Keynote Speakers

Tim O'Shea

Tim O'Shea has been a corporate comedian and humor writer for radio, stage, and industrial video productions since 1990. In addition to training with The Second City, he toured nationally as a stand-up comic for 12 years, sharing the stage with the likes of Louie Anderson, Norm MacDonald, Victoria Jackson, George Lopez, Dave Chappelle, and Larry the Cable Guy. In-town performances in sketch and improv groups kept his humor well-rounded and quick-witted.

Tim worked several corporate jobs while trying to get his comedy career going. The duality of hanging out with film and television stars at night and then sitting in a pale blue cube the next day around the dullest and unfunniest people on the planet kept Tim's life rich with irony.

In the corporate world, he was a top-producing sales representative for a Fortune 500, $3.5 billion-a-year computer wholesaler. He then put his talents to work as a sales assessor and human resources consultant for Qwest Communications, recruiting the best of their best. For his business humor expertise, Tim was later solicited by CareerTrack as a script writer for a line of training videos.

As a humorous keynote speaker, Tim's background of performance talent and business sense produces a genuine understanding of his audience...and laughter that lasts.

Fun facts: Tim auditioned for the Stanley Kubrick film "The Shining" when he was five years old. He loves The Rolling Stones, Star Trek, and coffee--especially before noon. Comedic influences: Bill Cosby, Billy Crystal, Robert Klein, Monty Python.

Kris O'Shea

Described as "absolutely hilarious" again and again by corporate audiences across a diverse collection of industries, Kris's on-stage allure has grown from a broad spectrum of experience. Since 1991, Kris has honed her comedic skills by training with The Second City, performing at the legendary Esther's Follies in Austin, Texas, and studying at the Dell'Arte International School of Physical Theatre in northern California.
While cutting her teeth in humor hotspots, she worked by day as an educator. After a few years, however, she decided that if she had to tell one more child to focus, somebody was going down---and it wasn't going to be her. So she shifted careers and became a sales consultant for a private corporation.

Beginning as a top sales rep, she was quickly promoted to the position of sales trainer. Kris worked at breakneck speed to develop and deliver sales, product, and technical training for new accounts as the company tripled in size over a three year period. Dealing with the fast-pace of constant corporate change, Kris was able to survive by keeping her sense of humor.

Kris now blends her corporate and comedy backgrounds to engage and energize audiences across the country with her unique take on business humor.

Fun facts: Kris once owned over 200 Duran Duran posters. She loves Chipotle, NBC's "Heroes," and gazing at the Colorado mountains. Comedic influences: Carol Burnett, Tracy Ullman, Ellen DeGeneres, the women of Saturday Night Live.

Session Speakers

Zubin Austin is Associate Professor at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto.  He is also the inaugural holder of the OCP Professorship in Pharmacy Practice.  Professor Austin has an undergraduate degree in pharmacy, and graduate degrees in business administration, information science, and cognitive psychology.

He has published over 50 peer reviewed manuscripts in the area of health professional education, and has received several research awards including the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Lyman Award for best paper in pharmacy education and the Astra-Zeneca/Association of Faculties of Pharmacy of Canada New Researcher Award.  He has also received awards for teaching, including the Government of Ontario’s Leadership in Faculty Teaching Award and the University of Toronto’s President’s Teaching Award.

Henry Cohen, Pharm.D, MS,  is Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice at the Arnold & Marie Schwartz College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences of Long Island University in Brooklyn, New York.  He is also the Chief Pharmacotherapy Officer for the Department of Pharmacy and Director of Pharmacy Residency Programs including a PGY-2 Geriatrics Residency Program at the Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center/David Minkin Rehabilitation Center also in Brooklyn.  The Pharmacotherapy Department is one of the largest clinical programs in NY State with 17 Clinical Pharmacists & Pharmacy Residents.

