The Consequences of the Price of Insulin
Advisor: Dr. Nancy Fisher
Internship Location: Schar School of Policy and Government George Mason University
Onsite Mentor: Dr. Naoru Koizumi
Research Question: Why is Insulin not more accessible and/or affordable in the US? Would reducing the cost of insulin provide benefits that make a significant difference in the death rate?
Diabetes is a pressing issue in our world today. Current epidemiological data revealed that 9% of adults have diabetes. It was also established that in 2012 1.5 million people had died due to the disease. Through misinformation campaigns in the media and ineffectual policy-making in favor of sugar and oil lobbyists, individuals face increasing risks for this disease. While significant time, energy, and resources are continually being put into the solution for this condition, what can and should politicians and governments do to aid the efforts of scientists, doctors, and researchers? For my project, I will be completing a statistical analysis of two relatively similar states’ policies towards diabetes treatment. Is there a statistically correlated difference in death by diabetes for the two states as a result of their public health policies? Example qualifications may be: Are there price caps on insulin? Are there any specific programs that are enhanced? Are there any research facilities that are heavily supported/funded? I will perform statistical tests with the support of Dr. Koizumi to identify if there is a statistically correlated difference in items mentioned above based on the difference in the states’ policies.
Project Blog
Post 1: Excited to learn about Public Health Policy! Introductory Blog
Hello. My name is Melis, and, as I stated in my abstract I will be working on answering the question of ‘Why insulin is not more accessible or affordable within the United States?’.
I will begin with a literature review of precedent legal cases on health policy, specifically with a focus on the pricing of medicine. I aim to gain an understanding of the differences between state and federal involvement when deciding pricing ceilings and regulating insurance companies and drug companies. However, while I will work on my project in my free time, during the week I will regularly work with Professor Dr. Naoru Koizumi at the Schar School of Policy and Government and George Mason University.
Week 1: Blog
Hi there! This week I split my time between my research project and my internship. While focusing on my own research, I looked at government reports detailing the magnitude of the impact of Diabetes in the United States. The reports I looked at gave me a perspective regarding the amount of involvement and influence the federal government has over the specific health policies relating to the pricing of insulin and the treatment of diseases like diabetes. In addition, I familiarized myself with specific precedent cases relating to the pricing of medications within the United States.
For my internship I am assisting Dr. Naoru’s project to create a kidney trafficking database, which is funded by the NSF (National Science Foundation). While the UN [United Nations] has access to both human sex and drug trafficking databases there currently isn’t an available database for human organ trafficking. Dr. Naoru’s work focuses on extracting data from newspaper articles using machine learning AI. For the past week I have been familiarizing myself with the work: the process of extracting data and the modification of the AI algorithm. I look forward to doing more work on this topic and am excited to learn more.
Week 2: Blog -
Howdy! This week I focused primarily on my internship. My research and work consisted of combing through a multitude of articles collected off of the web, regarding precedent human organ trafficking cases. I worked on manually extracting and distributing the information from the articles into certain categories. The categories consisted of: country of sellers, country of buyers, country of brokers, surgery country, amount paid by buyer, amount promised to seller, amount paid to seller, fee charged by broker, fee received by surgeon, and currency used. As I went through the process of identifying the information in the categories for each article I also compared the data I was extracting with the extraction that the machine learning AI had completed. Given that I had to go through a great number of articles manually this process took a considerable amount of time. Identifying the differences between my observations and those of the AI gives us an indication of how the algorithm needs to be adjusted for future use. I look forward to doing more research on my own project next week.
Week 3: Blog -
Hi there! This week I focused on research relating to my own project. I was able to look through multiple sources that gave me greater insight into the public policy process. I specifically focused on government reports that detailed the accessibility, or lack thereof, of insulin to the greater public. Such reports indicate an awareness within the government to such an issue; however, I am not quite sure of the implications of this discovery. Further, I researched the specific legislatures that states have regarding the pricing of medicine. By researching the pricing caps that states have set I will later be able to provide a comparative analysis towards the correlation between state policies and certain variables that are consequences of the public's inaccessibility to insulin. I look forward to researching more on specific state policies and their consequences.
Week 4: Blog
This week I’ve been under the weather, so I will take this opportunity to discuss the importance and global impact of my research.
Regarding my research at my internship the creation of a kidney trafficking database greatly benefits many individuals. Databases are used for storing, maintaining, and accessing data. That information and data is gathered in one place so that it can be observed and analyzed. As the UN has human drug and sex trafficking databases and doesn't have one specific to organ trafficking the creation of one is important. Individuals will now freely be able to access information. Further, the ultimate goal of compiling the date to create a database is to ultimately put an end to organ trafficking.
My research will bring light upon the discrepancies between state and federal government regulations and policy making regarding the pricing of medications. My research also aims to shed light on and bring awareness towards the great proportion of Americans who are impacted by the consequences of the current policies in place.
Week 5: Blog
This week I finished my work extracting pricing information from articles. After speaking with Dr. Koizumi, we established that it was time to move onto the next step of the research process. The machine learning AI algorithm also completed its own extraction of price related data from the articles.
