PHARMACY - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Associate Dean for Graduate Programs / Professor, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Job Titles:
- ASCP 's Senior Director of Pharmacy Practice
Avra Thomas is ASCP's Senior Director of Pharmacy Practice. ASCP is a nonprofit association of pharmacists and pharmacies that manage the medications of older people and the medically complex. Prior to joining the team at ASCP Avra was the Senior Director of Pharmacy with Sava Senior Care Consulting. In that role she served as a liaison between pharmacy providers, pharmacy vendors, interdisciplinary team members, and nursing home operators across 20 states. She is a past president of Maryland's chapter of ASCP and a past member of ASCP's Foundation Board.
Avra received her Doctorate of Pharmacy from Temple University School of Pharmacy, Master of Science in Palliative Care from the University of Maryland, Baltimore Graduate School, and undergraduate degree from Lincoln University in Pennsylvania.
Job Titles:
- Professor Emeritus, Practice, Sciences, and Health Outcomes Research
Job Titles:
- General Practice Pharmacist
Job Titles:
- Certified Pharmacy Technician, EHealth Center
Job Titles:
- Research Associate Professor, Practice, Sciences, and Health Outcomes Research
Job Titles:
- Assistant Dean for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
Job Titles:
- Interprofessional Clinical Coordinator
Responsibilities: Site Visits and Preceptor Recruitment and Development
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor, Practice, Sciences, and Health Outcomes Research
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- Independent Consulting Pharmacist
- Member of the Maryland Chapter of the ASCP
David H. Jones is an independent consulting pharmacist focusing geriatric care in the community. Mr. Jones is an active member of the Maryland chapter of the ASCP. He is president-elect of the Maryland Chapter this year and serves on the Educational Services Committee. Previously, he was co-chairperson for that committee and was elected chapter president in 2012. The chapter once honored him as Pharmacist of the Year.
Prior professional experience included acute care, anticoagulation, pain management, long-term care consulting, home and LTC infusion, and formulary management, with a focus on geriatric care. He also served as long-term care liaison for the state of Maryland and several health care providers.
Mr. Jones served as the long-term care commissioner for one term on the Maryland State Board of Pharmacy and was elected secretary of the Board for the last year of service. He is a 1970 graduate of the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy.
Job Titles:
- Director, Geriatrics and Gerontology Education and Research ( GGEAR ) Program / Program Director, Aging and Applied Thanatology
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- Clinical Director, Institute for Brain Health and Dementia / George Washington ( GW ) University
- Geriatrician
Dr. Christina Prather is a geriatrician and palliative physician with the GW Medical Faculty Associates at the George Washington University. She is the director of GW's Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine and the and the clinical director of GW's Institute for Brain Health and Dementia, which is committed to improving collaboration for brain health research at GW. In her clinical practice, Dr. Prather is committed to providing the highest quality, patient-driven care to older adults, persons with cognitive disorders, and individuals living with serious illness in need of palliative care. As the co-director of GW's Geriatric Memory Evaluation and Treatment Clinic, she is committed to providing person-centered care for patients and families living with memory loss to optimize function and quality of life. She is the aging theme lead in the human behavior and development theme for GW's medical school curriculum, core faculty for the internal medicine training program, and an associate program director for GW's long-running geriatric medicine fellowship. Dr. Prather believes that geriatricians and palliative physicians play an important role in supporting families in understanding their loved ones illnesses and that through education and research, we can improve access to care and quality of life for all seniors and their families.
It is a fitting tribute to his many accomplishments that the Center is named in honor of Dr. Peter P. Lamy.
Born in Breslau, Germany, Dr. Lamy later became a naturalized citizen of the United States. In his early career, he worked as chief of pharmacy services at the U.S. Army Hospital in Ft. Austin, Va., and taught at the Women's Hospital of Philadelphia and, later, at Catholic University in Washington, D.C. He earned his BSc, MSc, and PhD at the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science.
