Laura Bix

powered by
COS Expertise®
Michigan State University
College of Agriculture & Natural Resources
Packaging
Assistant ProfessorAppointed: 2002
Professional Headshot of Laura Bix

Mailing Address

153 Packaging
East Lansing, Michigan 48824
United States

Contact Information

Phone: (517) 355-4556
Fax: (517) 353-8999
bixlaura@msu.edu

Qualifications

Ph.D., Michigan State University, Packaging, 2001.
M.S., Michigan State University, Packaging, 1998.
B.S., Michigan State University, Packaging, 1993.

Expertise and Research Interests

Label Legibility of Over-the-Counter (OTC) Medications
Recent Regulatory Activity Surrounding OTC Labeling
Accessibility of Label Information
Child Resistant/Elder Friendly Packaging
Poison Prevention Packaging
Packaging and the Elderly Population
Package Integrity

Future Research

The health care industry is burdened with problems of great cost, both in financial and human terms. Pressing issues include: medication error, patient noncompliance, rising nosocomial (hospital acquired) infection rates, and the need for improved security and efficiency of the supply chain for medical products. Using packaging as a means to address issues facing the healthcare industry is certainly not a typical approach, but it can. Few have focused on packaging as a primary solution to the problems facing healthcare; to my knowledge, MSU is the only University to have faculty dedicated to issues in medical packaging. It is for this reason that it is a rich area for investigation.

As such, our team has a research program centering on two foci: (1) Quantification of the interface between people and packaging as a means to enhance patient compliance and reduce medical errors, and (2) The investigation of microbial penetration into health care packages.

Industrial Relevance

The industrial relevance of this field is significant. The elderly are at particular risk from mismedication due to changes in their perceptual, cognitive and physiological systems; this risk is further exacerbated when they live alone. The impact on society, and the probability of litigation increases as the population ages. Designing packages targeted at the elderly also makes good business sense. Woolley (1999) indicates the elderly have 'twice the per-capita consumption (of prescription medications) of the rest of the population'. Elderly consumers spend more on OTC medications, as well. One study found that the elderly spent twice as much each month on OTC medications when compared with young adults (Sansgiry and Cady, 1996).

Keywords

COS Keywords:

Packaging or Packaging Technologies.

Additional Terms:

Child Resistant Packaging, Ease of Use, Labeling, Legibility, Medical Packaging, Microbes and Packaging, OTC Labeling, Package Integrity, Packaging, Packaging and the Elderly, Poison Prevention, Universal Design.

Languages

(Reading, Writing, Speaking)

English: (Fluent, Fluent, Fluent)

Memberships

ASTM Technical Committee D-10
ASTM Technical Committee F-02
Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation
Institute of Packaging Professionals

Honors and Awards

2007-2009, Selected as the US representative to ISO WG 9, a group defining accessible packaging design and creating global standards to evaluate the accessibility of packaging, ISO
2006-2007, Excellence in Teaching Award, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Michigan State University, Teaching
2004ASTM International, Committee D10.32
2001-2002, Grant Writing Competition - One of the four best proposals submitted, Office of the Vice President for Research and The Michigan Agricultural Experimental Station, Michigan State University
1998-1999 Label Packaging Suppliers Council, Ph.D. Candidate Award
2008, Selected as one of the medical device industry's 100 most notable, Medical Device and Diagnostic Industry

Previous Positions

1995-1996, Personnel Director, Mebane Packaging Group
1994-1995, Leadership Through Quality Director, Mebane Packaging Group
1993-1994, Structural Designer and Estimator,
1992-1993, Design Intern, Rock-Tenn

Funding Received

  • Center for Food and Pharmaceutical Packaging Research (CFPPR): Improving the utility of child resistant packaging, $7,500, 2004 to 2005.
  • Center for Food and Pharmaceutical Packaging Research (CFPPR): Comparative study of two methods to quantify contact area between consumers and packages, $7,500, 2004 to 2005.
  • Center for Food and Pharmaceutical Packaging Research: Sight, Sound and Child Resistance, $5,000, 2003 to 2004.
  • Allegiance Healthcare: Sampling and Allegiance Healthcare, $12,200, 2002 to 2003.
  • Center for Food and Pharmaceutical Packaging Research (CFPPR): Use of the Pac Guard 500 in the nondestructive detection of package defects, $5,000, 2002 to 2003.
  • Center for Food and Pharmaceutical Packaging Research (CFPPR): Examining the effectiveness of required warnings on OTC labels, $5,000, 2002 to 2003.

