Skylar is an associate editor for The American Journal of Managed Care® (AJMC®) and The Center for Biosimilars®, and joined AJMC® in 2020. She is responsible for covering all aspects of the ever-changing global biosimilar industry and produces content that is accessible and informative for all health care stakeholders.
She has a BA in journalism and media studies from Rutgers University. You can connect with Skylar on LinkedIn.
Study Reveals Factors That Dissuade Commercial Plans From Covering Biosimilars
A study assessing factors that may determine a commercial health plan’s likelihood of covering a biosimilar found that biosimilars that are cancer therapies, used to treat children, indicated for highly prevalent conditions, or only competing against the originator were more likely to have coverage restrictions.
Dr Michael Cohen Discusses Accessibility of Future Gene Therapies
Michael N. Cohen, MD, FAAO, retinal surgeon at Wills Eye Hospital in Philadephia and Mid Atlantic Retina, speaks about the future of gene therapy and the accessibility and availability of these therapies moving forward.
Female Adolescents With T1D Have Lower Quality of Life Than Male Children
A systematic review evaluating sex differences in children with type 1 diabetes (T1D) found that female children had higher rates of comorbidities, higher body mass index, required higher insulin doses, and had a lower quality of life compared with male children.
Dr Michael Chiang Speaks About the NEI's Involvement in AMD, Addressing Health Disparities
Michael Chiang, MD, director of the National Eye Institute, spoke about efforts to address age-related macular degeneration (AMD) as well as health disparities in clinical trials and access to treatment.
Valproate Exhibits Both Hypnotic, Antiepileptic Properties During Sleep
In an animal study, researchers found that valproate, a common epilepsy drug, possessed hypnotic and antiepileptic properties during sleep, suggesting that the drug could help improve sleep quality for patients with nocturnal epilepsy.
Dr Adetunji Toriola Shares Breast Cancer Prevention Tactics for Premenopausal Women
Adetunji T. Toriola, MD, PhD, professor of surgery at Washington University School of Medicine, explains how breast cancer prevention campaigns for premenopausal women have changed and how RANK ligand inhibition could influence screening accuracy.
Dr Michael Paull Highlights the Vancouver Clinic's Progress With Hypertension Metrics
Michael Paull, MD, medical director of primary/urgent care and continuous improvement at the Vancouver Clinic (TVC), explained how TVC was able to improve its hypertension metrics to align with CMS' targets.
Dr Kyle Lamb Discusses Transitional Care, Super-Utilization in Value-Based Medicine
Kyle Lamb, MD, associate medical director of population health at Vancouver Clinic, discusses how super-utilization trends have changed since the start of COVID-19, the necessity of transitional care in implementing value-based medicine, and how technology can decrease super-utilization.
Dr Martin Levine Explains the Growing Need for Caregiver Support in Alzheimer Disease
Martin Levine, MD, MBA, chief medical officer at the PolyClinic at Optum Washington, describes why caregivers need more resources to adequately manage patients with Alzheimer disease and what clinics can do to ensure access to those resources.
Dr Lola Fayanju Shares How Providers Can Leverage PROs to Improve Breast Cancer Care
Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) within breast cancer settings can be instrumental in helping patients feel heard and improving their overall quality of care, said Oluwadamilola "Lola" Fayanju, MD, MA, MPHS, FACS, chief of breast surgery at Penn Medicine.
Dr William Jacout Offers Advice for Providers Using Genomics to Inform Breast Cancer Treatment
William Jacout, MD, a medical oncologist and researcher at the Institut du Cancer de Montpellier Val d'Aurelle in France, shares what providers should keep in mind when using genomics as a diagnostic and treatment decision-making tool for patients with breast cancer.
Dr Adam Brufsky Describes the Evolution of Treatment Options for HER2-Low Breast Cancer
Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-low breast disease has a number of new treatments available, and more providers need to be aware of how it differs from other forms of breast cancer, according to Adam Brufsky, MD, PhD, University of Pittsburgh, at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.
Dr Jose P. Leone Highlights the Importance of Breast Cancer Awareness for Male Patients
Jose P. Leone, MD, director of the program for breast cancer in men at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, shares why patients and providers need to pay more attention to how breast cancer impacts male patients.
