The American Pharmacists Association (APhA) Academy of Pharmacy Practice & Management (APhA–APPM) today announced the Special Interest Groups (SIGs) election slate for the 2019 APhA Elections. The APhA–APPM SIGs are member-driven groups focused on key areas of interest. Eight of the current 10 SIGs will hold an election in 2019. 

Attendees of the 2019 APhA Annual Meeting & Exposition will have an opportunity to visit face-to-face with the candidates at a “Meet the Candidates” session in Seattle’s Washington State Convention Center.

Members will be able to vote starting on March 22, and the elections will close at noon on May 14. The 2019 APhA election results will be announced in June. Additional election and candidate information will be available online. 

Compounding SIG Coordinator-elect:

Jon Pritchett, PharmD, of Cary, NC, began his pharmacy career as a teenager working in a chain retail pharmacy and quickly learned that pharmacy would become a lifelong passion. During pharmacy school, he developed an interest in serving his community patients with clinical knowledge and found the right mix in compounding. Upon graduation, he worked with a diversified independent pharmacy that specialized in sterile and nonsterile compounding, as well as retail and clinical services. Today, he serves the profession as Associate Director with Accreditation Commission for Health Care, primarily overseeing the implementation of compounding standards in our pharmacy programs, most notably the Pharmacy Compounding Accreditation Board (PCAB). He loves being able to work with pharmacies that want to ensure best practices are being met to serve their patients, staff, and prescribers and elevate compounding as a whole. 

Diabetes Management SIG Coordinator-elect:

Megan Coleman, PharmD, of Wingate, NC, earned her Doctor of Pharmacy from Wingate University School of Pharmacy (WUSOP). Upon graduation, she completed a postgraduate year (PGY1) Pharmacy Practice Residency at the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center in Charleston, SC. Megan has been on faculty at WUSOP since 2012 and recently was promoted to Associate Professor of Pharmacy. In addition, she maintains an ambulatory care practice site at Matthews Free Medical Clinic, where she precepts third- and fourth-year student pharmacists and works as a Clinical Pharmacist Practitioner. One of her greatest passions is working closely with students through pharmacy organizations. Megan currently serves as faculty co-advisor for the APhA Academy of Student Pharmacists (APhA–ASP) and Phi Delta Chi chapters at WUSOP. Megan has served as co-chair for the Diabetes Management SIG Communications Committee for the past two years. Her other service to APhA includes reviewing APhA Foundation Incentive Grants and abstracts for the APhA Contributed Papers Program and serving as an active member of the Preceptor Toolkit Task Force within the Preceptor SIG. Megan also holds leadership positions within the North Carolina Association of Pharmacists, serving as a member of the Health Systems Practice Forum Executive Committee and co-chair for the Communication and Outreach Committee. Additionally, she serves on the Board of Directors for HealthQuest of Union County, a nonprofit pharmacy that provides free prescriptions to residents of five counties in North and South Carolina.

Nicholas Lehman, PharmD, BCACP, of Des Moines, IA, is an Assistant Professor at Drake University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in Des Moines and serves as a clinical pharmacist at the UnityPoint West Des Moines Internal Medicine and Family Medicine clinics. Dr. Lehman serves as a preceptor for Drake University Introductory and Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (IPPE and APPE) as well as University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine students on clinical rotations in Des Moines. Dr. Lehman received his Doctorate of Pharmacy from The University of Iowa in 2003. He completed a Primary Care Pharmacy Practice Residency at the Iowa City VA Medical Center in 2004, joined the faculty at Drake in 2010 and obtained Board Certification in Ambulatory Care Pharmacy in 2012. Dr. Lehman has been an active member of APhA, the American College of Clinical Pharmacy, and the Iowa Pharmacy Association. He currently serves as the Chair of the Diabetes Management SIG Education Committee, in the APhA House of Delegates, and on the APhA–APPM Policy Standing Committee as the Committee’s liaison to the Diabetes Management SIG. Dr. Lehman’s current practice and research interests include anticoagulation therapy, diabetes, transitions of care and immunizations.

