Pharmacy Students Harness Data to Improve Health Care
Cedarville University’s Center for Pharmacy Innovation is partnering with Sparx Analytics to offer Doctor of Pharmacy students a unique opportunity to engage in pharmacy data analytics through the Sparx Analytics Datathon.
By training the next generation of pharmacists in advanced data analytics, Cedarville University’s School of Pharmacy is equipping future health care professionals with the skills to improve patient outcomes and drive public health innovations through the .
The competition aspect of the Datathon motivated students to push their analytical skills to new heights. This year, over 80 students from 30 pharmacy schools registered, tripling last year’s participation. Teams competed for prizes, including gift cards and access to Sparx Academy, an on-demand analytics training program. The top three teams were recognized, with honorable mentions going to the highest-performing teams from each state. Second place was awarded to Cedarville University’s Princess Eziolise (Tipp City, Ohio) and Cameron Lee (North Shores, Michigan), whose innovative approach to data analytics earned them national recognition.
The Datathon was created by Sparx Analytics founder Adam Bernstein. It was his vision to find a solution to bridge the gap between clinical expertise and data analytics in pharmacy practice.
“Health care, like many other sectors, has become increasingly data-driven,” said Bernstein. “We have clinical experts and data analysts, but there’s often a disconnect. This competition aims to equip future pharmacists with foundational analytics skills so they can use their clinical knowledge to interpret and apply data effectively.”
Dr. Justin Cole, director of Cedarville’s Center for Pharmacy Innovation, has been leading the analytics effort for Cedarville.
“As a center, we constantly connect with entrepreneurs and innovators to explore synergies,” said Cole. “We want our students to be creative problem-solvers, and pharmacy analytics is an incredibly powerful tool for innovation in health care. The Datathon allows students to apply real data to real problems.”
Unlike theoretical coursework, the Datathon immerses students in simulated pharmacy data that emulates information from publicly available databases such as the Center for Disease Control and U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Last year’s challenge tasked students with analyzing data from an endocrinology clinic that treats patients with diabetes. Participants were required to assess patient outcomes, create a custom metric relevant to the clinic’s goals and design a dashboard that clearly communicated their findings. This year’s competition followed a similar format with a new clinical focus.
Cole emphasized the value of data literacy in modern pharmacy practice.
“Every prescription drug has specific doses, interaction and safety checks, creating a vast data trail,” said Cole. “Pharmacists who can harness this data to improve patient care are in high demand.”
Bernstein added that critical thinking is one of the biggest skills he hopes students will gain. “More than just technical skills, I hope they develop curiosity. Many students haven’t been exposed to this kind of problem-solving before, and this event gives them the chance to see if it sparks an interest,” said Bernstein.
For Cedarville PharmD students, the Datathon was more than a competition — it was an opportunity to develop skills that will set them apart in a rapidly evolving healthcare landscape.
Cedarville University, an evangelical Christian institution in southwest Ohio, offers undergraduate and graduate residential and online programs across arts, sciences, and professional fields. With 6,384 students, it ranks among Ohio's largest private universities and is recognized by the Wall Street Journal as being among the nation’s top three evangelical universities. Cedarville is also known for its vibrant Christian community, challenging academics and high graduation and retention rates. Learn more at cedarville.edu.