Dr. Lamy came to the University of Maryland in 1963, where he held dual appointments at the School of Pharmacy and the School of Medicine. In 1978, he established the Center for the Study of Pharmacy and Therapeutics for the Elderly (CSPTE), the first center of its kind in a pharmacy school. In 1980, Dr. Lamy published Prescribing for the Elderly, a landmark text and best seller in this emerging field. A prolific writer, Dr. Lamy published more than 400 articles in the area of geriatrics and gerontology during his career, and was widely recognized as the pre-eminent scholar in this field. He also served on the editorial review boards for various professional publications, including Cardiology, World News, Geriatric Medicine Today, and Welcome Trends in Hospital Pharmacy.
Dr. Lamy also served as a consultant to local, national, and international organizations, including the American Association of Retired Persons, the World Health Organization, and the governments of Spain and Ireland. He won pharmacy's highest award, the Remington Honor Medal, in 1988, as well as the George F. Archambault Award of the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists and the Maryland Office on Aging Distinguished Leadership Award.
His accomplishments at the University of Maryland were legendary. As a teacher, mentor, and colleague, Dr. Lamy is remembered as a man of ideas who "worked beyond the walls." In addition to leading the CSPTE, he developed ElderHealth and ElderCare programs to inform practitioners and the elderly about best practices in medication use. The culmination of his career occurred in 1992, when Dr. Lamy was appointed to the endowed Parke-Davis Chair in Geriatric Pharmacotherapy.
Successful project manager with planning and policy analysis skills and hands-on experience in management, advocacy, and coalition building with emphasis on underserved communities. Experience in state and local government, Congress and non-profit associations in the aging/health field and with local agencies and schools in the disabilities arena. Strengths include the ability to work successfully with a variety of organizations and individuals with diverse perspectives to problem solve, explore challenges, and find innovative solutions. In retirement, Eddie has focused on his efforts in strengthening the Village to Village Network (neighbors helping neighbors age in community) and enhancing his skills and service as a master naturalist.
Job Titles:
- Professor, Practice, Sciences, and Health Outcomes Research
Job Titles:
- Member of the Post - Graduate Team
- Student, Pharmaceutical Health Services Research
Job Titles:
- Clinical Administrator
- Department Administrator
- Department of Practice, Sciences, and Health Outcomes Research ( P - SHOR )
Job Titles:
- Principal / InternaSource, LLC
Job Titles:
- Executive Director
- Senior Vice President
Job Titles:
- Commissioner
- Commissioner, Montgomery County Commission on Aging
Dr. Dinwiddie received her Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy. She has worked as a consultant pharmacist in long-term care, as clinical coordinator at the George Washington University Physician's Group, and as director of client services at PharmaCare, a national PBM. She retired from Lash Group, an AmerisourceBergen company, holding the position of senior director of client services.
Since retiring from getting paid, Dr. Dinwiddie serves as a commissioner on the Montgomery County Commission on Aging and produces the COA's cable television show, 50+ in Montgomery County. In addition, she serves as a co-leader of the Communication Workgroup of the Montgomery County Age-Friendly Initiative and as chair of the Gaithersburg Senior Advisory Committee. She also volunteers at her grandchildren's elementary schools and as an usher at Ford's Theatre.
Job Titles:
- Vice President of Government and Regulatory Affairs
Jessica Merrey received her Doctor of Pharmacy from the Medical University of South Carolina in 2007. She currently serves as the lead clinical pharmacy specialist in ambulatory care at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, where her areas of expertise include adult internal medicine and primary care disease states, anticoagulation, and proactive care for the older adult living at home or with caregivers.
Dr. Merrey is passionate about student and resident development, and actively involved in the advancement of the pharmacy profession, having served as past president for DC-CCP; member of DC-CCP, ASCP and MD-ASCP, ASHP and MSHP; and APhA. She served the BPS Specialty Council for Geriatrics from 2018 to 2022.