Immunizing Pharmacists SIG Coordinator-elect:

Gretchen Garofoli, PharmD, BCACP, of Morgantown, WV, is an Associate Professor at West Virginia University School of Pharmacy in the Department of Clinical Pharmacy. She is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy and completed a PGY1 Community-Based Pharmacy Residency through Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA. Her current practice site is Waterfront Family Pharmacy in Morgantown, where she focuses on immunizations, diabetes care, medication synchronization and medication therapy management, along with program development and implementation. She serves as the site coordinator and preceptor for a PGY1 community-based pharmacy resident. Dr. Garofoli was the 2011 recipient of the West Virginia Pharmacists Association Distinguished Young Pharmacist Award, the 2015 national recipient of the APhA Distinguished New Practitioner Award, the 2018 recipient of the West Virginia Pharmacists Association Excellence in Innovation Award and was a National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) Faculty Scholar. Her research interests include diabetes, immunizations and pharmacist-provided screenings.

Cherokee Layson-Wolf, PharmD, BCACP, FAPhA, of Baltimore, MD, is an associate professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice and Science and Associate Dean of Student Affairs at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy. She graduated from the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy and completed a community pharmacy residency at Virginia Commonwealth University/Medical College of Virginia and Ukrop’s Pharmacy. She currently serves as the residency director for the PGY1 community residency program at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy. Dr. Layson-Wolf’s major areas of interest are in community pharmacy, self-care, pharmacy-based immunization delivery and point-of-care testing. She currently sees patients as part of her work with the Maryland Patients, Pharmacists, Partnerships (P³) program, an award-winning employer-based health education and chronic disease self-management program in which trained pharmacist-coaches provide guidance in medication adherence, lifestyle changes and self-care skills to patients with diabetes. She currently serves as the chair of the Board of Trustees for the Maryland Pharmacists Association. Dr. Layson-Wolf remains active in educating and training pharmacists and student pharmacists to provide immunizations and also provides regular immunization updates for Maryland pharmacists. She received the Young Pharmacist of the Year award in 2005; the Innovative Practice Award in 2010 and the Mentor Award in 2015 from the Maryland Pharmacists Association; and was named a Fellow of APhA in 2012, received the APhA Community Residency Preceptor of the Year award in 2015, and was selected APhA–ASP Chapter Advisor of the Year in 2016. 

Medical Home/ACO SIG Coordinator-elect:

Jelena Lewis, PharmD, RPh, of Irvine, CA, is an Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice at Chapman University School of Pharmacy (CUSP) in Irvine. She is also an Advanced Practice Pharmacist and a faculty in residence at St. Jude Heritage Medical Group (SJHMG) in Fullerton, CA. Dr. Lewis developed and implemented a chronic disease management program within an ACO/PCMH at SJHMG, which focuses on providing high-quality coordinated care to patients via an interprofessional collaboration among health care providers. In addition, Dr. Lewis helped develop the pharmacist credentialing process at SJHMG. Dr. Lewis received her bachelor’s degree in biochemistry, with a minor in mathematics, from the University of California, Los Angeles. She received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Southern California, where she was a member of the Rho Chi Academic Honor Society in Pharmacy. Dr. Lewis completed her PGY1 pharmacy practice residency with an emphasis in ambulatory care and community pharmacy practice at the University of Southern California. During her residency, Dr. Lewis was an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Clinical Pharmacy. Upon completion of her residency, she worked as a clinical pharmacist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Care Foundation. During her time at Cedars-Sinai, Dr. Lewis worked in the drug therapy management department, which was part of an ACO/PCMH. She managed patients with chronic conditions, and she provided travel and smoking cessation consultations. She also helped expand the Cedars-Sinai Injection Center, which focuses on cost savings for injectable medications and vaccines. In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Lewis has precepted many pharmacy and medical students as well as pharmacy residents. She is currently the Chair of APhA–APPM Medical Home/ACO SIG Education and Resources Committee. Her research interests include implementation and outcomes of a pharmacist-run chronic disease management program within an ACO/PCMH, and student pharmacist leadership development and co-curricular activities. 

