2016 TSHP Award Recipients

During the TPA Annual Convention in July 2016, the Tennessee Society of Health-System Pharmacists (TSHP), a Society of the Tennessee Pharmacists Association, honored two individuals and one health-system pharmacies for their accomplishments and commitment to excellence. Congratulations! We appreciate your dedication to health-system pharmacy and the patients you serve!

Please click on the names below to learn more about TSHP’s 2016 award winners!

BARBARA CALDWELL KAHN, DPh

Health System Distinguished Service Award

Barbara Werndli Caldwell Kahn, DPh, of Maryville, Tennessee, was recently honored with the Distinguished Service Award, by the Tennessee Society of Health-System Pharmacists (TSHP), a society of the Tennessee Pharmacists Association (TPA), for her sustained service and accomplishments in a career spanning almost four decades, as well as her extensive contributions in health-system pharmacy practice, implementation of innovative practices, and enhancement of the profession in the public’s view.

After graduating from Samford University School of Pharmacy in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1979, Dr. Kahn began her career as a pharmacist at Blount Memorial Hospital in Maryville, Tennessee, where she continues to serve today.

For over 37 years, Dr. Kahn has promoted safe and effective use of medications at Blount Memorial Hospital (BMH) and in the Blount County community. Beginning in 1979, she proposed and developed numerous patient-counseling programs, developed program materials, served as the in-house pharmacology instructor for RNs wishing to return to the profession, and taught Grand Rounds nursing classes.

Dr. Kahn was the Advanced Pharmacology course instructor for 32 years in three off-site nursing programs for licensed practical nursing students and radiology technicians who administer medications. She pioneered the BMH Department of Pharmacy’s extensive quality program, along with the department’s first comprehensive Policy and Procedure manual.  She developed the Adverse Drug Reaction (ADR) Program at BMH and serves as its coordinator.  She was the leader in the initiative to document pharmacists’ interventions to improve medication use.

In the late 1990’s, Dr. Kahn took on a new challenge when the hospital opened up a Transitional Care Center (TCC) skilled care nursing facility. She served for over five years as its Consultant Pharmacist.

As part of the Blount Memorial Community Outreach program, Dr. Kahn served on the Blount County Community Health Initiative action team for several years.  She has been a speaker for numerous community forums and groups and has contributed numerous articles to The Daily Times in Maryville.

Dr. Kahn was a member of the Leadership Blount Class of 2000, a year-long monthly community leadership enhancement and development program. Dr. Kahn is a member of TPA and TSHP and is past secretary and past president of Foothill Striders, a running/hiking/bicycling 501c3 nonprofit organization. She is a former Tour de Blount director, a bicycling tour of Blount County, now in its 25th year.  She is also active with the Blount County Community Action Agency’s Meals on Wheels program.

Dr. Kahn and her husband, Garry, have four grown children.

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JENNIFER D. TWILLA, PharmD, BCPS

Health System Pharmacist of the Year

Jennifer Twilla, PharmD, BCPS, of Lakeland, Tennessee, was recently honored with the 2016 Health-System Pharmacist of the Year Award, by the Tennessee Society of Health-System Pharmacists (TSHP), a society of the Tennessee Pharmacists Association (TPA), in recognition of her significant contributions to the profession of pharmacy and hospital practice; development and implementation of advanced hospital pharmacy practice, programs, research, and/or publications; her personal enrichment endeavors through specialized training and advanced degrees; and her demonstrated leadership qualities.

Dr. Twilla received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Tennessee in 2008. After pharmacy school, she completed a Post Graduate Year (PGY) 1 Pharmacy Practice residency at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Memphis, Tennessee, along with a PGY2 Internal Medicine Residency at Methodist University Hospital in Memphis. In 2010, Dr. Twilla accepted a position at Methodist University Hospital as a Clinical Specialist in Internal Medicine, which serves as her primary position. In 2015, she took on an additional role as one of the Congestive Heart Failure Clinic Pharmacists at Methodist University Hospital Teaching Practice.  Also in 2015, she took over as the PGY1 Pharmacy Practice Residency Director for Methodist University and Germantown Hospitals. Dr. Twilla has an appointment with the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Clinical Pharmacy.

Since completion of residency training, Dr. Twilla has precepted students in Internal Medicine from the University of Tennessee, Union University, University of Mississippi, and South Colleges of Pharmacy. Through the University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy, she is able to serve as a preceptor for two applied therapeutics courses per year and lecture in the Drug-Induced Disease course. Dr. Twilla has also been committed to residency training at Methodist University Hospital, where she precepts the PGY1 and PGY2 Internal Medicine rotations. In addition, she has been involved in the Internal Medicine Physician Residency training program as a coordinator and preceptor for the Internal Medicine monthly journal clubs. Dr. Twilla has also been highly engaged in scholarly activities, with 17 poster presentations and 20 peer-reviewed publications since 2009.

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METHODIST UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL DEPARTMENT OF PHARMACY

Innovative Health-System Pharmacy Practice Award
—100 Beds or More

Methodist University Hospital Department of Pharmacy in Memphis, Tennessee, was recently honored with the “Innovative Health-System Pharmacy Practice Award to a Pharmacy Practice with More Than 100 Beds” by the Tennessee Society of Health-System Pharmacists (TSHP), a society of the Tennessee Pharmacists Association (TPA). Director of Pharmacy at Methodist University Hospital, Christopher K. Finch, PharmD, BCPS, FCCM, FCCP (pictured above), was presented the award during a ceremony at the 129th TPA Summer Meeting on July 18, 2016, in Point Clear, Alabama.

Methodist University Hospital (MUH) is the flagship institution for Methodist LeBonheur Healthcare in Memphis, Tennessee.  Over the past two years, the Department of Pharmacy at MUH has excelled in many areas.   Currently, the hospital has 23 pharmacy practitioners that maintain board certification working in positions that range from leadership roles to central pharmacy operations.  In addition, 82.5% of its full-time pharmacists have completed a residency.  After a successful transformation into an integrated practice model in 2014, MUH has expanded not only its clinical pharmacy services, but also has made significant efforts to improve operational efficiency.   The addition of Medication History Technicians for 19hrs/day in 2014 was instrumental to improving the accuracy and timeliness of this process.   MUH also expanded its pharmacy sphere of influence to include the Congestive Heart Failure, A Fib, and Hepatitis C Clinics in 2015.  At the present time, MUH Department of Pharmacy is in the process of designing a new decentralized delivery model to optimize its use of automated dispensing cabinets on each patient care unit.  Another success of the department has been the scholarly activity of its associates have had over the past two years—51 publications in the medical/pharmacy literature and 26 regional/national presentations.  Not only is the department contributing to the literature, but they are also contributing to the future of the profession through the training of students and residents–120 and 15 per year, respectively.

Dr. Finch, Director of Pharmacy at Methodist University Hospital, stated, “These accomplishments are only possible through the commitment to service, quality, and innovation that each of our pharmacy associates has made.”

Sponsored by the McKesson Corporation, the Innovative Health-System Pharmacy Practice Award is given annually to a pharmacy department staff in a hospital with more than 100 beds, in recognition of efforts which advanced the level of pharmacy services within the past 24 months.

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