Phuoc Anne Nguyen

Anne’s Story

Raised in Houston, Texas, Anne received her Bachelors in Biology and Doctor of Pharmacy degree at the University of Texas at Austin. In June 2015, she completed her second year as a PGY-1/PGY-2/MS Health-Systems Pharmacy Administration (HSPA) Resident at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center and obtained a Master of Science (MS) in Pharmaceutical Health Outcomes and Policy at the University of Houston College of Pharmacy (COP). She recently obtained a hybrid administrative and clinical position at MD Anderson Cancer Center as their PPMI/Transitions of Care Clinical Pharmacy Specialist. Some of her responsibilities include implementing a patient-centric pharmacy practice model by project coordination, education and training, mentoring, and oversight and participating in evaluation of outcomes, EHR development, clinical practice, professional development and performance improvement.

She has strong interests in transition of care initiatives, clinical management, patient safety/process improvement, and public health. Anne plans to integrate these interests to optimize quality of patient care, empower patients, and promote interprofessional collaboration to enhance the practice of our profession.

Being a part of the Houston Program, which is a collaboration between the University of Houston College of Pharmacy and seven institutions in the Texas Medical Center to create PGY- 1/PGY-2/MS Health-System Pharmacy Administration Residencies at their respective institutions, through coursework and projects, Anne has had many opportunities to network and learn about other private and governmental health care systems. This concurrent Residency/M.S. program aims to prepare pharmacists with the knowledge and skills to assume positions of leadership in health care and to develop future leaders within pharmacy. Anne chose to pursue this combined program because she thought it was a wonderful opportunity to integrate her diverse interests and combine clinical pathway with leadership development.

Facility

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, located in Houston on the campus of the Texas Medical Center, is one of the world’s largest and most respected centers devoted exclusively to cancer patient care, research, education and prevention.

U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Hospitals” survey has ranked MD Anderson the nation’s top hospital for cancer care. MD Anderson has been ranked the leading cancer hospital for 11 of the past 14 years. The institution has been named one of the nation’s top two hospitals for cancer care every year since the survey began in 1990. MD Anderson’s mission is to eliminate cancer in Texas, the nation and the world through exceptional programs that integrate patient care, research and prevention. In Fiscal Year 2014, more than 127,000 people sought the superior care that has made the institution so widely respected. More than 8,000 participants were enrolled in clinical trials exploring innovative treatments.

Significant Projects

Throughout her residency, Anne has been involved in multiple large projects to optimize the pharmacy workflow, enhance clinical functions and promote interprofessional collaboration through quality management and patient safety. She has worked on gap analysis, which provides her opportunities to coordinate and implement a wide range of system practice changes. For example, Anne co-chairs a multi-hospital system medication error reporting workgroup and facilitate a national taskforce on standard of excellence for all VA residency programs.

Advice for Someone New to Your Specialty Area

“If you want to advance as a pharmacy leader within the health care system, consider a healthsystem pharmacy administration residency especially the one with combined didactic and residency training. This residency helps to prepare leaders and provide you the skill sets you need to advance into management role, academia, or other setting that you may not even know at this point. The advanced training opens many doors and provides career flexibility. There is a current need for pharmacy administrators to lead our profession. If we do not fill these positions, other professions will take them. As a result, we need to take ownership of our own profession and promote pharmacists’ role as healthcare providers to optimize the quality of patient care.”

Involvement in ASHP

“I initially became involved with ASHP because of one of my mentors, Dean Diane Ginsburg at the University of Texas at Austin. After my multiple interactions with her and listening to her pearl of wisdom on PPMI and the vision of our pharmacy profession, I was inspired to be a part of the mission, enhancing the practice of pharmacy. After my first year of being with ASHP, I had even a stronger passion to be active with ASHP due to networking and leadership opportunities to give back to the organization and promote our profession. I have met and worked with many strong, passionate, and visionary leaders that inspire me and ‘fuel’ my passion for organizational involvement at a local, state, and national level.”

ASHP’s Value to Members

“ASHP is a well-known organization that has the capability and passion to advance the role of pharmacists in healthcare. It is a community where different paths of pharmacy gather and exchange knowledge. Innovations and education originate from collaboration, teaching, service, and research. ASHP provides the means to make innovations and education possible to advance the profession of pharmacy. Overall, ASHP has a notable overall goal, placing patient care as a top priority. ASHP has been a valuable part of my pharmacy career thus far. I look forward to continue my involvement with ASHP and support it in any capacity that I can.”