Sara Wettergreen, PharmD, BCACP, of Denver, CO, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Clinical Pharmacy at the University of Colorado Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. Dr. Wettergreen received both her B.S. in Pharmaceutical Science and Doctorate of Pharmacy degrees from South Dakota State University. She completed a PGY1 Pharmacy Practice Residency at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center and a PGY2 Ambulatory Care Specialty Residency at the University of Colorado. Dr. Wettergreen then held a faculty appointment at the University of North Texas System College of Pharmacy for 2 years. While in Texas, she had a clinical practice site at the UNT Health Central Family Medicine Clinic, where she initiated billing for pharmacist-provided patient care services. After her time at the University of North Texas, Dr. Wettergreen ventured back to Colorado to join the clinical pharmacy faculty. Currently, Dr. Wettergreen has two clinical practice sites within UCHealth at Lone Tree Primary Care and the Women’s Integrated Services in Health (WISH) clinics. Dr. Wettergreen’s professional areas of interest include population health, women’s health, cardiovascular risk reduction, diabetes management, and the scholarship of teaching and learning.  Professionally, Dr. Wettergreen is involved in many organizations, including APhA and the Colorado Pharmacists Society. She currently serves as Chair of the APhA New Practitioner Advisory Committee, member of the APhA–APPM Medical Home/ACO SIG Education and Resources Committee, and as an executive committee member for the Colorado Pharmacists Society New Practitioner Section.

Medication Management SIG Coordinator-elect:

Negar Golchin, PharmD, MPH, of Seattle, WA, serves as the Senior Pharmacy Consultant at Qualis Health, one of the nation’s leading population health management organizations. As Senior Pharmacy Consultant, Dr. Golchin provides strategic leadership, clinician insight and technical expertise aimed at improving medication safety and reducing adverse drug events. Her most recent work has been focused on anticoagulants, diabetic agents and opioids. Dr. Golchin’s passion for education led her to design a course for Adverse Drug Reactions for a school of pharmacy in the state of Washington. Additionally, she serves as clinical researcher on multiple projects aimed at improving best practices for prescribing opioids in both Washington and Idaho. Dr. Golchin is also a clinical assistant Professor at the University of Washington School of Pharmacy. She holds a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Tehran University and an MPH in Population Health Research from Case Western Reserve University. She completed the Plein Fellowship for Excellence in Pharmacy Education, Pharmacoepidemiology at the University of Washington and contributed to several peer-reviewed publications with school faculty members. In addition, Dr. Golchin serves on multiple of editorial boards, including the Social Pharmacy Journal and Frontiers in Public Health. She has been a member of the Public Health SIG at AACP since 2013 and involved in different activities, such as archiving a new course for a pharmacy school curriculum. Dr. Golchin has an interest in improving the health of vulnerable populations and serves as the Principal Investigator researching the definition of pediatric polypharmacy and the Co-Principal Investigator researching service utilization among children from low-income families.

Laly Havern, PharmD, MS, BCACP, of Alexandria, VA, is a Manager of Clinical Programs & Quality at Walgreens. Pharmacy has been a part of her life since before she was born. Her grandfather owned a pharmacy in Cuba. Her father, who moved to Puerto Rico as a teen, still owns and operates a pharmacy serving her hometown of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Her mother, also a pharmacist, worked for GlaxoSmithKline and moved her to Pennsylvania where she did most of her education. As a pharmacist, she has spent her whole career at Walgreens but in many different roles. She has been a floater, a staff pharmacist, a pharmacy manager, a front store assistant manager, a specialty pharmacy manager and, most recently, a clinical pharmacist in the support office. As an active-duty Air Force spouse, she has been licensed in Pennsylvania, Missouri, Nevada and, currently, in Washington, D.C. She has been actively involved in APhA since 2016 and is looking forward to continuing this journey and advocating for our profession for many years to come! 