Dr. Cohen earned a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy and his Master of Science with a Specialty in Pharmacotherapeutics from the Arnold & Marie Schwartz College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences of Long Island University in Brooklyn.  Subsequently, Dr. Cohen earned his traditional Doctor of Pharmacy Degree from St. John’s University College of Pharmacy in Jamaica, New York.

Dr. Cohen is Board-certified in Geriatric Pharmacotherapy, and Neuropsychiatric Pharmacotherapy; he is a Fellow of The American College of Critical Care Medicine.

The editor-in-chief of The Journal of Pharmacy Practice and editor for The New York State Journal of Health-System Pharmacy, the official journal for the New York State Council of Health-System Pharmacists, Dr. Cohen has published over 100 book chapters, manuscripts, and abstracts and has presented over 500 invited lectures on pharmacotherapeutic topics throughout the United States.  He is a P&T member for PharMerica and The National Medical Health Card Systems; he is also a member of the National Quality Forum’s Safety Technical Advisory Panel in Washington, DC.

Brian L. Erstad, Pharm.D, obtained his B.S. degree in pharmacy from South Dakota State University and then worked as a staff pharmacist for eight years in community hospital practice.  He subsequently received his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Arizona and performed a residency at the university medical center in Tucson.  Dr. Erstad has graduated from the Arizona Clinical Research Training Program, which was funded by an NIH K30 Clinical Research Curriculum Award.  His research interests pertain to critical care medicine with an emphasis on blood product derivatives, infectious diseases, patient safety and related outcomes' research. He is a Center Investigator with the Center for Health Outcomes and Pharmacoeconomics Research, University of Arizona.  Currently a Professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice & Science at the University of Arizona College of Pharmacy, Dr Erstad's clinical responsibilities are performed at University Medical Center.  The author of more than 100 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, Dr. Erstad has received recognition as a Fellow in the following organizations: American College of Critical Care Medicine, American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, and the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP).  He has received the ACCP Clinical Practice Award and the ACCP Education Award.

Jillian Foster, Pharm.D., graduated from the University of  Mississippi School of Pharmacy in May 2004 after completing a Health Policy Fellowship with United States Senator Thad Cochran.  Jillian’s time in Washington D.C. provided opportunities for working on health care legislation, appropriations, and constituency communication.  She also completed a Pharmacy Practice Residency and Specialty Residency with an emphasis in Pharmacy Management and Administration at North Mississippi Medical Center (NMMC) in Tupelo, MS.  She is currently the Pharmacy Benefits Manager at NMMC where she manages the Employee Pharmacy.  In her position, Jillian is also responsible for the pharmacy insurance benefit at the hospital-owned third party administrator (Acclaim, Inc.). She also manages prescription benefit plans for nine other employer groups representing 20,000 covered lives.  Her role as Pharmacy Benefits Manager includes facilitating a twelve-member P&T Committee and serving as a Managed Care preceptor for students and residents.   She is currently enrolled in the professional Masters in Business Administration program through the University of Mississippi and will graduate in December 2008.

Her career would not be complete without the networking experiences through professional organizations.  She will be the Vice Chair of ASHP’s Council on Public Policy which meets this year in September.  She has also served terms on ASHP’s New Practitioner’s Leadership Advisory Committee.  She is the New Practitioner Mentor for the Ole Miss APhA-ASP chapter as well as faculty advisor for the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacists student chapter.  Jillian is the 2007-2008 Mississippi Society of Health-System Pharmacists’ President, ans was recently named Mississippi Society of Health-System Pharmacists’ Outstanding Young-Pharmacist of the Year and NMMC Residency Preceptor of the Year.

Tom Frank, Pharm.D, BS, teaches drug therapy for pharmacy students and family medicine residents at the Area Health Education Center in Jonesboro, Arkansas.  He has worked in retail, hospital, clinical, consultative, and administrative pharmacy positions since 1977.  Since 1984 Dr. Frank has given an ever changing version of the new drugs talk.  He grows roses for a hobby.

