Center for Real-World Effectiveness and Safety of Therapeutics (CREST)
Providing actionable real-world evidence to support patients, clinicians, and policymakers in decision making.
Leadership
Sean Hennessy, PharmD, PhD
Director, Epidemiology
Professor of Epidemiology, Systems Pharmacology
& Translational Therapeutics
About the Director
Sean Hennessy, PharmD, PhD, directs the Center for Real-World Effectiveness and Safety of Therapeutics (CREST) at Penn Medicine, leveraging healthcare data to study drug safety and efficacy. His research has revealed key health insights, including survival benefits of potassium for loop diuretic users, risks of high-risk drug interactions, and cardiovascular safety concerns in ADHD and depression treatments. His work on Japanese encephalitis vaccine efficacy led to widespread immunization across Asia. A co-developer of innovative study designs, Dr. Hennessy’s contributions have informed FDA policy and Medicare Part D, while advancing pharmacoepidemiology standards globally.
CREST Investigators
CREST is comprised of nearly 100 investigators, associate and adjunct investigators, and investigators in training who are demonstrated leaders in the development, evaluation, and application of new methods to study the health effects of medications in populations.
Investigators
Penn and associated faculty members engaged in pharmacoepidemiologic research:
- Richard Aplenc, MD, PhD, MSCE
- Andrea Apter MD, MA, MSc
- Joshua Baker, MD, MSCE
- Nicolas Bamat, MD, MSCE
- Justin Bekelman, MD
- Meenakshi Bewtra, MD, PhD, MPH
- Warren Bilker, PhD
- Therese Bitterman, MD, MSCE
- Hillary Bogner, MD, MSCE
- Kathryn H. Bowles, PhD, RN, FAAN, FACMI
- Serena Cardillo, MD
- Molly Candon, PhD
- Ellen Caniglia, ScD
- Yong Chen, PhD
- Zelma Chiesa Fuxench, MD, MSCE
- Rebecca Citrin, MD, MSCE
- Jordana Cohen, MD, MSCE
- Andrew J. Cucchiara, PhD
- Adam C. Cuker, MD, MS
- Scott M. Damrauer, MD
- Michelle Denburg, MD, MSCE
- Rajat Deo, MD, MTR
- M. Kit Delgado, MD, MSCE
- Jalpa Doshi, PhD
- Susan Ellenberg, PhD
- John T. Farrar, MD, PhD
- Chris Feudtner, MD, PhD, MPH
- Alexander G. Fiks, MD, MSCE
- Brian Fisher, DO, MSCE, MPH
- Garret A. FitzGerald, MD, FRS
- Dustin D. Flannery, DO, MSCE
- Lee A. Fleisher, MD
- Joel M. Gelfand, MD, MSCE
- Jeffrey S. Gerber, MD, PhD
- Michael George, MD, MSCE
- Kelly D. Getz, PhD, MPH
- Robert Gross, MD, MSCE
- James Guevara, MD, MPH
- Sean Hennessy, PharmD, PhD
- Jing Huang, PhD
- John H. Holmes, PhD
- Annamarie D. Horan, MPA, PhD
- Rebecca A. Hubbard, PhD
- Ravishankar Jayadevappa, PhD
- Torsten Joerger, MD, MSCE
- Tiffanie Jones, MD, MSCE
- Genevieve P Kanter, PhD
- Ross Koppel, PhD
- Chelsea Kotch, MD, MSCE
- Ebbing Lautenbach, MD, MPH, MSCE
- Charles E. Leonard, PharmD, MSCE
- James D. Lewis, MD, MSCE
- Vincent Lo Re, MD, MSCE
- Elizabeth Lowenthal, MD
- Nadim Mahmud, MD, MS, MPH, MSCE
- Ronac Mamtani, MD, MSCE
- David S. Mandell, ScD
- Steven C. Marcus, PhD
- David J. Margolis, MD, PhD
- Peter Merkel, MD, MPH
- Nuala J. Meyer, MD, MS
- Todd A. Miano, PharmD, PhD
- Knashawn H. Morales, ScD
- Katherine L. Nathanson, MD
- Mary D. Naylor, PhD, RN, FAAN
- Mark D. Neuman, MD, MS
- Alexis Ogdie, MD, MSCE
- David Oslin, MD
- Allyson Pishko, MD, MSCE
- K. Rajender Reddy, MD
- Laurel E. Redding, VMD, PhD
- Barbara Riegel, PhD, RN, FAAN, FAHA
- Enrique F. Schisterman, PhD
- Russell T. Shinohara, PhD
- Dylan Small, PhD
- Sindhu K. Srinivas, MD, MSCE
- Alisa J. Stephens-Shields, PhD
- Sony Tuteja-Stevens, PharmD, MS, BCPS, FAHA
- Gregory E. Tasian, MD, MsC, MSCE
- Junko Takeshita, MD, PhD, MSCE
- Lyle H. Ungar, PhD
- Brian L. VanderBeek, MD, MPH
- Allison Willis, MD, MS
- Wei (Peter) Yang, PhD
- Yu-Xiao Yang, MD, MSCE
Associate Investigators
Research staff working with Penn and associated faculty members engaged in pharmacoepidemiologic research:
- Kacie Bogar, MS
- Timothy Brandon
- Colleen Brensinger, MS
- Dena M. Carbonari, MS
- Pengxiang Li, PhD
- Thanh Phuong Pham Nguyen, PharmD, MBA, MSCE
Adjunct Investigators
Penn adjunct faculty and CCEB adjunct scholars engaged in pharmacoepidemiologic research:
Investigators in Training
Trainees in Penn research training programs (including postdoctoral fellowships), instructors, and research associates, engaged in pharmacoepidemiologic research:
- Emily Acton, MSCE
- Emily Baumrin, MD
- Cedric Bien-Gund, MD
- Clara Fischmann, MD
- Fengge Wang, MBBS, MS, PhD
- Patricia Chu, MD
- Duy Do, MS
- Rosanna Fulchiero, DO
- Sali Jawara, PharmD, MPH, BCPS
- Elimear Kitt
- Christopher Miller
- Audrey Le Mahajan, MD
- Netanya Pollock, MD
- Jennifer McCoy, MD
- Dominique Medaglio, PharmD, MS
- M. Elle Saine, PhD
- Haedi Thelen, PharmD
- Erica Weinstein, MD
- Mattia Mah’moud, MPhil