Contact Information

Biography

Dr. Jennifer Elliott is the Ed and Karen Fritzky Family Chair in Integrative Medicine and Wellbeing, Director of the Center for Integrative Health, Division Chief of Integrative and Community Medicine, College of Medicine, and Associate Professor, School of Pharmacy at Duquesne University. Elliott has spent her career creating and implementing programs in pursuit of health equity. She facilitates cross-sector collaborations to improve the health of children, families and communities through education, research, outreach and advocacy.

Through the Center for Integrative Health, she developed the Bridges to Health Program which is currently implemented in the Mon Valley, Hazelwood, the Hill District and the Northside, and focuses on chronic disease prevention, chronic disease management, community-clinical linkages and pediatric asthma. Through this sustainable, community-based program, Elliott leads a team that developed a school and community-based screening model to identify children with undiagnosed and uncontrolled asthma and connect them with care.

Elliott has worked with Federally Qualified Health Centers to create school-based asthma clinics throughout the region, resulting in significant improvements in asthma control and asthma-related quality of life as well as significant reductions in asthma-related emergency department visits. Her team created a community-clinical linkages program and a community health worker program, both addressing racial and ethnic disparities in chronic disease and the social determinants of poor health that disproportionately affect low-income minority populations.  

Elliott also chairs the annual Fritzky Family Integrative Health Summit which brings together thought leaders and health experts across disciplines to discuss Integrative Health Equity.

She received the Creative Teaching Award in 2012 from Duquesne University, the 10 under 10 Award from the Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association in 2014, the School of Pharmacy Faculty Award in 2015 and the Scholarship Award in 2016, was inducted into Duquesne University’s Research Hall of Fame in 2017, was recognized by Pittsburgh Magazine and PUMP as a 40 under 40 honoree in 2018 and the Incline's Who's Next: Education in 2019, and received Duquesne University’s Presidential Award for Excellence in Service to the Mission in 2022.  Elliott is an active member of the community and serves on several nonprofit boards and advisory committees.  

Education

  • PharmD, Duquesne University, 2007

Research Interests or Expertise

Dr. Elliott's research interests include:

  1. Identifying undiagnosed and uncontrolled asthma in the pediatric population, and implementing strategies to improve disease management,
  2. Implementing interventions for obesity prevention and management in the community setting, and in particular for patients with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS), a genetic condition known to cause early-onset obesity, and
  3. The safety of medications known to have an effect on weight in patients with PWS.

School

Departments, Centers, and Offices

Grants (2015–Present)

  • Elliott, J. (2017). Surveillance and Tracking of Asthma in our Regions Schoolchildren, Principal Investigator, Heinz Endowments.

  • Astle, J., Derose, K., Elliott, J., Koerner, P., Higgenbotham, S., Cavanaugh, J. (2016). Community Engaged Pathways Grant, Co-Investigator, CEDR.

  • Gentile, D., Skoner, D., & Elliott, J. (2015). Surveillance and Tracking of Asthma in our Regions Schoolchildren, Co-Principal Investigator, Heinz Endowments.

  • Elliott, J. & Gentile, D. (2015). Surveillance and Treatment of Asthma in our Region's Schoolchildren- Jefferson Regional (STARS-JR), Principal Investigator, Jefferson Regional Foundation.

  • Elliott, J. (2015). National Asthma Educator Exam, Principal Investigator.

Publications (2015–Present)

  • Bennett, E., Elliott, J., Chia, L., & Kalarchian, M. (in press, 2016). Obesity among youth with developmental disabilities: Intervention delivery to parents via tele health. Western Journal of Nursing Research.

  • Elliott, J., Al-Ghamedi, N., Lombardo, J., Skoner, D., Dewhirst, P., Gentile D (2016). Pilot study of an interdisciplinary mobile model to deliver asthma care to inner-city schoolchildren in the Pittsburgh region. American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Annual Conference.

  • Elliott, J., Morphew, T., Dewhirst, P., Pleskovic, N., Butler, E., Skoner DP, Gentile D (2016). Study demonstrates high estimated prevalence of risk of asthma in inner-city schoolchildren from Pittsburgh region. American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Annual Conference.

  • Elliott, J., Dewhirst, P., Presto, A., Morphew, T., Nicole, P., Butler E, Skoner DP, Gentile D (2016). Characterization of Environmental Risk Factors Among Inner-City Schoolchildren with Physician Diagnosed Asthma from the Pittsburgh Region. American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Annual Conference.

  • Elliott, J., Dewhirst, P., Presto, A., Morphew, T., Nicole, P., Butler E, Skoner DP, Gentile D (2016). Characterization of Environmental Risk Factors Among Inner-City Schoolchildren with Physician Diagnosed Asthma from the Pittsburgh Region. American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Annual Conference.