Kevin W. Garey, Pharm.D, MS, is an Associate Professor at the University of Houston College of Pharmacy and Chair of the Department of Clinical Sciences and Administration.  He received a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy degree from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, a Doctor of Pharmacy from SUNY Buffalo in Buffalo, NY, and a Masters of Science in Biometry from the University of Texas School of Public Health in Houston, Texas.  Postdoctoral training includes a pharmacy practice residency in Cooperstown, NY and infectious disease specialty residency and fellowship training in Chicago, IL.  Dr. Garey's research interests involve infectious disease epidemiology and pharmacotherapy in patients with post-surgical infections including sternal wound infections, candidemia, and Clostridium difficile infection.

Originally from Connecticut, Karl Gummper, RPh, BCNSP, BCPS, FASHP, graduated from Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts, with a Bachelors of Science in Pharmacy. He completed a Pharmacy Practice Residency at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, DC.  He began her career in Baltimore, Maryland, with the University of Maryland Medical System as a clinical pharmacist in Neonatology. Karl spent much of his time obtaining clinical skills in nutrition support of the critically ill infant. After five years, he returned to Children’s National Medical Center as a Clinical Coordinator and the Director of the Residency Training Program. During his time at Children’s, he eventually became Director of Pharmacy. Some of his achievements were to install a computerized provider order entry (CPOE) system, plan for an Oncology Satellite, and to expand clinical services. He currently serves as Director of the ASHP Section of Pharmacy Informatics and Technology. Karl has given professional presentations on a variety of topics both internationally and domestically.  He was president of the Washington Metropolitan Society of Health-System Pharmacists, and he has helped coordinate a skills development seminar series for the Pharmacy Residents and Fellows in the DC metropolitan area.

As Director of the Section of Pharmacy Informatics and Technology, Karl guides the strategic planning and coordinates all activities of this newly formed membership component group.  He is responsible for facilitating the active participation and involvement of pharmacists involved in informatics within ASHP.  Since the Section will focus on the integration of information and technology into clinical pharmacy practice, there will be many opportunities to influence the future of pharmacy.

Patrick J. Medina, Pharm.D, is an associate professor at the University Of Oklahoma College Of Pharmacy.  He is also a clinical pharmacist at the OU Medical Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.  Dr. Medina obtained both a B.S. in pharmacy and a Pharm.D. degree from Rutgers University in New Jersey.  He completed a pharmacy practice residency at the University of Illinois in 1997, then an Oncology Pharmacy Fellowship at the Cancer Institute of New Jersey in 1999.  In addition, Dr. Medina passed the Board Certification exam in oncology in the fall of 2000 and teaches in the ASHP/ACCP Oncology Review Course held each year.

Maryam R. Mohassel, Pharm.D., BCPS is the Managing Editor of the American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy. Dr. Mohassel received a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy and a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia. She completed ASHP-accredited residencies in drug information practice and pharmacotherapy at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland and in Pharmacy Practice at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia.

Dr. Mohassel gained her editorial footing while working as a medical writer at a medical communications company. Before that, she was a clinical assistance professor at Long Island University in New York.

She shares responsibility for editorial aspects of AJHP, including

Determining editorial direction (topics of articles and balance)

• Soliciting manuscripts
• Evaluating manuscripts and selecting peer reviewers
• Editing and checking manuscripts
• Developing journal policies and procedures

Asad Patanwala, Pharm.D,  is a critical care and emergency medicine pharmacy specialist at University Medical Center. He serves as the preceptor for students and residents on the trauma team and in the emergency department. He is the coordinator for the final pharmacotherapeutics course in the third year of the PharmD program.

A board-certified pharmacotherapy specialist, Dr. Patanwala is The University of Arizona College of Pharmacy student liaison for the American College of Clinical Pharmacy. He is also a member of several organizations such as the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy and the Society of Critical Care Medicine.