Nuclear Pharmacy Practice SIG Coordinator-elect:

Dao Lee, PharmD, BCNP, FAPhA, of Houston, TX, is Director of Diagnostic Imaging, Radiopharmacy Operations, at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. She studied biology and chemistry at Westminster College in Fulton, MO, where she earned her BA in Biology. She proceeded to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) in Little Rock, AR, to obtain her Doctorate in Pharmacy and Nuclear Pharmacy Authorized User status. After receiving her education, she joined Mallinckrodt Nuclear Pharmacy in Houston, TX. During this time, she also obtained her Board Certification in Nuclear Pharmacy. While at Mallinckrodt, she found her excitement for teaching, which led to her career as faculty at UAMS College of Pharmacy as an Assistant Professor of Nuclear Pharmacy. After 5 years with UAMS and experience in the development of several nuclear education training programs, Le decided to pursue an interest in research and oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. As Director of Diagnostic Imaging, Radiopharmacy Operations, she serves as an advisor and consultant to the following: Department of Nuclear Medicine, the Division of Diagnostic Imaging, the IRB, Institutional Compliance and other departments on all stages of design and implementation of research involving FDA-approved and investigational radiopharmaceuticals. Passionate about nuclear pharmacy, Le is actively involved with nuclear pharmacy and imaging societies. As an item writer and reviewer for the Board of Pharmacy Specialties Nuclear Pharmacy Specialty Council, of which she was Vice Chair, Le upholds the high standards of the specialty. She played a key role in developing the Nuclear Pharmacy Technician training program, according to APhA guidelines, and the APhA Nuclear Pharmacy Vendor Credentialing Guidelines. Le has served as a New Practitioner  and Chair of the Education Committee on APhA–APPM’s Nuclear Pharmacy Practice SIG, in addition to holding leadership and committee roles with other pharmacy organizations. 

Preceptor SIG Coordinator-elect:

Jeff Hamper, PharmD, BCACP, of Boise, ID, received his PharmD from the University of Illinois at Chicago. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN. He started his career in pharmacy as a pharmacy technician at Jewel-Osco pharmacy, a division of Albertsons Companies. He then completed two summer internships with the company. Upon graduation from pharmacy school, Jeff completed a PGY1 Community Pharmacy Residency with Jewel-Osco pharmacy and Midwestern University–Chicago College of Pharmacy. He has held various positions including pharmacy manager, clinical pharmacist, district point person for clinical services, clinical coordinator and corporate pharmacy trainer. He has remained involved with residency training since graduation from the program, serving as a preceptor, director and accreditation practitioner surveyor. In his current role as Manager of Academic Relations and Strategic Alliances with Albertsons Companies, Jeff oversees pharmacy technician, PharmD experiential, and PGY1 community-based residency programs and is involved in the professional development of thousands of preceptors. A Chicago-area native, Dr. Hamper currently lives in Boise, ID, with his wife Melissa, son Charlie, and mini-schnauzer Sammy.

Morgan Herring, PharmD, BCPS, of Des Moines, IA, is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy and Clinical Pharmacist/Faculty with the Iowa Lutheran Family Medicine Residency Program in Des Moines. Dr. Herring manages medication therapy for patients with chronic diseases and teaches pharmacotherapy topics to family medicine residents and medical students, as well as precepting student pharmacists at the Unity Point Family Medicine Clinic at East Des Moines/La Clinica de la Esperanza. Dr. Herring graduated from the University of Kansas School of Pharmacy and completed a PGY1 residency in community pharmacy with the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy and Mercy Family Pharmacy in Dubuque, IA. After completing her residency, she was a community pharmacy shared faculty member at the University of Utah College of Pharmacy, until she joined the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy in 2012. She has been involved with APhA since she was a community resident and has served as the Communications Subcommittee Chair within the Preceptor SIG for the past three years and had also served as an APhA representative for a PQA stakeholder advisory panel in 2016. Along with her involvement in APhA, Dr. Herring is involved at the state level, with the Iowa Pharmacy Association and was named the 2018 Distinguished Young Pharmacist of the Year. She also continues to be involved with the American College of Clinical Pharmacy, Society of Teachers in Family Medicine and American Society of Health-System Pharmacists and maintains Board Certification in Pharmacotherapy. 

