Pharmacists honored with excellence awards

Source: Healthcare Digital

Date :6/27/2007 9:02:21 AM

Five pharmacists at Claremore Indian Hospital in Claremore, Okla., are recognized by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists as leaders in expanding and improving pharmacist-managed patient

The pharmacists received the Society’s Board of Directors Award of Excellence today during the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists’ (ASHP) Summer Meeting in San Francisco.

The five pharmacists recognized are: Lt. Cmdr. Timothy M. Murray, Pharm.D., NCPS, BCPS; Lt. Cmdr. Ryan R. Schupbach, Pharm.D., NCPS, BCPS; Lt. Jodi N. Sparkman, Pharm.D.; Capt. Travis E. Watts, Pharm.D., BCPS, CDE; and Lt. Cmdr. Michael P. Lee, Pharm.D., NCPS, BCPS.

The five pharmacists launched the first pharmacist-managed congestive heart failure clinic at the U.S. Health and Human Services Indian Health Service (IHS). Using electronic health records, the clinic has documented evidence of substantially reduced readmissions and exacerbations of heart failure.

“The work of this outstanding group of practitioners contributes to the growing body of evidence that pharmacists’ interventions can substantially improve patient care,” says ASHP President Cynthia Brennan, Pharm.D., M.H.A. “We are pleased to recognize their efforts to raise the level of care provided to traditionally underserved populations.”

Murray, who is manager of the Congestive Heart Failure Clinic, is nationally credentialed in IHS as a clinical pharmacy specialist in heart failure, anticoagulation, dyslipidemia and pain management. After completing an ASHP-accredited general pharmacy practice residency at Claremore Indian Hospital, Murray accepted a joint position as an acute care pharmacist on the hospital’s Internal Medicine Team and a clinical assistant professor at the University of Oklahoma College of Pharmacy. He received his Pharm.D. degree from the University of Oklahoma in 2000.

Schupbach, the clinical pharmacy director and residency program director at Claremore Indian Hospital, is nationally credentialed in IHS as a clinical pharmacy specialist in heart failure, anticoagulation and dyslipidemia. A clinical assistant professor at the University of Oklahoma College of Pharmacy, Schupbach serves as program director of the IHS National Anticoagulation Training Program. He obtained his Pharm.D. degree from the University of Oklahoma in 2001 and completed an ASHP accredited pharmacy practice residency at the University of Oklahoma and the Claremore Indian Hospital in 2002.

Sparkman is a clinical pharmacist practicing in progressive therapy at Claremore Indian Hospital, where she also serves as a primary care pharmacy provider in heart failure, lipid management and anticoagulation clinics. She received her Pharm.D. degree from the University of Oklahoma in 2005 and completed an ASHP-accredited pharmacy practice residency at Claremore Indian Hospital in 2006. She also received a Bachelor of Science degree in zoology from Oklahoma State University in 1999.

Lee is the inpatient pharmacy director at Claremore Indian Hospital, where he began working in 1997. He is a pharmacotherapy specialist and nationally credentialed in IHS as a clinical pharmacy specialist in anticoagulation and dyslipidemia. Lee received his Pharm.D. degree from the University of Oklahoma in 2001. He received his Bachelor in Science in pharmacy from Southwestern Oklahoma State University in 1997.

Watts is the Oklahoma City Area Indian Health Service Pharmacy and Laboratory Consultant. For the past decade, Watts has been a pharmacotherapy specialist and diabetes educator. He also worked in several diabetes programs, formulary management and clinical pharmacy positions during that time. Watts obtained his Pharm.D. degree from the University of Oklahoma in 1996. He also completed an ASHP-accredited residency program in primary care pharmacy practice from Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Oklahoma City.