  • Elliott, J., Cherpes, G., Kamal, K., Chopra, I., Harrison, C., Riedy M, Herk B, McCrossin M, Kalarchian M. (2015). The relationship between antipsychotics and weight in patients with Prader-Willi Syndrome. PHARMACOTHERAPY, 35 (3), 260-268.

  • Elliott, J., Erica, G., Yu, J., & Kalarchian, M. (2015). Medication Use among Patients Prior to Bariatric Surgery. Bariatric Surgical Practice and Patient Care.

  • Elliott, J., Harrison, C., Konopka, C., Wood, J., Marcotullio, N., Lunney P, Skoner D, Gentile D (2015). Pharmacist-led screening program for an inner-city pediatric population. J AM PHARM ASSOC.

  • Al-Ghamedi, N., Elliott, J., Dewhirst, P., Morphew, T., Skoner, D., Deborah Gentile (2015). Association between asthma prevalence and environmental tobacco smoke exposure in schoolchildren from the Pittsburgh region. American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Annual Conference.

  • Dewhirst, P., Elliott, J., Skoner, D., Morphew, T., & Gentile, D. (2015). Pilot study demonstrates high prevalence of asthma in inner-city schoolchildren from Pittsburgh. American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Annual Conference.

  • Elliott, J., Al-Ghamedi, N., Covvey, J., & Neltner, C. (2015). Prescribing practices for management of spasticity in pediatrics post-traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries. Pediatric Pharmacy Advocacy Group (PPAG) Annual Meeting.

  • Elliott, J. & Al-Ghamedi, N. (2015). Association between asthma prevalence and environmental tobacco smoke exposure in schoolchildren from the Pittsburgh region. Pediatric Pharmacy Advocacy Group (PPAG) Annual Meeting.

Presentations (2015–Present)

  • Elliott, J. (2017). Impact of Environmental Factors on Recurrent Asthma Exacerbations Among Inner-City Schoolchildren from the Pittsburgh Region. American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Annual Conference, Atlanta, Georgia.

  • Elliott, J., Kalarchian, M., Kamal, K., Gross, R., Roach, H., Salvatoir G, Cherpes G (2016). Weight management for Youth with Prader-Willi Syndrome: Delivery to Parents via Telemedicine. International Prader-Willi Syndrome Organization (IPWSO), Toronto, Canada.

  • Elliott, J., Morphew, T., Dewhirst, P., Pleskovic, N., Butler, E., Skoner DP, Gentile D (2016). Study demonstrates high estimated prevalence of risk of asthma in inner-city schoolchildren from Pittsburgh region. American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Annual Conference, Los Angeles, California.

  • Elliott, J., Pleskovic, N., Dewhirst, P., Morphew, T., Butler, E., Skoner DP, Gentile D (2016). High rate of uncontrolled asthma among inner-city schoolchildren from Pittsburgh region. American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Annua Conference, Los Angeles, California.

  • Elliott, J., Al-Ghamedi, N., Lombardo, J., Skoner, D., Dewhirst, P., Gentile D (2016). Pilot study of an interdisciplinary mobile model to deliver asthma care to inner-city schoolchildren in the Pittsburgh region. American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Annual Conference, Los Angeles, California.

  • Elliott, J., Dewhirst, P., Presto, A., Morphew, T., Nicole, P., Butler E, Skoner DP, Gentile D (2016). Characterization of Environmental Risk Factors Among Inner-City Schoolchildren with Physician Diagnosed Asthma from the Pittsburgh Region. American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Annual Conference, Los Angeles, California.

  • Dewhirst, P., Elliott, J., Skoner, D., Morphew, T., & Gentile, D. (2015). Pilot study demonstrates high prevalence of asthma in inner-city schoolchildren from Pittsburgh. American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Annual Conference, San Antonio, Texas.

  • Al-Ghamedi, N., Elliott, J., Dewhirst, P., Morphew, T., Skoner, D., Deborah Gentile (2015, February). Association between asthma prevalence and environmental tobacco smoke exposure in schoolchildren from the Pittsburgh region. American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Annual Conference, San Antonio, Texas.

  • Elliott, J., Al-Ghamedi, N., Covvey, J., & Neltner, C. (2015). Prescribing practices for management of spasticity in pediatrics post-traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries. Pediatric Pharmacy Advocacy Group (PPAG) Annual Meeting, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Software (2015–Present)

  • Asthma Education App (2015)
    A collaboration between Duquesne University School of Pharmacy, Allegheny Health Network, and Carnegie Mellon Center for Entertainment Technology.
  • PHBM 443: Therapeutics in Special Populations
  • PHBM 436: Respiratory, Dermatology, and Ophthalmic Disorders
  • PHPR 482: Pediatric Pharmacotherapy: A Focus on Ambulatory Care
  • Creative Teaching Award
    Duquesne University
    2011–12