2018 TSHP Award Recipients
During the TPA Annual Convention in July 2018, the Tennessee Society of Health-System Pharmacists (TSHP), a Society of the Tennessee Pharmacists Association, honored three individuals and two health-system pharmacies for their accomplishments and commitment to excellence. Congratulations! We appreciate your dedication to health-system pharmacy and the patients you serve!
| Click on these links for more information about TPA, TSHP, and TSSP Awards: | TSHP AWARDS | TPA AWARDS | TSSP AWARDS |
| 2018 Recipients [BELOW] | 2018 Recipients | All Past Recipients | |
| All Past Recipients | All Past Recipients |
Please click on the names below to learn more about TSHP’s 2018 award winners!
| Sandy Ausburn | Health-System Pharmacy Technician of the Year |
| Sheila Mitchell | Health-System Distinguished Service Award |
| Josh Sullivan | Health-System Pharmacist of the Year |
| Baptist Memorial Hospital – Memphis | Health-System Pharmacy Residency Program of the Year |
| Memphis VA Medical Center | Innovative Health-System Pharmacy Practice of the Year |
Health-System Technician of the Year
Sandra Ausburn, CPhT, of Maryville, Tennessee, was recently recognized by the Tennessee Society of Health-System Pharmacists (TSHP) and the Tennessee Pharmacists Association (TPA) as the 2018 TSHP Technician of the Year. This award is presented to an individual who exercises exemplary pharmacy technician practice. Pharmacy technicians provide essential support to pharmacists and enhance the delivery of patient care and services.
Ms. Ausburn is the Pharmacy Purchasing Coordinator at Blount Memorial Hospital in Maryville, TN, where she has worked for over 15 years. Her contributions to pharmacy are represented by her superb abilities to maintain inventory control by reducing costs and decreasing waste. She stays in constant communication with drug companies and contract representatives. Throughout her time at Blount Memorial Hospital, Ms. Ausburn has introduced many cost- saving initiatives during shortages. Her work allows the pharmacy to operate smoothly, allowing everyone to take better care of the patients they serve.
Ms. Ausburn is wife to husband, Ronald, and mother to daughter, Geena.
SHEILA L. MITCHELL, PharmD, FASHP
Health-System Distinguished Service Award
Sheila L. Mitchell, PharmD, FASHP, of Lakeland, Tennessee, was recently recognized by the Tennessee Society of Health-System Pharmacists (TSHP) and Tennessee Pharmacists Association (TPA) with the 2018 Health-System Distinguished Service Award.
Dr. Mitchell is recognized for her sustained service and accomplishments in a career spanning more than 40 years in health-system pharmacy practice, as well as her extensive contributions to the profession of pharmacy. She has served as a member of the TPA Board of Directors, Tennessee Board of Pharmacy, the ASHP Board of Directors, and as TSHP President, among many others.
Dr. Mitchell earned her Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of Tennessee in Memphis. She served as a Clinical Pharmacist at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis, but soon transitioned into leadership as the Director of Pharmacy at the Arlington Development Center in Arlington, Tennessee. Dr. Mitchell became the Founding Director of Pharmacy Services for Methodist Hospital Germantown. During her time as Director, Dr. Mitchell designed and built the pharmacy department from the ground up and oversaw several renovations and expansions of the department. She was appointed to numerous committees and councils, including the Systems Pharmacy Directors’ Council, National Drug Awareness Committee, and National Pharmacy Quality Standards Committee. In her current role as the Founding Dean of the College of Pharmacy at Union University, Dr. Mitchell impacts countless young pharmacists, colleagues, and patients with her extensive knowledge and passion for quality education and services in the field of pharmacy.
JOSH W. SULLIVAN, PharmD, BCACP, BCPS, BCGP
Health-System Pharmacist of the Year
Joshua W. Sullivan, PharmD, BCACP, BCPS, BCGP, of Memphis was recently recognized by the Tennessee Society of Health-System Pharmacists (TSHP) and Tennessee Pharmacists Association (TPA) as the 2018 Health-System Pharmacist of the Year. The award is presented annually to a pharmacist who has made significant contributions to the profession of pharmacy and health-system practice and has demonstrated exceptional leadership qualities.
