Majid-Theodore R. Tanas, PharmD, MHA, MS, FASHP ([email protected]) is the chief pharmacy officer at Legacy Health, an eight-facility, 1,200-bed community health system ranging from a Level 1 trauma center to a critical access medical center, including pediatric and psychiatric specialty services. Tanas earned a BS in biochemistry from Whitworth University, an MS in biotechnology from Washington State University, a Doctor of Pharmacy from Washington State University, and a Master of Health Administration from the University of Washington during his two-year pharmacy administration residency at the University of Washington.
Tanas has been an active member of ASHP over the past 20 years, beginning as a student in 2003. Since graduating from pharmacy school, he has served in the following appointments:
- New Practitioner Forum Communications and Public Affairs Advisory Group – Member (2007)
- New Practitioner Forum Leadership and Career Development Advisory Group – Member (2008)
- New Practitioners Forum Executive Committee (2009)
- Pharmacy Practice Advisory Group – Executive Liaison
- Science and Research Advisory Group – Executive Liaison
- Council of Pharmacy Practice (2010, 2011, 2012)
- House of Delegates: alternate (2014), delegate (elected in 2015)
- Board of Canvassers (2019-2022)
- Pharmacy Practice Leaders - Section of Multi-Hospital Pharmacy Executive: Member (2021), Vice-Chair (2022), Chair (2022-2023)
He serves as a faculty member for the Practical Training in Compounding Sterile Preparations Certificate (2022-2023). He has presented at numerous ASHP conferences, represented ASHP at an international conference as a delegate, and was recognized as a Fellow of ASHP in June 2022.
The challenge ahead of pharmacy is evolving from an auditor of prescriptions to an initiator of care. Our charge is to improve an organization's financial viability, elevate clinical care at the bedside/clinic/counter, and improve medication safety.
With nearly 3 million nurses and 1 million physicians, the 300,000 pharmacists that make up our profession may be few in comparison, but our voice and impact in healthcare are far-reaching. Health systems must rapidly adapt from established business practices due to dwindling resources. The members of ASHP stand at the crossroads to advance health-system pharmacy, and we must forge ahead instead of looking to return to a pre-COVID era.
Health systems are essential for our communities and must enhance the care model, expanding the continuum of services across phases of care. Breaking down the silos between inpatient clinical care, ambulatory care, and outpatient pharmacy requires working together to move care to patients in new and creative ways. We must create integrative networks that meet patient care at every level to carry out our sacred responsibility of returning patients to their loved ones.
Let's not wait for an operational plan to be delivered. Instead, we must preemptively identify how the health-system pharmacy provides stability in uncertain times, how we can provide readily accessible services to our patients, and how pharmacy can create a safe and healing environment.
We are better together.