Maritza D. Lew

2023 Distinguished Service Award Winner

Maritza D. Lew is a distinguished and accomplished pharmacist with more than 34 years of extensive experience in hospital pharmacy practice. Throughout her career, she has consistently demonstrated exceptional leadership, mentorship, and project management skills, making significant contributions to medication safety with technology in the healthcare setting. Lew's dedication to improving healthcare spans more than three decades, during which she oversaw and implemented complex projects successfully. From conception to full operational status, her dedication is evidenced by her involvement in configuring, managing, and operationalizing three different electronic medical record systems, along with IV Workflow systems, barcode scanning, automatic dispensing machines, and other disparate systems in the hospital.

Lew earned her PharmD degree from the University of Southern California School of Pharmacy in 1988 and completed her residency in geriatric care in 1989. Prior to that, she obtained a BS in animal physiology and chemistry from the University of California, Davis, in 1984. As a licensed pharmacist in both California and Hawaii, Lew is committed to maintaining the highest professional standards. She holds certifications as a Project Management Professional (PMP) and a Certified Professional in Healthcare Information and Management Systems (CPHIMS), further underscoring her dedication to excellence.

Lew has made many contributions to ASHP over the years. Her service to ASHP includes holding various leadership roles within the Section of Pharmacy Informatics and Technology (SOPIT). Lew's tenure includes serving as chair, vice-chair, and director-at-large of the Section Executive Committee. She has also actively participated in numerous Section Advisory Groups (SAG), contributed to ASHP Guidelines and Statements, chaired educational sessions, and played a pivotal role in leading various ASHP webinars. Lew has been at the forefront of discussions concerning data ethics considerations involving artificial intelligence models in healthcare. In addition to being an active member of SOPIT, she is currently a member of the Pharmacy Practice Accreditation Committee. Beyond her association with ASHP, Dr. Lew is deeply committed to advancing healthcare through her involvement with the California Society of Health-System Pharmacists. She is currently working to illuminate a pharmacist certification program for our aging population.