SANDEEP DEVABHAKTHUNI, PharmD, BCCP ([email protected]) is an Associate Professor at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy (UMSOP). He has served as an inpatient clinical pharmacist at the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) since 2011. In 2019, he added an ambulatory care component by assisting in the outpatient heart transplant clinic at UMMC. He is the Director of Postgraduate Training for the University of Maryland Pharmacy Residency and Fellowship programs. He co-founded the Applied Therapeutics, Research, and Instruction at the University of Maryland (ATRIUM) collaborative, which is dedicated to optimizing management of cardiovascular diseases.
Devabhakthuni earned his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy and completed his PGY1 Pharmacy Residency at the University of Maryland Medical Center and his PGY2 Cardiology Pharmacy Residency at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. He has received the Maryland Society of Health-System Pharmacy (MSHP) Pharmacist of the Year and Preceptor of the Year awards. Two UMSOP graduating classes recognized him as Teacher of the Year.
He has served as Director-at-Large and President of MSHP. His service to ASHP includes being the Vice-Chair and Chair for the Section of Inpatient Care Practitioners (SICP) Educational Steering Committee (ESC) as part of his five-year tenure. Dr. Devabhakthuni routinely reviews ASHP members’ curriculum vitae and posters. He has delivered 10 presentations nationally, including the ASHP National Pharmacy Preceptors Conference, Midyear Clinical Meeting, and webinars. Devabhakthuni has published 30 peer-reviewed articles and three book chapters and was a co-author on 40 national poster presentations.
ASHP and its members continue to work diligently to provide safe and effective medication use in an ever-changing healthcare environment. This Section offers members tremendous resources, including up-to-date information and tools to optimize pharmacy workflow, strategies to meet regulation standards, and enhance patient care. One of my favorite responsibilities as the ESC Chair this year was creating a vision and goals. I am passionate about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), and I incorporated this into our committee’s activities this year. It was rewarding to see the positive response from committee members to DEI initiatives and learn about individual efforts in creating inclusive programming.
In the next 3-4 years, I believe the Section should work on two highest-priority issues: pharmacist workforce challenges such as staffing shortages and incorporating DEI in the workplace. I would take great pride in leading the Section’s Executive Committee in tackling issues that are of utmost importance to inpatient practitioners. Burnout in the inpatient setting may partially be due to a lack of community or support system, especially for underrepresented groups. Establishing a mentorship program focused on underrepresented pharmacists and pharmacy technicians and providing resources for inpatient practitioners may help to advance their careers. Also, I would explore creating virtual networking sessions on hot topics regarding workforce and DEI issues to help our members.
Based on my positive experience in ASHP, I am honored and excited about the possibility of helping to shape the vision and strategic goals as Chair of this Section and representing your voice.