Mary De Vera BSc, MSc, PhD
Associate Professor
Research Scientist, Arthritis Research Centre of Canada
Dr. De Vera is a pharmacoepidemiologist and assistant professor in medication adherence in the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at UBC. She completed a BSc degree in biochemistry at UBC and MSc and PhD degrees in health care and epidemiology from the UBC School of Population and Public Health. She also completed post-doctoral fellowships at the University of Montreal's Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences and UBC's Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences.
The theme of Dr. De Vera's research is "Medication Matters" and her goal is to improve outcomes of medication taking in different patient populations.
Her current research interests are examining how eHealth technologies can support new and existing models of care to improve care delivery and patient outcomes; exploring patients' perspectives and experiences with medication taking and adherence; and evaluating the use and impacts of medications among pregnant women, particularly with inflammatory conditions.
Dr. De Vera is an expert in patient outcomes studies, particularly in arthritis. She is also an expert in population studies using administrative databases, with cross-Canada experiences in British Columbia (Population Data BC, formerly BC Linked Health Database) and Quebec (Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec).
De Vera, M.A., Sadatsafavi, M., Tsao, N.W. et al. Empowering pharmacists in asthma management through interactive SMS (EmPhAsIS): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Trials 15, 488 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1186/1745-6215-15-488
De Vera, M.A., Mailman, J. & Galo, J.S. Economics of Non-Adherence to Biologic Therapies in Rheumatoid Arthritis. Curr Rheumatol Rep 16, 460 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11926-014-0460-5
De Vera MA, Bérard A. Antidepressant use during pregnancy and the risk of pregnancy-induced hypertension. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2012 Aug;74(2):362-9. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2125.2012.04196.x. PMID: 22435711; PMCID: PMC3630756.
De Vera MA, Choi H, Abrahamowicz M, Kopec J, Lacaille D. Impact of statin discontinuation on mortality in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a population-based study. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2012 Jun;64(6):809-16. doi: 10.1002/acr.21643. Epub 2012 Mar 29. PMID: 22467274.
De Vera MA, Choi H, Abrahamowicz M, et al. Statin discontinuation and risk of acute myocardial infarction in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a population-based cohort study. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2011;70:1020-1024.
"Scholar Award." De Vera M. Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research. 2014.
"Scholar Award." De Vera M. Canadian Arthritis Network/The Arthritis Society Network. 2013.
"Postdoctoral Fellowship Award." De Vera M. Canadian Institutes of Health Research. 2011.
"Postdoctoral Fellowship Award." De Vera M. Fonds de la recherche en santé Québec. 2010.
"Graduate Doctoral Award." De Vera M. Canadian Institutes of Health Research. 2008.
"Collaborative care model involving eHealth to improve treatment adherence and health outcomes of patients with gout." De Vera M (PI), Shojania K, Marra CA, Choi H, Avina A, Kydd A, Baker M. $119,108. Canadian Initiative for Outcomes in Rheumatology Care. 2014–2016.
"Inflammatory arthritis patients' perspectives, priorities, and opinions on interventions for medication adherence (INFORMED)." De Vera M (PI), Marra CA, Avina A, Townsend A, Rai S. $61,578. Canadian Initiative for Outcomes in Rheumatology Care. 2014–2015.
"EmPhAsIS: Empowering Pharmacists in Asthma Management Through Interactive SMS." De Vera M (PI), Marra CA, Lynd LD, Sadatsafavi M. $250,000. College of Pharmacists of British Columbia. 2014–2018.
"Impact of arthritis medications during pregnancy on maternal and neonatal health." De Vera M (PI), Marra CA, Janssen P, Lacaille D, Avina A. $274,419. The Arthritis Society. 2013.
"Pharmacist-initiated collaborative care for knee osteoarthritis (PhIT-CoCare-OA): A pilot study." De Vera M (PI), Marra CA, Cibere C, Esdaile J, Li L. $55,000. The Arthritis Society. 2013–2015.
"The Promise of 'Big' Data for Better Understanding of Pregnancies in Patients with Lupus." De Vera M. BC Lupus Society Annual Wellness Symposium. Vancouver, BC. October 25, 2014.
"How Does eHealth Support Models of Care and Improve Patient Adherence and Outcomes?" De Vera M. Social & Administration Pharmacy Educators of Canada Meeting. Montreal, QC. October 16, 2014.
"Collaborative Care Involving eHealth to Improve Treatment Adherence and Health Outcomes of Patients with Gout." De Vera M. Plexia Rheumatology Meeting 2014. Vancouver, BC. October 8, 2014.
"What are the Effects of Interventions Targeting Medication Adherence in Rheumatic Diseases: A Systematic Review." De Vera M. European League Against Arthritis and Rheumatism. Paris, FR. June 11–14, 2014.
"EmPhAsIS: Empowering Pharmacists in Asthma Management Through Interactive SMS." De Vera M. Board Meeting of the College of Pharmacists. Vancouver, BC. April 25, 2014.
