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 2020.

Attendees of the APhA Annual Meeting & Exposition in National Harbor, MD, March 20–23, 2020 will have an opportunity to visit face-to-face with the candidates at a “Meet the Candidates” session at the Gaylord National Harbor starting on March 21, and the elections will close at noon on May 11. The 2020 APhA election results will be announced in June. Additional election and candidate information will be available online.

Care of Underserved Patients Special Interest Group, Coordinator-elect

KayLynn Bowman, PharmD, MS, MEd, MS, of Henderson, NV, is a community pharmacist for Smith’s Food and Drug Store in Henderson.  She serves as a member of Smith’s clinical team, providing clinical services at local Smith’s pharmacies including immunizations, medication therapy management (MTM) and chronic condition coaching/management services.  Dr. Bowman received an advanced degree from the University of Florida, Master of Science in Pharmacy, Medication Therapy Management allowing her to provide both students and patients extended educational and clinical services. She is a preceptor for both introductory and advanced pharmacy practice experiences for students attending Roseman University of Health Sciences College of Pharmacy where she also obtained her Doctor of Pharmacy degree.  Dr. Bowman previously obtained her Master of Health Education in Health Promotion and Masters of Science in Chemistry from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Her career has focused on finding unique strategies to combine her educational, health and pharmacy experiences in developing professional clinical services in the pharmacy setting that benefit the members of her community. Dr. Bowman has been an active member of APhA and served as the co-chair, and current chair of the Care for Underserved Patients SIG Education Committee where she was a co-presenter of the webinar “Caring for Underserved Patients with Diabetes: Addressing Barriers to Care.” Dr. Bowman also participated as an abstract reviewer for the APhA Contributed Papers Program. Currently, she is collaborating with other state organizations in advancing MTM Best Practices for pharmacists practicing in rural and urban underserved populations in Nevada.

Jason Martinez, PharmD, BCACP, of Marysville, Ohio, is the director of pharmacy services for a multi-center Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC). He received his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Ohio Northern University and has worked in both the retail and ambulatory pharmacy sectors. Dr. Martinez oversees the chronic care management program and is an Apexus 340B Certified Expert. He has been active in his FQHC’s 340B program, increasing the number of contracted pharmacies from one to nine and saving patients over four million dollars on the cost of their prescription medications. Most recently, he has served as the APhA-APPM Care of Underserved Patients SIG Communications Committee Chair from 2018-2020. His clinical interests include population health, diabetes, substance use disorders, and pharmacogenomics. Dr. Martinez has helped develop and implement multiple sustainable service lines at his FQHC over the past five years including anticoagulation, tobacco cessation, and pharmacogenomics clinics as well as an accredited diabetes self-management education program and medication assisted treatment for alcohol and opioid use disorder program. In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Martinez has precepted many pharmacy, medical, and nursing students. Professionally, he is involved in many organizations including APhA, Ohio Pharmacists Association, American College of Clinical Pharmacy, American Association of Diabetes Educators, and Association for the Treatment of Tobacco Use and Dependence.

Compounding SIG Coordinator-elect:

Ashlee N. Mattingly, PharmD, BCPS, of Baltimore, MD, received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy in 2011.  After graduation, she started working as a pharmacist at Kindred Hospital, a long-term acute care hospital, in Louisville, Kentucky.  While at Kindred, Dr. Mattingly revamped the Advanced Hospital Practice Rotation for fourth-year student pharmacists, served as the medication safety officer, was the pharmacy representative for weekly Interdisciplinary Team Rounds, and was on the National Darbepoetin Policy Workgroup. She left Kindred in 2013 and took a position as a clinical pharmacist at Community Hospital South in Indianapolis, IN.  At Community Hospital, Dr. Mattingly precepted first-year student pharmacists and served as the primary trainer for residents on the Electronic Health Record, Epic, utilized at the hospital. She currently is an assistant professor and Director of the PharmTechX Program in the Department of Pharmacy Practice and Science at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy. Her teaching is focused on sterile and non-sterile compounding.  Dr. Mattingly also conducts research through a grant funded by the FDA evaluating the clinical need of bulk drug substances nominated for use in compounding by outsourcing facilities.

