Auburn doctoral student advances public health through medication safety

For Lotanna Ezeja, a doctoral student at Auburn University, the pursuit of graduate education is rooted in a deeply personal commitment to improving public health through medication safety and ensuring better outcomes for patients worldwide.

Originally from Nigeria, Ezeja is pursuing a Ph.D. in Health Outcomes Research and Policy through the Harrison College of Pharmacy, alongside a master’s degree in statistics. His work centers on pharmacoepidemiology, which is the study of the use and effects of medications in humans.

“My research focuses on evaluating the real-world safety and effectiveness of medications,” Ezeja said. “Overall, my work aims to improve patient outcomes and support informed clinical and regulatory decision-making.”

Using secondary data from health surveys, medication databases and governmental agencies, his research translates existing data into guidance for physicians and policymakers to make better decisions about patient prescriptions and drug safety.

Ezeja’s decision to pursue a Bachelor of Pharmacy degree at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka was a personal one. After an accidental prescription medication overdose and a misdiagnosed medical condition treated with the wrong medications – both events during his high school years – he was determined to prevent these issues from occurring in others.

During his undergraduate training and professional experience, he observed the consequences of medication interactions, most commonly with high blood pressure medications or malaria treatments. One particularly formative experience involved witnessing the impact of antibiotic resistance due to overuse that resulted in the death of a new mother who had recently had a cesarean. Unfortunately, her baby did not survive either. That event stayed with Ezeja, informed his professional practice as a community pharmacist, and drove him to look for even more ways to help patients.

Ezeja’s desire to pursue graduate study was shaped by firsthand experiences in clinical and community pharmacy settings such as these, where he encountered cases of adverse drug reactions, prescription errors and treatment failures that lead to serious complications or even death. His own personal experience, coupled with his professional experiences, sparked a desire to dive deeper into evidence-based research so he could make valuable contributions to safer, more effective medication use and improve public health outcomes.

At Auburn, Ezeja found a program that aligned closely with these goals. He valued the university’s emphasis on applied research in real-world health care settings that created an ideal environment to build the analytical and research skills needed for a career impacting public health.

“I chose Auburn because it offers rigorous training in health outcomes research and emphasizes applying research to real-world health care problems,” he said.

The faculty expertise and research opportunities at Auburn were also well-aligned with his personal and professional goals to make a meaningful contribution to patient outcomes.

As a graduate research assistant, Ezeja has investigated the potential complications of lung cancer treatments. While there is an elevated risk of stroke associated with the disease itself, certain cancer treatment medications can increase the risk of stroke even more. Ezeja’s goal is to inform safer clinical practices that improve patient outcomes and reduce risks of complications, interactions or adverse conditions.

After Auburn, Ezeja plans to apply his training in the pharmaceutical industry, where he hopes to play a key role in ensuring medications are both safe and effective throughout their life cycle, from development to post-market use.

“I want to help make sure medicines are safe and effective, from the early stages before they are approved to when they are already on the market,” he said.

Ezeja stays focused in graduate school by being clear on his goals. Beyond academics, he notes Auburn’s supportive community has played an important role in his graduate experience, providing an environment where collaboration and connection are encouraged.

“It’s easy to connect with people here, and that really makes a difference, especially as a graduate student,” he said.

Ezeja’s goals closely reflect Auburn University’s broader mission to improve lives through education, research and service. By focusing on medication safety and health outcomes, his work contributes to advancing knowledge that can directly impact patient care, public health systems and global well-being.

His research also highlights the university’s commitment to addressing complex societal challenges through interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation. By combining health outcomes research with statistical analysis, Ezeja is contributing to efforts that translate data into actionable insights for clinicians, policymakers and researchers.