Dr Dawn Hershman Discusses Tactics to Increase Drug Adherence in Clinical Trials
Dawn L. Hershman, MD, an oncologist from Columbia University, shared insight into the current challenge of ensuring drug adherence within clinical trials and how this adherence can impact the quality of care for patients in real-world settings.
Dr Irene Kang Shares Cognitive Impairment Results From the RxPonder Breast Cancer Study
Irene M. Kang, MD, from City of Hope, shared some of the results from her analysis of cognitive impairment in women with breast cancer who participated in the RxPonder study, which assessed which patients would benefit most from chemotherapy.
Dr Neil Iyengar Previews SABCS Presentation on Metabolic Dysregulation in Breast Cancer
Neil Iyengar, MD, from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, is expecting updates on therapies to fight human epidermal growth factor 2 (HER2)–positive breast cancer and novel antibody drug conjugates at the upcoming San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS).
Stem Cell Transplant May Be Viable Treatment for Patients With HIV, Leukemia, Says Dr Jana Dickter
Jana K. Dickter, MD, associate clinical professor, Division of Infectious Diseases, City of Hope, discusses a patient's experience being the oldest person to successfully undergo a stem cell transplant while living with HIV and leukemia.
Dr Michel Michaelides Speaks About Implications of Gene Therapy Study Results in Ophthalmology
The results of a study showing improved functional vision and retinal sensitivity have implications for gene therapy in ophthalmological conditions, explained Michel Michaelides, MD, FACP, a consultant ophthalmologist and a professor of ophthalmology at the University College London Institute of Ophthalmology's Genetics Department.
Dr Ticiana Leal: A Lot of Work Is Needed Regarding Early Detection in Lung Cancer
Lung cancer screening rates remain low nationwide, and there is a need to better educate patients and clinicians about the importance of screening, said Ticiana Leal, MD, associate professor, director of the Thoracic Medical Oncology Program, Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine.
Dr Rona Silkiss Details the Use of Biologics to Treat Thyroid Eye Disease
At the American Academy of Ophthalmology's annual conference, Rona Z. Silkiss, MD, FACS, an oculoplastic surgeon and owner of Silkiss Eye Surgery, dived into how biologic therapies can be used to treat thyroid eye disease and what can be done to ensure patients have access to these treatments.
Dr Michael Cohen Contrasts the Manifestation and Treatment of Wet vs Dry AMD
Michael N. Cohen, MD, a retinal surgeon at Wills Eye Hospital and Mid Atlantic Retina, describes the differences between wet and dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and how gene therapy could help treat the condition in the future.
Dr Richard Allen Speaks on the Evolution of Oculoplastic Surgery for Children
Richard C. Allen, MD, PhD, FACS, an oculoplastic surgeon at Texas Children's Hospital and a professor at Baylor College of Medicine, spoke on how oculoplastic surgery in pediatric patients has changed at the American Academy of Ophthalmology's 2022 conference.
Dr Michael Chiang Chronicles the NEI's Research Into AI, Telemedicine in Ophthalmology
Advances in imaging and data science are changing the nature of retina practice, and retina specialists need to stay on top of these, said Michael F. Chiang, MD, director of the National Eye Institute (NEI), who also discussed some of the current research the agency is conducting into artificial intelligence (AI) and telemedicine.
Dr Michel Michaelides Dives Into How Gene Therapy Can Treat Retinitis Pigmentosa
Gene therapy can be used to treat retinitis pigmentosa, an inherited eye disease, and there is likely to be an increase in approved gene therapies for ophthalmic conditions, explained Michel Michaelides, MD, FACP, a consultant ophthalmologist and a professor of ophthalmology at the University College London Institute of Ophthalmology's Genetics Department.
Expensive Targeted Lung Cancer Therapies Need to Be Tailored to the Right Patient
Targeted therapies have improved outcomes for patients with lung cancer, but the goal needs to be tailoring the right therapy to the right patient, said Ticiana Leal, MD, associate professor, director of the Thoracic Medical Oncology Program, Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine.
Dr William Oh Discusses Goals of Prostate Cancer Awareness Month
William Oh, MD, chief medical officer at Sema4 and a clinical professor of medicine at Mount Sinai, discusses Prostate Cancer Awareness Month and possible reasons for disparities in diagnoses and mortality in prostate cancer.