Aegis Sciences Announces Pharmacy Fellowship Program
Genevieve Ness
Aegis Sciences Corporation, in partnership with Belmont, recently announced the launch of a pharmacy fellowship program. The fellows will complete an intensive two-year postgraduate training program focused on drug information, evidence-based practice, teaching and research. The Clinical Scientist fellows selected for the 2015–2017 program are Kate Claussen, PharmD and Amber Watson, PharmD.
Claussen, of Hendersonville, Tennessee, received her Doctorate of Pharmacy from Lipscomb and previously interned and completed a pharmacy rotation at Aegis. Watson, of Hardy, Arkansas, received her Doctorate of Pharmacy from the University of Tennessee and completed a pharmacy rotation at Aegis. The program is one of approximately 60 postgraduate pharmacy fellowships in the country and offers a unique training experience in areas not widely available in pharmacy training. Katie Miller, PharmD, Board Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialist (BCPS), was named the fellowship director. The fellows will be guided under her leadership and will work closely with the Aegis Clinical Scientist team.
Director of the Christy Houston Foundation Drug Information Center Genevieve Ness, PharmD, will be responsible for leading the fellowship training in drug information and guide the fellows’ didactic curriculum and pedagogy at the Belmont’s College of Pharmacy. “The Clinical Science and Executive Leadership teams at Aegis are thrilled to see this program come to fruition,” said Aegis’ Senior Scientist for Healthcare Services, Anne Z. DePriest, PharmD, BCPS. “We have enjoyed a productive partnership with the College of Pharmacy at Belmont for years, but this fellowship program will allow both institutions to provide a truly unique opportunity to educate and train the next generation of pharmacists for work in industry, research or academia.”
College of Pharmacy Partners with Williamson Medical Center Belmont’s College of Pharmacy has joined with Franklin’s Williamson Medical Center (WMC) to establish the College’s fourth postgraduate program for pharmacists. The yearlong residency, beginning summer 2016, will offer varied practice experiences in patient care at WMC as well as teaching responsibilities at Belmont. WMC is a 185-bed community hospital that provides comprehensive and progressive medical, surgical, pediatric and pharmacy services. The residency is designed to build skills in patient care, leadership, medication safety, teaching and research and provide opportunities for continued community service. “We are privileged to be able to work with Williamson Medical Center professionals to provide an excellent setting for post graduate pharmacists to serve and learn,” said Dr. Phil Johnston, Dean of the College. “Williamson Medical Center is a pillar of the community.” Previous residencies have been established at Saint Thomas Rutherford, Rolling Hills and Siloam Clinic. Belmont is also supporting a postgraduate fellowship with Aegis Sciences Corporation. Financial support for these programs has come from Belmont, Aegis, Rolling Hills and The Christy Houston Foundation. Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice Dr. Montgomery Williams has garnered national attention for The Antibiotic Stewardship Program at Williamson Medical Center where Williams serves as co-chair. The program, which has been active since 2009, will be highlighted in a case series that has been published on the Pew Charitable Trusts Website. The case series discusses the formation and successes of 10 antibiotic stewardship programs around the country.
Dr. Montgomery Williams
9 | Annual Report 2015