Edward A. Bortnichak, PhD
Global Head, Pharmacoepidemiology and Database Research Unit, Data Analytics and Observational Methods
Merck Research Laboratories
edward.bortnichak@merck.com
Dr. Bortnichak joined Merck & Co., Inc. in November 2007 as Executive Director and Global Head of the Pharmacoepidemiology and Database Research Unit (PEDRU). His career in the pharmaceutical industry spans 20 years. Immediately prior to joining Merck, Ed was Vice President, Scientific and Medical Healthcare Relations for Astra Zeneca and, prior to that Scientific Affairs role, he served as the Executive Director of Quantitative Decision Sciences for Astra Zeneca, U.S. Clinical Development. He has also held leadership positions managing Research Integration, Statistics, Epidemiology, Drug Safety and Outcomes Research Departments for Sanofi-Synthelabo, Ciba-Geigy, Berlex Laboratories, Pfizer and Ingenix. Prior to his industry career, he co-directed a community heart health behavior change program in Rhode Island and held a faculty post at Brown University
Ed did his undergraduate studies at the University of Pennsylvania. He holds a Ph.D. in chronic disease epidemiology from the Yale University Graduate School and a Masters of Public Health (M.P.H.) from the Yale University School of Medicine. His post-doctoral work (also at Yale) was in advanced statistical methods, and he currently holds a faculty position as a lecturer in Epidemiology at Yale. Ed is presently an MBE degree candidate in the Center of Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania.
Cai B, Xu W, Bortnichak E, Watson DJ. An algorithm to identify medical practices common to both the General Practice Research Database and The Health Improvement Network database. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf. 2012 Jul;21(7):770-774. doi: 10.1002/pds.3277. Epub 2012 Apr 30
LoCasale, R.J., Girman, C.J., Bortnichak, E.A., Wilson, K.A., Wyss, R., and Sturmer, T., “A Comparison of Covariate Selection Approaches for Propensity Score (PS) Derivation.” Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety, 20, S312-S313. 2011
Santanello, N. C., Bortnichak, E.A., “Creation of Standardized Coding Libraries – – A Call to Arms for Pharmacoepidemiologists”. Pharmaceutical and Risk Management (PRM) Newsletter of the MAPI Research Trust, April, 2009; pp.6-7.
Bortnichak, E.A., Wise, R.P., Salive, M.E., Tilson, H.H., “Proactive Safety Surveillance”. Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety, Vol. 10, 2001; pp. 191-196.
Bortnichak, E.A., Dai, W.S., “Epidemiologists and Adverse Event Data – A Challenge to the Field”. Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety, Vol. 8 No. 6, 1999; pp. 457-461.
Andrews, E.B., Avorn, J., Bortnichak, E.A. et al, “Guidelines for Good Epidemiology-Practices for Drug, Device, and Vaccine Research in the United States”. Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety, Vol. 4, 1996 pp. 333-338.
Lanza, L.L., Walker, A.M., Bortnichak, E.A., Gause, D.O., Dreyer, N.A.: “Incidence of Symptomatic Liver Function Abnormalities in a Cohort of NSAID Users”. Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety, Vol. 4, 1995; pp. 231-237.
Walker, A.M., Lanza L., Yood, R.A.: “The Infrequency of Liver Function Testing in Patients Using Nonsterodial Anti-inflammatory Drugs”. Archives of Family Medicine, January 1995, Vol. 4, pp. 24-29.
Walker, A.M., Lanza, L.L, Schultz, N.J., Gause, D., Brinkley, M.G., Bortnichak, E.A.: “The Influence of Prior Prescription of H2 Blockers on the Use of NSAIDs”. Journal of Clinical Research and Pharmacoepidemiology, 1991, 51; pp. 225-263.
Mason, D.H., Bernstein, J., Bortnichak, E.A., Ehrlich, G.E.: “Spontaneous Reporting of Adverse Drug Reactions”: Diclofenac Sodium and Four Other Leading NSAIDs”. Internal Medicine for the Specialist, Vol. 11, No. 7, July 1990; pp. 103-117
Lanza, L.L., Walker, A.M., Bortnichak, E.A., Dreyer, N.A.: “Peptic Ulcer and Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage Associated with NSAID Use in Patients Younger than 65 Years – A Large Health Organization Cohort Study”. Archives of Internal Medicine, Vol. 155, 1995; pp. 1371-1377.
Bortnichak, E.A., Wetter, M.S.: “Teratogenic Effect of Carbamaazepine. (Letter to the Editor)”. The New England Journal of Medicine, November 23, 1989; p. 1480.
Ostfeld, A.M., Bortnichak, E.A.: “Classification and Epidemiology of Heart Disease in the Elderly”, in Luchi RJ (Ed): Clinical Geriatric Cardiology, New York, Churchill Livingstone, 1989, Chap. 1.
Bortnichak, E.A., Sachs, R.M.: “Piroxicam in Recent Epidemiologic Studies”. American Journal of Medicine, Supplement: Piroxicam – A Clinical Perspective, Vol 81, (5B), November 28, 1986.
Sachs, R.M., Bortnichak, E.A.: “An Evaluation of Spontaneous Adverse Drug Reaction Reporting Systems”. Supplement: Piroxicam – A Clinical Perspective, Vol 81, (5B), November 18, 1986.