Dr. Sullivan is the Associate Chief of Pharmacy Clinical Programs at the Memphis Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC), where he supervises 30 clinical pharmacy specialists. As a clinical pharmacy specialist in Ambulatory Care, Dr. Sullivan provides direct patient care and independently manages a host of disease states. He works under a collaborative pharmacy practice agreement with Primary Care, allowing him to operate at the top of his license. He also coordinates research and professional development opportunities as the Post-graduate Residency Program Director.
As an advocate for veterans’, women’s, and mental health, Dr. Sullivan’s efforts at VAMC Memphis have resulted in funding from the national Office of Rural Health for four Clinical Pharmacy Specialist positions in rural health. He is currently working on facilitating a hospital discharge clinic to follow up with patients recently seen in the emergency department for pneumonia or UTI’s. He has served on a variety of professional committees and received multiple honors and awards due to his leadership and example.
Dr. Sullivan is married to Brooke, who is also employed at the Memphis VAMC in Ambulatory Care. They have two daughters, Sydney Kate and Ruby Claire.
RPD: Amy Evans, PharmD
Health-System Residency Program of the Year
Baptist Memorial Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, under the direction of Residency Program Director, Amy Evans, PharmD (third row, far right), was recently recognized by the Tennessee Society of Health-System Pharmacists (TSHP) and Tennessee Pharmacists Association (TPA) for its post-graduate residency program as the 2018 Tennessee Health System Residency Program of the Year. This award is given annually to a residency program in Tennessee that has demonstrated sustained services and contributions to health-system pharmacy practice, such as changes in practice at the institution, innovative research, and/or residency project publications.
Baptist Memorial Hospital Memphis has experienced tremendous growth and success. In the last ten years, 68 pharmacists have successfully completed their first-year residency, with 100% of those interested in further educational experiences going on to complete second-year residency programs. Over 15 new clinical services, protocols, or policy changes have been implemented over the last 5 years due to resident projects. In addition, they have presented over 60 research posters at national meetings.
One research project evaluated rates of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in non-obese versus obese or morbidly obese patients. Outcomes showed an increased rate of VTE in morbidly obese patients, which led to the development and approval of an automatic pharmacist dosing protocol for VTE prophylaxis for patients with a BMI 35-50 and greater than 50. This protocol was then adopted for use in all order sets that included VTE prophylaxis throughout the 21-hospital Baptist Memorial Health Care System.
[Click to enlarge]
Innovative Health-System Pharmacy Practice of the Year
Memphis VA Medical Center (VAMC) Department of Pharmacy in Memphis, Tennessee, was recently honored with the Innovative Health-System Pharmacy Practice Award by the Tennessee Society of Health-System Pharmacists (TSHP), a society of the Tennessee Pharmacists Association (TPA). Director of Pharmacy at Memphis VAMC, Kevin Freeman, PharmD (third from left), accepted the award on behalf of the department.
Memphis VAMC is an integrated healthcare system comprised of a 274-bed medical center and nine community-based outpatient clinics located in the Mid-South region. It serves 196,000 veterans living in a 53-county tri-state area (Tennessee, Arkansas, and Mississippi). Memphis VAMC’s pharmacy department has led innovative opioid safety initiatives that have dramatically reduced veterans’ risks of overdose death from Opioid Pain Relievers (OPR’s).
Since 2016, nearly 2,000 naloxone opioid overdose rescue kits have been dispensed to at-risk veterans. Kits are prescribed to veterans on high dose OPR regimens, co-prescribed OPR and sedatives, and to veterans with more than one chronic condition. At Memphis VAMC, naloxone kits have been distributed to 60% of at-risk veterans, surpassing the national VA average. In an effort to reduce co-prescribed OPR and sedatives, pharmacists at Memphis VAMC implemented a pharmacist-led program for providers to taper OPR or sedative medications. Three clinical pharmacy specialists with expertise in pain management provided patient-specific recommendations to assist with tapering and other challenges.
These opioid safety initiatives were introduced to patients, providers, and support staff by pharmacists using educational campaigns that emphasized collaboration and patient safety. The Memphis VA has been recognized nationally for its pharmacist-led approach to opioid safety, with key elements adopted by other local VAMC’s as best practices.
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.