Diabetes Management SIG Coordinator-elect:

Adam Davies, PharmD, of San Antonio, Texas, is a very dedicated and passionate pharmacist and active duty Army Officer. He has a vast background and experiences in pharmacy. Dr. Davies started his career working retail pharmacy and then decided to transition and join the US Army as a pharmacy officer in 2012. He has had many leadership positions within the Army and most recently completed an ASHP/AMCP accredited PGY-1 Managed Care Pharmacy Residency which greatly enhanced and broadened his scope of knowledge and practice. Dr. Davies had insight into the Department of Defense (DoD) TRICARE pharmacy benefit and the unique structure and responsibilities involved with it. After completion of this residency, he was selected to serve as the Deputy Chief of the Formulary Management Branch of the Pharmacy Operations Division which is part of the Defense Health Agency and which he received his residency training through. Dr. Davies has had many projects and presentations involving diabetes and has become very focused and interested on this topic, specifically looking at agents used second-line in Type 2 patients. He completed an APhA pharmacist and patient-centered diabetes care certificate training program in October 2019. Dr. Davies is a privileged provider and looks forward to starting to see patients at one of the patient-centered medical homes at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio in winter 2019. He feels honored to serve and work alongside a great team of Soldiers and civilians giving the best care to the DoD beneficiaries.

Nic Lehman, PharmD, BCACP, of Urbandale, Iowa, is an Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice at Drake University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. He also serves as a clinical pharmacist at the UnityPoint West Des Moines Internal Medicine and Family Medicine Clinics and as an Adjunct Clinical Professor for the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine. Dr. Lehman received his Doctor 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 and joined the faculty at Drake in 2010.  Dr. Lehman obtained Board Certification in Ambulatory Care Pharmacy in 2012 and is an active member of the American Pharmacists Association and the Iowa Pharmacy Association. He has served as the Chair of the Education Committee for the APhA Diabetes Management Special Interest Group for the past two years and is currently a member of the APhA-APPM Policy Standing Committee and House of Delegates.  Dr. Lehman’s current practice and research interests include anticoagulation therapy, diabetes, transitions of care and immunizations.

Immunizing Pharmacists SIG Coordinator-elect:

Ashley Hannings, PharmD, of Athens, GA, received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Georgia in 2011 and then completed a PGY-1 residency at the McWhorter School of Pharmacy at Samford University/Jefferson County Department of Health in Birmingham, AL.  She also completed a PGY-2 residency in community pharmacy/academia through the University of North Carolina Eshelman School of Pharmacy and Kerr Drug in Chapel Hill. Dr. Hannings is currently a faculty member at the University of Georgia College of Pharmacy. She is based out of the Division of Experience Programs and works with students during their Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences (IPPE). Dr. Hannings serves as the coordinator for the college’s immunization program, which includes APhA’s Pharmacy Based Immunization Delivery Certificate Program, two immunization patient simulations, and the mobile flu vaccine clinic program. She has partnered with the University Health Center and two local county governments to provide second and third year student pharmacists with immunization administration experience through the mobile flu vaccine clinic program. Nearly 2,000 patients receive the flu vaccine through these clinics every fall. In addition, Dr. Hannings is the coordinator for the college’s Professional Certificate in Pharmacy Entrepreneurship. She also maintains a practice site at a local federally qualified health center where she provides diabetes education. Dr. Hannings was recently selected for the university’s Public Service and Outreach Leadership Academy. As a member of the Immunizing Pharmacists SIG, she has served on both the Recognition Committee and Webinar Task Force.