Job Titles:
- Professor and Chair, Department of Practice, Sciences, and Health Outcomes Research
Job Titles:
- Executive Director / Blue Cross Blue Shield Association / Managing Director
Joshana Goga received her Doctorate of Pharmacy from the University of Buffalo School of Pharmacy in 2001. She completed her primary care residency at the Buffalo Veterans Affairs Hospital and her psychopharmacology residency at the Cleveland Veterans Affairs Hospital. Dr. Goga currently serves as system director clinical pharmacy programs at Rochester Regional Health. She has achieved recognition at various levels, including Preceptor of the Year by the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, CDC VTE Prevention Program, and the Minogue Award for Management of Agitation in the Dementia Population.
She has been involved in the College of Pyschiatric and Neurological Pharmacists (CPNP) at several levels, including chair of the Program Committee and the current lead of the Geriatric Community. Involvement in other organizations include NAMI and IAPA.
Job Titles:
- Certified Pharmacy Technician, EHealth Center
Job Titles:
- Associate Dean for Development and Alumni Affairs
Job Titles:
- Senior Program Specialist
Responsibilities: Operations oversight, evaluations, site agreements, honorarium payments, and coordinate annual events
Job Titles:
- Chronic Care Management Team Leader, Frederick Health
Lisa is the chronic care management team leader at Frederick Health. In her role, Lisa oversees the Chronic Care Management (CCM) and Medication Management programs, both of which leverage telehealth and remote patient monitoring to improve patient outcomes and reduce cost of care. Under her leadership, the program has grown over the past four years and works closely with other community agencies to serve residents in the community. Lisa has worked across many areas of the health system and brings over 34 years of nursing experience to her role.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs and Assessment
Lisa Lebovitz, JD, MS, is assistant dean of academic affairs and assessment at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy. She oversees the School's programmatic assessment and strategic planning processes, faculty effort analysis, and accreditation and institutional reporting. She works closely with department chairs and faculty constituents in multiple committee forums to garner buy in, promote transparency and engage individuals in critical assessment to improve evidence-based decision making in the School. She is also active in the Pharmacy Assessment Collaborative of the Big Ten Academic Alliance and in AACP's Assessment Special Interest Group (SIG). Lebovitz has published and presented on many topics such as pharmacist workforce trends, faculty diversity, and other areas of interest to pharmacy school leadership. Find her published works in Scopus and poster presentations in HSHSL Digital Archive.
Job Titles:
- Department Administrator
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences ( PSC )
Job Titles:
- Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, VA Maryland Health Care System
Dr. Stephanie Ozalas received her Doctor of Pharmacy from the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy at Rutgers University in 2013. She completed her PGY-1 pharmacy practice residency at the VA Maryland Health Care System and her PGY-2 geriatric pharmacy residency at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy. She currently serves as the PGY-2 geriatrics residency director and geriatrics clinical pharmacy practitioner at the VA Maryland Health Care System, where her areas of expertise include long-term care, potentially inappropriate medications, hospice, and academia.
Dr. Ozalas is actively involved with the education of interdisciplinary health care professionals in the Maryland area and beyond through presenting at local and virtual seminars, precepting various levels of pharmacy trainees, and publishing scholarly works.
Job Titles:
- Associate Dean for Clinical Services and Practice Transformation
Merton Lee, PharmD, is a graduate of the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy. He has a PhD in English from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign and has worked in research settings at Cornell University, VA Hudson Valley Healthcare System, Johns Hopkins, and the University of Maryland, Baltimore. He is currently the geriatric pharmacotherapy fellow with the School of Pharmacy's Peter Lamy Center on Drug Therapy and Aging in Baltimore, Maryland.
Dr. Lee is developing a research program focusing on medication therapy management and optimizing drug therapy for older adults at the Peter Lamy Center on Drug Therapy and Aging. As a fellow, he teaches at the School of Pharmacy, practices at MedStar Good Samaritan Hospital, and engages in advocacy efforts with the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists (ASCP).
