH. Inappropriate medications and older people: has anything changed over time? Ann Pharmacother. 2003 Jul-Aug;37(7-8):1142-4.

• Xu KT, Rojas-Fernandez CH. Ancillary community pharmacy services provided to older people in a largely rural and ethnically diverse region: A survey of consumers in West Texas. Journal of Rural Health 2003;19:79-86.

• Rojas-Fernandez CH, Eng M*, Allie ND*.  Pharmacological management of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia in nursing home residents by clinical pharmacists: Results from a pilot study. Pharmacotherapy 2003;23:217-21.

• Rojas-Fernandez CH, Slattum PW, Hanlon J, Howard KA. A pilot study of pharmacist’s knowledge of essential geriatric pharmacotherapy concepts. Consult Pharm 2002;17:962-71.

• Rojas-Fernandez CH, Lapane KL, MacKnight C, Howard K. Undertreatment of osteoporosis in residents of nursing homes: Population-based study with use of the Systematic Assessment of Geriatric Drug Use via Epidemiology (SAGE) database. Endocr Pract 2002; 8:335-42.

• Sleeper RB*, Rojas-Feranandez C. Underutilisation of aspirin for secondary prophylaxis of cardiovascular disease in a long term care facility. Am J Health Syst Pharm 2002;59:1294-5.

• Luan W*, Raehl C, Rojas-Fernandez C. Consensus for diabetes mellitus management in geriatric nursing home residents. Consult Pharm 2002;17:37-43.

• Rojas-Fernandez C, Lanctôt KL, Allen D, MacKnight C. Pharmacotherapy of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia: Time for a different paradigm? Pharmacotherapy 2001;21(1):74-102.

• Sleeper R*, Bond CA, Rojas-Fernandez C.  Psychotropic Medications and Falls: New Evidence Pertaining to Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors. Pharmacotherapy 2000; 20(3):307

• Rojas-Fernandez C, MacKnight C. Dementia with Lewy Bodies: Review and  pharmacotherapeutic implications. Pharmacotherapy 1999;19(7):795-803.

• Rojas-Fernandez C, Thomas V, Carver D, Tonks RS.  Suboptimal use of antidepressants in the elderly: A population-based study in Nova Scotia. Clinical Therapeutics 1999;21(11):1937-50.

• Rojas-Fernandez C, G. Kephart, I. Sketris.Acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) use in Nova Scotians with myocardial infarction or stroke: data from a population-based study.  Can J Cardiol 1999;15(3):291-6.

• Rojas-Fernandez C, Carver D., Tonks RS. Population trends in the prevalence of benzodiazepine use in the older population of Nova Scotia: A cause for concern?  Can J Clin Pharmacol 1999;6(3):149-156.

Selected professional activities and networks

American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics (ASCPT)

American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP)

Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists (CSHP)