Ashley Pugh, PharmD, BCACP, of Enville, TN, is the Assistant Director of Experiential and Interprofessional Education and an Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice at Union University College of Pharmacy in Jackson, TN. She also maintains a practice site at Kroger Pharmacy where she precepts students on advanced pharmacy practice experiences and provides patient care services including immunizations. Dr. Pugh is an alumna of Union University College of Pharmacy and completed a Community Pharmacy Residency with Union University College of Pharmacy and Kroger Pharmacy. She serves as a program coordinator and instructor for APhA's Pharmacy-Based Immunization Delivery certificate training program. Dr. Pugh is also a trainer for APhA's Medication Therapy Management and Diabetes Care certificate training programs. She enjoys serving as the chapter co-advisor for the APhA-ASP chapter at Union University. As a new practitioner, Dr. Pugh served APhA's New Practitioner Network as a New Practitioner Advisory Committee Member-at-large, Awards Standing Committee member, and Transitions Editorial Advisory Board member. Her leadership involvement within APhA-APPM includes recent completion of terms of service as the Immunizing Pharmacists SIG's Webinar Task Force Chair, Medication Management SIG's Communications Committee Chair, and the Preceptor SIG's New Practitioner Committee Co-chair. Dr. Pugh also recently served on the APhA-APPM Communications Committee. She is also actively involved in the West Tennessee Pharmacists Association, having recently completed a two-year term as its president and serving as a speaker for the organization's Immunization Update continuing education program. In addition, Dr. Pugh is actively involved in the Tennessee Pharmacists Association.

Medical Home/ACO SIG Coordinator-elect:

Jelena Lewis, PharmD, BCACP, APh, 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.

Medication Management SIG Coordinator-elect:

Matthew Collver, PharmD, of Matthews, NC, obtained his PharmD from the South Carolina College of Pharmacy - Columbia Campus in 2010.  He then completed a PGY-1 Community Pharmacy Residency with the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy at the Moose Pharmacy practice site.  Dr. Collver has stayed on with Moose Pharmacy as a clinical pharmacist.  His job responsibilities include disease state management with employees of nearby Union county and serving as a pharmacy consultant for two local ambulatory surgery centers.    HIs professional interests include independent pharmacy, innovative practice models, and geriatrics.  He currently resides in Matthews, NC with his wife and two children.

Olivia Strain, PharmD, of Madison, MS, is a Clinical Services Pharmacist for Walgreen in Jackson, MS. She is also the Residency Program Director for the Walgreen’s PGY1 Community-based Pharmacy Residency Program. Dr. Strain received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy in 2007. She began working for Walgreens 14 years ago in Knoxville, TN, in 2005 as a pharmacy intern. Upon graduating, Dr. Strain began working for Walgreens in the Jackson area holding various positions such as market pharmacist, pharmacy manager (for seven years), immunization and travel health lead and trainer, MTM lead, pharmacy intern coordinator, and residency preceptor. Currently, she is a preceptor to Ole Miss APPE students, a residency preceptor with both Walgreen’s and the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy’s PGY1 community residency programs, as well as, a problem-based learning facilitator. Dr. Strain presently serves as MPhA Education Committee Chair, MPhA Awards and Nominations committee member, and has represented Mississippi at the annual APhA House of Delegates meeting for the past four years. She also serves on the APhA Immunization SIG Travel Health Committee and the APhA Medication Management SIG Payment Based on Quality Measures Project Committee. Nationally, Dr. Strain received a SIG Certificate of Recognition in 2017 and 2019 for her work done within these committees. Outside of work, Dr. Strain, her husband, and house full of girls enjoy traveling, being outside as much as possible, watching or playing sports, and spending quality time with friends and family.

Nuclear Pharmacy Practice SIG Coordinator-elect:

Akram Hussein, PharmD, MBA, BCNP, of Dublin, Ohio, has more than 10 years of experience in hospital and commercial nuclear pharmacy. He is currently the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center’s (OSUWMC) hospital nuclear pharmacy manager and also worked several years as a nuclear pharmacist at Cardinal Health. Dr. Hussein serves as a clinical instructor for OSUWMC’s Department of Radiology and as a preceptor for radiology residents, PharmD students and nuclear medicine technologists. He sits on the Ohio State University’s radiation safety and medical use committees, where he previously served as chair, and OSUWMC’s nuclear medicine technologist education advisory committee. Dr. Hussein is currently chair of the American Pharmacy Association’s (APHA's) nuclear pharmacy education committee. He has presented as a national expert at local and national conferences on new diagnostic and treatment radiopharmaceuticals including for Ohio’s Nuclear Medicine Technologist chapter, the Florida Pharmacist's Association, APhA and the Society of Nuclear Medicine. Dr. Hussein is a board certified nuclear pharmacist, receiving his PharmD from the University of Findlay College of Pharmacy. He also has a Master of Business Administration from Franklin University Ross College of Business and graduated with a Bachelor of Science from the Ohio State University.