Michelle Fritsch received her Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Pharmacy from Purdue University in 1990 and 1991, respectively. She founded and currently serves as president for Meds MASH, LLC, a company dedicated to reducing risks posed by medications, health care gaps, and preventable negative health events in mature adults.
Dr. Fritsch's areas of expertise include geriatrics, healthy aging, telehealth, falls risk reduction, and health care education. She is actively involved in advancing the pharmacy profession through her service as a member of ASHP, ASCP, MPhA, Life Planning Resources, Maryland Senior Resource Network, and the Harford Geriatric Assistance and Information Network.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director, the Peter Lamy Center on Drug Therapy and Aging
Job Titles:
- Director of Research, the Peter Lamy Center on Drug Therapy and Aging
Job Titles:
- Associate Dean for Research and Advanced Graduate Studies
Job Titles:
- Associate Dean for Research and Advanced Graduate Studies
Job Titles:
- Assistant Dean
- Assistant Dean for Communications and Marketing
Rebecca Ceraul, assistant dean for communications and marketing at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy in Baltimore, is a public relations professional with 25 years of experience in strategic communications, marketing, media relations, publications, web site development, internal communications, and event planning. At the School of Pharmacy, she is a member of the dean's leadership team and oversees a multifaceted office of professionals that supports the School's student recruitment, business development, reputation enhancement, and audience engagement efforts. She came to the School of Pharmacy in 2008 after serving for three years as assistant director of media relations at the University of Maryland School of Medicine where she managed local, national, and international media relations for the school's basic science departments and its Department of Pediatrics. She was previously a public relations specialist at Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters in Norfolk, Va.
She graduated magna cum laude from Christopher Newport University with a Bachelor of Arts in Fine and Performing Arts with a concentration in communications.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor
- Assistant Professor of Organizational Systems and Adult Health / University of Maryland
Sarah Holmes, PhD, MSW, is an assistant professor of organizational systems and adult health at the University of Maryland School of Nursing.
Dr. Holmes' research interests are focused on the intersection of long-term care services and quality of life outcomes for older adults. Her dissertation was titled "Examining the Assisted Living Environment and Residents' Satisfaction with Assisted Living," and explores various factors, such as service provisions, staffing, and the physical environment in relation to residents' satisfaction with living in these settings. Prior to completing the doctoral program in gerontology, Dr. Holmes worked as a research coordinator in the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center at the University of Kentucky Sanders-Brown Center on Aging. In addition to coordinating research activities, she developed and implemented community outreach programs designed to provide clinical services, social support, and educational training related to Alzheimer's disease across the state of Kentucky.
Job Titles:
- Dean / Professor, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Job Titles:
- Assistant Dean for Instructional Design and Technology / Pharmacy Learning Center
Job Titles:
- Advanced Practice Pharmacist
Job Titles:
- Advanced Practice Pharmacist
Job Titles:
- Senior Associate
- Senior Associate Dean for Administration and Finance
William J. Cooper, MBA, senior associate dean for administration and finance, earned his BBA in accounting/economics from Temple University and his MBA from Drexel University. During his 30+ year career, he has held many positions, including assistant budget coordinator and assistant comptroller at Drexel University and comptroller and acting associate vice president and vice president at the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute.
Cooper's experience includes proposing and negotiating indirect costs rates, managing more than $500 million in capital construction, and overseeing extensive renovations and deferred maintenance. He has been an assistant comptroller and comptroller managing extensive restricted funds for a large university.
In his current role at the School, Cooper oversees finance, human resources, facilities, laboratory services, and IT. Cooper oversees an all funds budget of $77 million and a payroll of 500+ employees. He is also responsible for strategic advancement of developing new sources of revenue and managing costs along with developing five-year forecasts and modeling.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Post - Graduate Team
- Student, Pharmaceutical Health Services Research