Jennifer Loucks

About my pharmacy practice journey, education, and key accomplishments

Dr. Loucks earned her PharmD from The University of Kansas and went on to complete PGY1 pharmacy practice and PGY2 solid organ transplant/immunology residencies at Houston Methodist Hospital. She is board certified in pharmacotherapy. Dr. Loucks first practiced in solid organ transplant in the inpatient and ambulatory settings and then went on to develop ambulatory pharmacy services hepatology before moving into her current role where she oversees ambulatory clinical programming and outcomes. She has numerous presentations and publications and continues to be involved in research. She has received awards for clinical service excellence and growth of clinical services at the University of Kansas Health System. Jennifer presents lectures at The University of Kansas School of Pharmacy and has an extensive precepting history. 

Current employment, practice, and academic responsibilities

 The University of Kansas Health System is a large academic medical center with integrated retail and specialty pharmacy services. The health system employees 30+ ambulatory clinical pharmacists that work in the clinic supporting patients while working closely with the pharmacy service lines. In her current role, Dr. Loucks is responsible for overseeing the non-oncology ambulatory clinical programs for the department. She focuses on developing, updating and maintaining ambulatory clinical services and developing efficient systems to report on the outcomes and value provided by the pharmacy team.

Significant projects and accomplishments

 Dr. Loucks has extensive precepting experience and developed the PGY2 ambulatory care pharmacy residency at the health system. She currently serves as the RPD for the program and continues to take students and residents on rotation. She developed and oversees the ambulatory care pharmacy elective at The University of Kansas school of pharmacy and continues to present additional lectures focused on leadership and ambulatory care pharmacy. 

Share your thoughts on ASHP’s value as a professional organization in contributing to the education of the pharmacy workforce? What do you think are some key success, resources, and opportunities?

ASHP plays an integral role in developing the pharmacy workforce, primarily through exposing learners to roles and unique opportunities along with residency training. 

What advice would you provide for individuals new to your area of practice?

My advice to learners would be to look at each experience as a learning opportunity. It can be difficult to understand why certain experiences may be relevant at the time but as you progress throughout your career it is enlightening to see how many times you are able to leverage those in the future. I am passionate about developing process that allow prospective documentation in a fashion that is integrated into practice in a discrete and efficient way and produces constant meaningful, reportable data to demonstrate the value and outcomes. For those starting their journey into clinical outcomes and value or trying to complete research, I would encourage you to just get started. While the ultimate goal may seem overwhelming and difficult without adequate resources, just start taking small steps. Many times you will look back and have made it farther than you realized.