Now, I will proceed with manually comparing my extraction with the AI extraction. By identifying similarities and discrepancies between the two extractions we will be able to modify the algorithm to better the extraction process. By pinpointing the similarities and differences between the two, we can refine the algorithm for an enhanced extraction. Once the algorithm is edited and adjusted then the AI will be able to extract data from a greater number of articles at a faster speed than manual extraction. This streamlined approach promises to accelerate our research efforts and yield more strong results.
Photo: Since the majority of my work and research is done virtually, I primarily work from my desk at home. This photo captures my typical desk set up. My desk essentials include: my laptop, my everyday notebook, and my water bottle (gotta stay hydrated!).
Week 6: Blog
This week, my attention was directed towards my research project. I explored numerous sources, which provided me with a deeper insight into the public policy process. Particularly, I focused on academic articles that shed light on the accessibility, or lack thereof, of insulin to the general public. These articles underscore a governmental acknowledgment of this issue.
I also concentrated my energy on finding databases containing data depicting the variables I want to test for in my statistical analysis. They will help me complete the statistical analysis portion of my research. Once I finalize the data I will be using, and the specific database(s) I will be extracting them from, I will begin to proceed with conducting T-Tests.
Further, I refreshed myself on the statistical tests and rules I needed to know and adhere by to conduct my analysis in my research. My next step will be to finalize the data I am using and complete my statistical analysis.
Week 7: Blog
This week I spent a good amount of time researching and refreshing my memory of t-tests. I have a basic understanding of t-tests because I learned about them when I took AP Statistics. However, as some time has passed, I felt that it would be good to refresh my memory and study the tests that I will be conducting shortly. This is so I can better apply the data I have found through my search to a statistical analysis.
It has been my intention from the beginning of my project to produce a correlation between public policy and the consequences affecting the lives of citizens. Now that I have completed my initial steps for my research, I can move forward to my statistical analysis to provide an answer to my research question as intended.
Description of Photo: Here’s a change of scenery: I’m working at my kitchen table instead of my desk. The work essentials (laptop, water bottle, and notebook) are all included of course.
Week 8: Blog
This week I proceeded to the next step of my research project. I have started to meet with my advisor (Dr. Fisher) to finalize the last stages of my research. I also finalized my abstract and confirmed my project with school administrators. I am now consolidating all of the data I have collected into a sound conclusion. This will help me transform my findings into the presentation I will present at the showcase.
I also met with the team I am working with at GMU to touch base on our recent transition to the next stage of data extraction. Dr. Naoru expressed her interest to complete the extraction phase within the next 2 weeks. After the process of extraction and extraction comparison between data collected manually and via the machine AI algorithm we will move onto the analysis phase of the research.
Further, I plan to stay on the project past the end date of the project. I will continue to be a part of the team through the publication of the paper on the research. I am interested in collaborating with the team through the analysis phase. I will also help out with the writing and editing of the final paper.
Description for Photo: Here’s another change of scenery: I am working from our sound booth at school. I was completing some work while waiting for drama rehearsal to start (I’m helping out with the musical). The work essentials (laptop, water bottle, and notebook) plus an iced latte are all included and very necessary in these final stages of the project.
Week 9: Blog
This week I began the process of consolidating my findings into my presentation. I am currently in the final stages of my project. I have concluded my findings and am moving onto preparing for my presentation. I met with my teacher advisor (Dr. Fisher) again this week, as the presentation date is closer. Given the short timeline until the senior project showcase on May 23rd, I have been following the presentation guide on schoology to begin to prepare my presentation for the showcase. Further, I’ve reached out to a couple of my school’s alumni, who also completed the senior project, to gain an understanding of what others' presentations looked like. This extra step in my preparation has given me good insight into what my presentation should look like and has greatly helped me in framing my presentation.
For my internship, I have also continued the process of comparing my manual extraction to the extraction performed by the machine learning AI. For the next couple weeks I plan to prioritize my own research for my senior project as the presentation day is nearing. Given that course of action I am chipping away slowly at my extraction comparison for the research at GMU.
Week 10: Blog
This week I completed my final preparations for my presentation. I finalized my script and powerpoint. I also met with my advisor, Dr. Fisher, to go over my presentation and iron out the final details. I have learned a great deal about international and national public health policy and this experience has sparked my interest in topics relating to my research. As such, I plan to go on and pursue more research in the future in college. Further, I plan to continue on with the team at George Mason University and assist them through the analysis and paper writing phases of the project. I greatly look forward to the senior showcase to present my findings and what I've learned, in addition to hearing about what my peers have been working on for the last 10 weeks.
I cannot believe that this experience is coming to an end. I am very grateful to my internship and this project for the opportunity to have allotted time to research topics that I am greatly interested in and gain new insights about the world. I would like to thank and acknowledge the help of my advisors, Dr. Fisher and Dr. Koizumi; in addition, to Ms. Irving my counselor.