Brad Cook

Brad's Story

 Brad Cook, Pharm.D., BCPS, earned his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Pharmacy in 2000. He went on to complete a pharmacy practice residency at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, MO. He has worked as a Clinical Specialist at a community hospital in Kansas City as well as Clinical Coordinator at his current place of employment where he is now the Director of Pharmacy. Dr. Cook continues to enjoy research and investigational studies, as he is currently chair of an independent investigational review board of which he has been involved since 2002.

Dr. Cook became board certified in Pharmacotherapy in 2003. He has participated in the ASHP LeadersINNOVATION Masters Series as well as the ASHP Foundation’s Pharmacy Leadership Institute (PLI) in collaboration with the Boston University Questrom School of Business. He has also completed the Business Leadership Foundation Course for Clinical Managers in collaboration with the University of Saint Mary in Leavenworth, KS.

Dr. Cook has enjoyed participating in health-system pharmacy organizations where he has held various leadership roles. He served as treasurer for the Greater Kansas City Society of Health-System Pharmacists (GKCSHP) as well as the Missouri Society of Health-System Pharmacists (MSHP). He served as president of MSHP and chair of the MSHP Research and Education Foundation Board. He has also served on the ASHP Commission on Affiliate Relations. Dr. Cook has been involved with the Kansas Council of Health-System Pharmacists (KCHP) Government Affairs Committee and has been a part of its Pharmacy Advancement Initiative Committee. He feels it is important to support organizations, which is why he continues his membership across multiple pharmacy organizations including GKCSHP, MSHP, KCHP, American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) and ASHP.

Dr. Cook is on the ASHP Pharmacy Practice Managers Section Advisory Group for Patient Care Quality. As a part of this group, he is focusing on controlled substance diversion. He also volunteers as a CV Reviewer for students and new practitioners in addition to being a poster mentor.

Overview of Facility/Health System

 Providence Medical Center is a for-profit, community hospital in Kansas City, KS, which has Advanced Primary Stroke Accreditation, an ACC Chest Pain Center with Primary PCI Accreditation and is a Level IV trauma center. It has also been recognized by Healthgrades with a 2018 Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence.

Saint John Hospital is a for-profit, community hospital in Leavenworth, KS, with a 30-bed senior behavioral health unit. It has an Acute Stroke Ready Accreditation from the Joint Commission.

Both facilities recently received a five-star quality rating by CMS. They are affiliated with Prime Healthcare which is a 45-hospital system headquartered in Ontario, CA.

Significant Projects

Dr. Cook has most recently been involved in increasing the impact that pharmacy has on outpatient infusions with a focus on providing a cost-effective service. This work has increased the collaboration amongst providers, nursing, pharmacy, finance and administration to optimize the preferred therapies in the outpatient infusion setting.

Other recent projects have included implementation of new Omnicell machines, initiating pharmacy services at an off-site cardiac catheterization lab, and providing prescriptions to employees that are processed at an off-site sister hospital outpatient pharmacy in a neighboring state. Other projects that have involved collaboration across multiple disciplines include transitioning pharmacy services of a surgery center , the remodeling of a senior behavior health unit and the moving of an on-site emergency room to an off-site emergency room.

Advice for Someone New to Your Specialty Area

“Approach everything you do with an open mind. Be willing to be adaptive while focusing on your goals. Work with the many bright individuals out there with good ideas. Encourage them to share those ideas and help implement positive changes.”

“I also think it’s important to look internally to evaluate your strengths and weaknesses. Identify opportunities to work on those weaknesses whether it is formal training or communicating with colleagues. Seek out colleagues with whom you feel comfortable in communicating and use them as resources.”

“Finally, get involved in organizations and be willing to learn and provide input. The projects you work on as well as the connections you make and what you learn from others will always be invaluable to you throughout your career. You will never know if something you are working on will help others unless you are willing to share.”

Initial Involvement in ASHP 

“I had always been involved in organizations and had leadership roles throughout pharmacy school. Upon graduation, I felt compelled to continue to be involved. Initially, I became involved with local and state organizations. By doing this, and occasionally collaborating with ASHP, I was able to see the positive impact that ASHP had on our profession and the importance of the organization. This garnered my interest and desire to become involved in ASHP. My involvement in ASHP afforded me an opportunity to assist in furthering the profession and giving back to the profession of which I am proud to be a part. ASHP provides a positive voice for pharmacy with a desire to improve the care that pharmacists provide to patients. I wanted to be a part of an organization that has the best interests of patients and health-system pharmacy.”

Value of ASHP

“As I work in health-system pharmacy, I observe many opportunities to improve patient outcomes. Such opportunities can range from practice advancement to tackling difficult situations such as drug shortages. ASHP is an organization that has a rich history as well as a large membership base that is focused on providing exceptional care to patients. The resources available through ASHP along with the membership knowledge and experiences are invaluable when working with the many opportunities we face in the changing world of pharmacy. In addition to being a resource, ASHP provides an opportunity for member involvement to help shape the future of pharmacy.

“I consider ASHP to be a valuable organization on many different fronts. It is a collaborator that works with the local and state health-system pharmacy organizations. It is also a voice in communicating across other national pharmacy organizations as well as non-pharmacy organizations and Congress. ASHP is a strong, respected organization with exceptional leadership that represents its members well. ASHP is integral in progressing the practice of health-system pharmacy so that we are able to work at the top of our licenses.”