Barbara Mintzes

Barbara Mintzes is a Professor of Evidence-Based Pharmaceutical Policy at the University of Sydney's School of Pharmacy and Charles Perkins Centre. She previously held an Associate Professor position at the University of British Columbia (UBC), Canada, and led the Therapeutics Initiative there. Her work focuses on pharmaceutical policy, medication safety, and the impact of pharmaceutical promotion on prescribing practices. She is a lead investigator in international studies comparing national drug regulatory policies and has authored influential educational materials on drug promotion for healthcare students.

Education:

• PhD in Health Care and Epidemiology
• BA

Research Interests:

• Quality Use of Medicines
• Pharmaceutical Promotion Regulation
• Disease-Mongering Analysis
• Post-Market Drug Safety

Her recent work includes evaluating safety advisories across countries, studying antidepressant use in pregnancy, and analyzing conflicts of interest in clinical guidelines.

Articles Trends: Her publications emphasize the need for transparent communication of drug risks, critical assessment of industry influence, and evidence-based regulatory policies. Recent studies highlight disparities in safety advisory implementation globally and the ethical implications of pharmaceutical-industry ties.

Awards:

• Michael Smith Health Research Foundation Scholar Award (2008–2014)
• Prix Prescrire (2013)

Advising & Grants:

• Supervises PhD/MSc students on topics like off-label drug use and prescribing determinants
• Collaborates with the Charles Perkins Centre on obesity and cardiovascular disease research

Her work extends to global initiatives, including WHO/HAI educational materials on drug promotion.

Labs/Teams: Leads the Evidence, Policy and Influence Collaborative (EPIC) at the Charles Perkins Centre and contributes to the Therapeutics Initiative.