Transitions of Care SIG Coordinator-elect:

Laressa Bethishou, PharmD, BCPS, of Irvine, CA, received her Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Sciences from the University of California, Los Angeles and her Doctor of Pharmacy Degree from the University of Southern California School of Pharmacy. She completed a pharmacy practice residency at Stanford Health Care and continued as a Transitions of Care Pharmacist until joining Chapman University School of Pharmacy. She is currently an assistant professor of pharmacy practice and faculty in residence at Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian. She has been actively involved with the APhA–APPM Transitions of Care SIG for the last 2 years, most recently in her capacity as the Practice Committee Co-Chair. She is also involved with the Patient Safety Movement Foundation as a member of their Medication Error and Hand-off Communications workgroups, where she advocates for patient safety during transitions of care. Her teaching activities focus on health care delivery during transitions of care, developing student pharmacist patient care skills, and pulmonology. Her research interests include patient safety and medication error reduction during transitions of care, evaluating the impact of pharmacist interventions on high-risk patient populations, innovations in pharmacy education, and development of student personal and professional growth. 

Jessica Wooster, PharmD, BCACP, of Tyler, TX, is a Clinical Assistant Professor at The University of Texas at Tyler Fisch College of Pharmacy. She received her Doctor of Pharmacy from The University of Tennessee and completed her PGY1 residency with Midwestern University and Albertsons Companies in Phoenix, AZ. Dr. Wooster’s clinical practice is at UT Health East Texas, which involved the development and implementation of a transitions-of-care service to include medication reconciliation, discharge education, and patient follow-up post-discharge. The pilot service is to be implemented across the health system this year to include rural sites that may benefit greatly from the service. Dr. Wooster coordinates the Nonprescription Medications and Medication Therapy Management courses. She serves as the chair of the admissions committee and a member on the experiential education committee assisting in preceptor development events and training. Dr. Wooster remains involved at a local and national level. She attends Texas Pharmacy Association meetings and serves as the faculty advisor at the college. She attends Pharmacy Day at the Capitol to facilitate student meetings with legislators and hopes to inspire them to advocate for the profession. She currently serves as a Co-Chair for the APhA–APPM Transitions of Care SIG Practice Committee and is passionate about current projects and future plans to advance the pharmacist’s role in care continuity. Dr. Wooster serves on the AACP Self Care Communications Committee and enjoys writing newsletter articles. She serves as APhA–ASP Operation Heart faculty advisor at the college and enjoys attending meetings to instill her passion for service in the future pharmacists. Advocacy for the profession is extremely important to Dr. Wooster, and she dedicates herself to this mission by inspiring student pharmacists, initiating novel clinical services at her site, and through research projects to determine best practices. 

About APhA–APPM

The APhA Academy of Pharmacy Practice and Management (APhA–APPM) is dedicated to assisting members in enhancing the profession of pharmacy, improving medication use and advancing patient care. APhA–APPM serves pharmacists in all practice settings, including independent and chain community pharmacies, hospitals, long-term care facilities, clinics, health maintenance organizations, federal facilities, nuclear pharmacies and other specialized settings. Members receive access to continuing education, an online community of practitioners, networking and leadership opportunities, tools and resources for developing patient care services, cutting edge information on Medication Therapy Management and regulatory issues facing the profession. https://www.pharmacist.com/apha-academy-pharmacy-practice-and-management