Joseph Saseen, Pharm.D,  is an Associate Professor of Clinical Pharmacy and Family Medicine at the University of Colorado Denver. He is a Board Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialist with added qualifications in cardiology, is certified as a Clinical Lipid Specialist, and is a Fellow of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy. Dr. Saseen received both his B.S. pharmacy degree and PharmD degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo and then completed an ambulatory care research fellowship at the University of Illinois at Chicago. In his current position, Dr. Saseen practices as a clinical pharmacy specialist at University of Colorado’s Family Medicine Center, and educates pharmacy and medical students. His research and other scholarly endeavors focus on cardiovascular pharmacotherapy. Dr. Saseen is on the board of regents for the American College of Clinical Pharmacy, is a member of the Board of Directors for the National Lipid Association’s Accreditation Council for Clinical Lipidology, and is a member of the Board of Directors and Editorial Board for the journal Pharmacotherapy. He has won several teaching awards, most recently was the recipient of the Doctor of Pharmacy Class of 2009’s Outstanding Instructor Award in May of 2008.

Naomi Schultheis, M.Ed., has been with the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) eleven years and is currently Director, Instructional Design, in the Educational Services Division. She received her B.S. in Education and M.Ed. from the University of Maryland and continued graduate study at George Washington University in adult education and related areas.  Before coming to ASHP, Naomi was a public school teacher and, later a corporate trainer and curriculum developer.  As a member of Toastmasters International, a public speaking club, she is a four-time speech contest winner and has achieved the “Advanced Toastmaster - Bronze” and “High Performance Leadership Excellence” awards.  She was the first president of the ASHP Toastmasters club.  She co-teaches an annual pre-meeting ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting workshop on presentation skills for pharmacists, “Rev Up Your Presentation Skills.”

Jennifer Tryon, Pharm.D, MS, graduated from the University of Iowa in 2004 with her Pharm.D. and then completed a two-year specialty residency and Masters in Pharmacy Administration at the University of Wisconsin.  She moved to Oregon in 2006 as an Inpatient Operations Manager at Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) where she worked to centralize pharmacy services.  In 2007, Jennifer was promoted to the Assistant Director of Pharmacy, Inpatient Services, at OHSU where she oversees the clinical program, pyxis, narcotic processes, and sterile preparation.  She has been involved with ASHP as a member of the Section Advisory Group on Leadership Development, and the Council of Pharmacy Management.

Linda S. Tyler, Pharm.D,  is Director, Drug Information Service (DIS) currently serving as the Interim Administrative Director of Pharmacy Services at University Health Care, University of Utah.  She is also a Professor (Clinical) in the Department of Pharmacotherapy, College of Pharmacy.  She received her bachelors and Doctor of Pharmacy degrees from the University of Utah.  She completed a pharmacy practice residency at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

Dr. Tyler oversees the services of the DIS.  The DIS maintains a call center to assist health care professionals with their drug information requests both for practitioners at the University of Utah Health Sciences Center as well as contract clients.  The DIS provides full support to the Pharmacy and Therapeutics committee including preparing drug monographs and class reviews to support formulary decision-making, drug policy development, monitoring adverse drug reactions, and medication use evaluation programs.  The DIS provides information on drug shortages on a national basis via the ASHP drug shortages website.  Dr. Tyler is program director for the Drug Information Specialty and Health-Systems Practice Management Residencies and a preceptor for the Pharmacy Practice Residency.  Dr. Tyler is a frequent national speaker on literature evaluation and statistical issues in the biomedical literature including ASHP/ACCP’s Oncology Review Course and CPNP’s Psychiatry Review Course.

Sara J. White, MS and FASHP, is currently a Pharmacy Leadership Coach.  Sara was Stanford Hospital and Clinics, Director of Pharmacy and Clinical Professor, UCSF School of Pharmacy.  Sara completed a BS in Pharmacy from Oregon State University, MS from Ohio State University and an ASHP accredited Residency at the Ohio State University Hospitals and Clinics.  She served as ASHP president in 1996 and received the Harvey A.K. Whitney Award in 2006.