Blake Johnson

His Story

A 2018 graduate of Samford University McWhorter School of Pharmacy, Dr. Johnson pursued residency training at the University of Tennessee Medical Center, completing a PGY-1 Pharmacy Residency and a PGY-2 Ambulatory Care Pharmacy Residency. After completing post-graduate training in 2020, Dr. Johnson became a Board Certified Ambulatory Care Pharmacist and joined faculty at the University of Georgia College of Pharmacy as a Clinical Assistant Professor. His research interests include chronic disease state management; health disparities; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives; pharmacist practice advancement; and scholarship of teaching and learning.

Dr. Johnson has a practice site at Mercy Health Center, a faith-based indigent care clinic in Athens, Georgia. At Mercy, Dr. Johnson precepts P3 and P4 students and pharmacy residents in Pharmacotherapy Clinic, where pharmacy practitioners work under collaborative drug therapy management protocols for various chronic disease states. At the College, he teaches endocrine-based primary care disease states and skills-based courses for P2 and P3 students and a communications course for P1 students.

Describe the facility where you work (eg. Is it a teaching hospital? Health Center? 

Dr. Johnson is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Georgia College of Pharmacy in Athens, Georgia. The University of Georgia College of Pharmacy was founded in 1903 and is the largest and only public pharmacy school in the State of Georgia. The College offers a Doctor of Pharmacy along with several graduate and certificate programs, and one undergraduate degree. His practice site is at Mercy Health Center. Mercy Health Center is a faith-based indigent care clinic, serving the uninsured and low-income population in Athens, Georgia and surrounding counties for 20 years. Services offered at Mercy include dental, vision, primary care, various medical specialties, behavioral health, and pharmacotherapy clinic. Mercy Health Center currently serves almost 3,000 patients with the help of over 700 volunteers and donors.

Recent Significant Projects

At Mercy, Dr. Johnson is working with clinical staff on a grant-funded project to provide routine adult vaccinations in-house, a service previously unattainable due to cost. At the College, he is part of research collaboratives on immersing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion training in the PharmD curriculum and advancing pharmacy practice in the state of Georgia. 

Initial Involvement in ASH

Dr. Johnson currently serves on the Section of Ambulatory Care Practitioners Advisory Group on Ambulatory Care Pharmacotherapy

Why did you become involved in ASHP?

ASHP is an organization truly dedicated to serving pharmacy students, pharmacy technicians, and pharmacists in their professional growth across the entire spectrum. From resources and conferences to Section Advisory Groups and the Political Action Committee, ASHP has a place for all pharmacy professionals to learn, engage, and advance their professional footprint. The comprehensive, inclusive nature of ASHP is why I decided to become involved in ASHP

Advice for Someone New to Specialty Area

Engage in mentorship within your specialty early! I would not be where I am today without my mentors from pharmacy school (Jessica Skelley), residency (Danny Truelove and Shauntá Chamberlin), and in my faculty career (Rebecca Stone). This applies to any pharmacy specialty area! Take time to absorb their lessons learned, advice, and wisdom

How would you explain the value of ASHP to a friend or colleague

Explaining the value of ASHP is quite tough and easiest for me using an analogy: ASHP is to me as ambulatory care pharmacists are to primary care physicians. From the outside looking in, it's harder to see that value initially. From the inside, however, it's hard to imagine how one goes without such resources, professional networking, and professional growth opportunities

What is the value of ASHP for the profession

ASHP is a network of pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and pharmacy students all with the same goal: to make tomorrow better than today for patients, for healthcare systems, and for our profession. Without ASHP, that goal loses sustenance. We lose the network we need to provide superior patient care, improve medication safety, and promote professional advancement our patients expect, our healthcare systems need, and the provider status we deserve.