Autumn D. Zuckerman, PharmD, BCPS, CSP ([email protected]) is the director of health outcomes and research at Vanderbilt Specialty Pharmacy where she is responsible for evaluating patient outcomes and driving innovative, evidence-based improvements in the specialty patient care journey. She is also an affiliate faculty member at three local schools of pharmacy. After receiving her PharmD degree from Samford University McWhorter School of Pharmacy, Dr. Zuckerman completed two years of ASHP-accredited residency training at the Tennessee Valley Healthcare System VA specializing in ambulatory care. Dr. Zuckerman began working in the infectious diseases clinic at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in July 2015, where she established a collaborative practice agreement to provide clinical pharmacy services for those with Hepatitis C virus (HCV) and at high risk for HIV acquisition. In 2017, she created the Vanderbilt Specialty Pharmacy Health and Outcomes Research program to demonstrate the health system specialty pharmacists' value through research and quality improvement.
Dr. Zuckerman has been an active member of the ASHP Section of Specialty Pharmacy Practitioners since its launch in 2019, serving as member, vice chair, and chair of the Section Advisory Group on Outcomes and Value, member of the section's Committee on Nominations, and a member of the Section Educational Steering Committee. Dr. Zuckerman frequently contributes to and presents at ASHP and other national meetings. She recently led the development, execution, analysis, and publication of the 2022 ASHP Survey of Health System Specialty Pharmacy Practice: Clinical Services.
The ASHP Section of Specialty Pharmacy Practitioners is composed of passionate leaders that have shaped the field of specialty pharmacy and driven innovative care in health-system specialty pharmacies. As a section, we share similar challenges such as payer and manufacturer restrictions that hinder patient care, the need to develop new and innovative service lines such as infusion care or complex non-specialty medication management, and staff shortages, all in the midst of managing contractual and accreditation requirements. Despite developing advanced patient care models and playing a pivotal role in the care of complex disease states, we sometimes struggle to demonstrate the value of the care we deliver. However, the section affords the opportunity for members to acknowledge these challenges and build resources to overcome them. I have embraced the section as a place to unite our collective efforts to advance the field and advocate for our services. I am honored to have been nominated for this position and would be grateful for the opportunity to serve as the director-at-large for the section. If elected, I will diligently invest the time and effort necessary to continue to grow the section as a home for collaboration, advocacy, and resource dissemination that we may further advance health-system specialty pharmacies and in turn, patient care.