Publications

  • Wayne Taylor, Fotis, Nick, Bix, Laura (2008) Utilizing hypothesis testing to determine the sample size for medical packaging validation, Medical Device and Diagnostic Industry, 30 (10), 60-66
  • Fair, Joe, Bix, Laura, Bush, Tamara Reid (2008) Biomechanical Analysis of Opening Glass Jars, Designing Inclusive Futures, London, UK, LP. Springer-Verlag, 45-53 pages, ISBN=9781848002111 (bookchapter)
  • Bix, Laura, Clarke, Robb (2007) From information silo to bridge, Part II: The current state of a unique device identification system, Medical Device and Diagnostic Industry, 29 (11), 62-71
  • Bix, Laura, Clarke, Robb (2007) From information silo to bridge: The current state of unique device identification, Medical Device and Diagnostic Industry, 29 (10), 70-77
  • Auras, Rafael, Bix, Laura (2007) WAKE UP! Using a student response system in packaging classes, Packaging Technology and Science, 20 (3), 183-195
  • Severin, Jane, Bix, Laura, Linz, John, Gilliland, Dennis, Lockhart, Hugh (2007) A new method for whole-package microbial challenge testing, Journal of Testing and Evaluation, 35 (4), 373-380
  • Fotis, Nick, Bix, Laura (2006) Sample size selection using a margin of error approach, Medical Device and Diagnostic Industry, 28 (10), 80-89
  • Fotis, Nick, Bix, Laura (2006) Sample size selection using a margin of error approach, Medical Device and Diagnostic Industry, 28 (10), 80-89
  • Bix, Laura, Kassarjian, Ondrea, Cardoso, Fernando, Lockhart, Hugh (2005) Using scanning electron, confocal and optical microscopy to measure microscopic holes in trays, Packaging Technology and Science, 18 (6), 311-320
  • Sansgiry, S., Bix, L., Clarke, R., Pawaskar, M., Drug Information Obscured on OTC Medication Labels By External Tags, Drug Information Journal, 39(2), 159-171, Apr 2005
  • Gilliland, D., Bix, L., Lockhart, H., Fotis, N., Sterile Packaging and Sample Size, China Medical Device Manufacturer, 1(2), 33-39, Spring 2005
  • Gilliand, D., Bix, L., Lockhart, H., Fotis, Nick, Sterile Medical Device Packaging: Statistics and Sample Sizes in Operational Qualifications, Medical Device and Diagnostics Industry, 26(10), 72-77, October 2004
  • Bix, L., de la Feunte, J., Lockhart, H., Universal Design: Packaging With Universal Appeal, Packaging World, 11(4), 79-83, April 2004
  • Bix, L., Sansgiry, S., et al., Retailer tagging practices: A potential liability?, Packaging Technology and Science, 17(1), 3-11, January 2004
  • Bix, L., Lockhart, H., et al., Is x-height a better indicator of legibility than type size for drug labels?, Packaging Technology and Science, 16(5), 199-207, September 2003
  • Bix, L., Lockhart, H., Cardoso, F. and Selke, S., Testing FDA's Mandate for Over-the-Counter Medication Labels, Journal of Pharmaceutical Marketing and Management, 15(4), 17-36, 2003
  • Bix, L. and McKeon, J., An Industry Takes Shape: The FPA Story 1950-2000, 2000
  • Bix, Laura, Is the test of senior friendly/child resistant packaging ethical?, Health Expectations
  • Bix, Laura, de la Fuente, Javier, Pimple, Kenneth, Kou, Eric, Is the test of senior friendly/child resistant packaging ethical?, Health Expectations, In Press
  • Lindstrom-Hazel, Debra, Kratt, Andrew, Bix, Laura, Inter-rater reliability of occupational therapy students using the Jamar hand dynamometer and B&L Engineering pinch gauge, American Journal of Occupational Therapy, In Press
  • Bix, Laura, de la Fuente, Javier, Sundar, Raghav, Lockhart, Hugh, Packaging Design and Development, , The Wiley Encyclopedia of Packaging, 3rd Edition, Hoboken, NJ, John Wiley and Sons, In Press (bookchapter)
  • Bix, Laura, de la Fuente, Javier, Medical Device Packaging, , The Wiley Encyclopedia of Packaging, 3rd Edition, Hoboken, NJ, John Wiley and Sons, In Press (bookchapter)
  • Bix, L., The Elements of Text and Message Design and Their Impact on Message Legibility: a Literature Review, Journal of Design Communication
  • Bix, L., Lockhart, H., et al., The effect of color contrast on message legibility, The Journal of Design Communication, Spring 2003
  • Bix, L., Kassarjian, O., Cardoso, F., Lockhart, H., Using Scanning Electron, Confocal and Optical Microscopy to Measure Microscopic Holes in Trays, Packaging Technology and Science, In Press

Profile Details

Last Updated: 1/16/2009

COS Expertise ID #981736
Reference this profile directly: http://myprofile.cos.com/bixlaura