Don Warner, BS Pharm, of Flower Mound, Texas, started his career in nuclear pharmacy in 1993 with Mallinckrodt and he has continued in the field for over 26 years. He has contributed most with this design and implementation of high quality clean room in radiopharmacies. Working at GE Healthcare, Warner lead their clean room initiative beginning in 2008 to upgrade all 31 of their radiopharmacies in 18 states. He also lead the way to obtain the first network Joint Commission Accreditation for a nationwide radiopharmcy network while at GE Healthcare, which was obtained in September 2013.  Warner has since moved over to Jubilant DraxImage Radiopharmacies, Inc. as Senior Director of Pharmacy Development to continue to promote quality facilities and continuous improvement for patients and the success of nuclear pharmacy.

Preceptor SIG Coordinator-elect:

Richard O'Brocta, PharmD, of Amherst, NY, has either been directly involved in or has supervised the experiential learning process at several schools of pharmacy since 1995.  He has also been a preceptor himself. The preceptor-student interaction is a critical portion of the student learning experience which can impact the student pharmacist and consequently the profession significantly for years to come. The mentorship the preceptor provides the student can often spur the student on to make a significant change to the profession and provide outstanding patient care to patients. Developing future leaders who make positive change is certainly a noble goal for any pharmacist educator. However, mentoring and training pharmacy students is not always simple. Preceptorship is a significant responsibility for a pharmacist who is already busy with patient care and other organizational responsibilities. Generation Z is slowly replacing the Millennials, so understanding this new generation will be paramount for preceptors developing teaching and learning strategies for the future pharmacists. The profession continues to evolve and the guidelines and rules for experiential training are also changing through ACPE and ASHP standards.  As a pharmacist educator Dr. O'Brocta has been fortunate to stay at the forefront of all these challenges and changes. Throughout his career in the military, practice and now academia, Dr. O'Brocta has used the constructs and principles of shared governance to make positive change.  Adaptive Leadership is in his arsenal and that is change that enables the capacity to thrive.

Bethany Sibbitt, PharmD, of Dayton, Ohio, completed her PGY1 residency training at Kettering Medical Center. Since joining Cedarville University School of Pharmacy as an Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice, she has enjoying precepting students in an ambulatory oncology elective rotation. Recently, Dr. Sibbitt began offering the rotation to two local residency programs as an elective experience. This setting has created an opportunity to precept learners as they engage in multidisciplinary, holistic patient care. She maintains active involvement in the pharmacy profession, including serving on committees of several professional organizations. Her areas of interest include interprofessional education, student development, infectious disease, and hematology/oncology.

Transitions of Care SIG Coordinator-elect:

Laressa Bethishou, PharmD, APh, 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.

Danielle M. Candelario, PharmD, BCPS, of North Chicago, IL, is an Associate Professor at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science (RFUMS) and is primarily responsible for teaching in Pharmacy Skills Lab, a 9-course series spanning three years of the didactic curriculum. She is a preceptor for APPE Academic rotation students and serves as a faculty advisor for the Interprofessional Community clinic, a student-run free clinic that serves the uninsured patients of North Chicago. Dr. Candelario received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey and completed a PGY-1 residency in Community Practice at A&P Pharmacy in conjunction with The Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy at Rutgers University. Prior to her academic appointment at RFUMS, Dr. Candelario assisted in the creation and development of an innovative inter-professional transitional care unit at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, New Jersey. She helped develop, implement and manage the transitional care service where she facilitated patient discharge through resolution in care gaps. Dr. Candelario is a Board Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialist (BCPS), and an active member of the APhA. In her involvement at APhA, she has helped develop the Transitions of Care (TOC) Toolkit and has served as the TOC Webinar Committee Co-Chair. Dr. Candelario’s research has focused on Transitions of Care as well as the scholarship of teaching and learning.