Janice Zgibor, RPh, PhD

Professor

Senior Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs

Contact Info

• Office: MDC 1104
• Academic Email: jzgibor@usf.edu
• Academic Phone: (813) 974-6277
• View My C.V. | View My Website

Education

Discipline

Epidemiology

Specialization

• Community-Based Prevention and Treatment of Diabetes
• Cluster-Randomized Trials
• Dissemination and Implementation Research

Biography

Dr. Janice Zgibor is a pharmacist and an epidemiologist. She is an Professor at the University of South Florida (USF). While her position has recently transitioned, Dr. Zgibor remains actively involved with projects at the University of Pittsburgh. She is a co-investigator on a study called MOVE UP, which is a translation of the Look AHEAD study. This intervention is a community-based trial examining the impact of this intervention on weight loss and physical function in older adults. Community Health Workers deliver the intervention. The Look AHEAD curriculum was revised to be accessible to CHWs who come to the study with heterogeneous backgrounds and levels of education. Recruitment of community health workers and participants is ongoing. Dr. Zgibor recently completed a cluster-randomized trial in primarily care entitled Redesigning Medication Intensification Effectiveness for Diabetes (REMEDIES 4D). This study used treatment protocols for treatment intensification of glycemic, blood pressure and lipid control in people with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes educators in eight non-academic primary care practices successfully implemented these protocols. Significant reductions in HbA1c and LDLc were observed. Directly relevant to this Center is the training of diabetes educators to implement these protocols in primary care on a national level. Training has been piloted with 27 diabetes educators in the Pittsburgh area. Additionally, one primary care network in the San Franciso Bay area is planning to implement the protocols. Dr. Zgibor will directly contribute to the Center given her extensive experience in leading initiatives to improve quality of care in primary care in both urban and rural communities throughout southwestern Pennsylvania. Some of these efforts include quality improvement strategies and community-based behavioral and lifestyle interventions for primary and secondary prevention of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. She has also successfully implemented several community-based cluster randomized trials, and is well versed in the methodologic aspects of implementation and evaluation of these types of studies. She has successfully recruited physicians, community leaders, a variety of community-based sites, and implemented and evaluated interventions at the community, primary care practice and individual level. She also has extensive experience in methods for pragmatic trials. Dr. Zgibor also has experience in data collection and analysis of medications in longitudinal studies. Dr. Zgibor serves as scientific reviewer for the NIH Dissemination and Implementation Study Section, the Special Emphasis Panel for the NIDDK review of natural experiments and pragmatic trials and the Health Services Organization and Delivery Study Section. She has worked in diabetes research for 20 years. She has extensive experience in leading community and provider based research on behavior change, self-management, self-efficacy, treatment, and empowerment.