Ashley Schaber

Ashley's Story

Commander (CDR) Ashley Schaber received her Pharm.D. from the University of Georgia College of Pharmacy in 2006, completed a Pharmacy Practice Residency at Columbus Regional Healthcare System in Columbus, Georgia in 2007, and then moved to Alaska and joined the United States Public Health Service. She is board certified in Pharmacotherapy, completed the ASHP Pharmacy Leadership Academy in 2013, and received her Masters of Business Administration with a focus on healthcare from New England College in 2015. CDR Schaber began working at the Alaska Native Medical Center (ANMC) in Anchorage, Alaska, in 2007 as a staff pharmacist, served as the Quality Improvement Medication Safety Manager, and worked her way to current position as Assistant Chief Pharmacist and Manager of the Inpatient Pharmacy.

CDR Schaber is currently the USPHS Delegate for ASHP’s House of Delegates. This is her first year on the Section of Pharmacy Practice Managers’ Advisory Group on Management of the Pharmacy Enterprise. She is also currently the Co-Chair for Alaska’s ASHP Affiliate: the Alaska Pharmacists Association Academy of Health-System Pharmacy. CDR Schaber also helped initiate and support the process for Alaska's affiliation with ASHP in 2014.

Overview of Facility/Health System

As the largest Indian Health Service hospital, Alaska Native Medical Center is a 167 bed hospital with a Level II Trauma Center that also serves a full range of medical specialty clinics and primary care services including oncology and infusion services. ANMC serves as the referral center for Alaska Native and American Indian people in the state of Alaska.

Significant Projects

In the last few years, CDR Schaber has been involved in several projects contributing to expansion of services at the Alaska Native Medical Center. She secured funding for a pilot and oversaw the implementation of an Inpatient Pain Service. She collaborated with other departments and the lead oncology pharmacist to plan and oversee the new infusion pharmacy that now supports nearly double the infusion chair volume. She was the pharmacy lead on implementation of new pediatric syringe pumps and was the co-lead for pharmacy on the hospital’s recent automated dispensing system upgrade.

Advice for Someone New to Your Specialty Area

"Keeping a positive attitude and being a positive influence for your co-workers is integral to success. Change is inevitable in our field, and our organization has seen much change in the past few years. Teamwork, communication, and flexibility are keys to successful change."

Initial Involvement in ASHP

"I became an ASHP member as a student interested in residencies. My residency director was a heavily involved with state and national pharmacy organizations, and we learned about the importance of society involvement during our residency. I became involved with ASHP initially as one of the Alaska Delegates to the House of Delegates to help advance the profession."

Value of ASHP

"ASHP provides multiple practice resources and networking opportunities. There are opportunities to be as involved as much as you choose. ASHP consistently encourages practice advancement, and the positive energy among colleagues at ASHP meetings is very encouraging and inspiring."

"ASHP serves as a strong voice for the pharmacy profession. The organization helps advance our practice and our value as part of the healthcare team. ASHP’s resources are diverse and timely, providing pharmacists ample ways to implement best practices and advocate for our profession."