Pharmacy Leadership Faculty: MS in Pharmacy Leadership

Nathan Ash, PharmD, MBA, BCPS

Vice President of Pharmacy, Acute Care for Bon Secours Mercy Health

Nathan Ash is the Vice President of Pharmacy – Acute Care for Bon Secours Mercy Health. Previously, he served as the System Director of Clinical Pharmacy Services and Interim Chief Pharmacy Officer at Mercy Health in Cincinnati, OH.

In his current role, Dr. Ash is responsible for the inpatient clinical services and operations, formulary management, financial performance, and drug policy for over 40 hospital pharmacies within Bon Secours Mercy Health. In addition to his administrative responsibilities, Nathan continues to maintain a teaching practice, working with pharmacy students and residents on a daily basis. He has authored and co-authored several peer-reviewed professional articles and posters. Dr. Ash is also an active member of OSHP and ASHP and has served as a member of various ASHP Section Committees.

PHLD 8040 – Medication Use System Management

Teresa Ash, PharmD, MHA, CDCES, BCPS

Chief Operating Officer, Mercy Health Anderson Hospital

Teresa Ash, PharmD, MHA, CDCES, BCPS, currently serves as Chief Operating Officer at Mercy Health Anderson Hospital. She previously held the position of Director of Pharmacy and Outpatient Infusion at Mercy West Hospital and joined Mercy Health at St. Rita’s Medical Center in 2010.

Dr. Ash earned her Doctor of Pharmacy from Ohio Northern University and a Master of Health Administration from Ohio University. She serves as an adjunct professor for the Colleges of Pharmacy at the University of Cincinnati, Ohio Northern University, and the Xavier University School of Nursing.

In addition to her duties as COO and her teaching responsibilities, she serves on the Board of Directors for Hospice of Cincinnati and the University of Findlay College of Pharmacy. She has received several awards, including Ohio’s Distinguished Young Pharmacist Award, Mercy Health Cincinnati’s Partner in Nursing Award, Mercy Health West Hospital’s COVID Leader Award, and the University of Cincinnati Preceptor of the Year Award. Her passion lies in patient advocacy and leadership development, with a special focus on supporting and fostering the growth of female leaders.

In her spare time, Dr. Ash enjoys supporting FC Cincinnati and the Cincinnati Reds. She and her husband, Nathan, are currently on a mission to visit all 50 states and all U.S. National Parks.

PHLD 8020 – Human Resources Management in Pharmacy

James L. Besier (Jim), Ph.D., M.S., B.S. Pharm., R.Ph., CPEL, FASHP

Adjunct Associate Professor, James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy, University of Cincinnati

James L. Besier, Ph.D., M.S., B.S. Pharm., R.Ph., CPEL, FASHP serves as adjunct associate professor at the University of Cincinnati James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy in the online Certificate and Master’s programs in Pharmacy Leadership. He is also an adjunct graduate faculty member for the College of Graduate Studies and clinical assistant professor for the College of Pharmacy at Northeast Ohio Medical University. Dr. Besier earned his Ph.D. at the Union Institute and University in Organizational Behavior and his M.S. and B.S. Pharm. at the University of Cincinnati. He previously served in the positions of director of pharmacy, assistant director of pharmacy, pharmacy manager, PGY1 residency program director, BCMA project manager, director-at-large on the executive committee of the ASHP Section of Pharmacy Informatics and Technology, and adjunct associate professor at the College of Nursing, University of Cincinnati. Jim currently serves on the ASHP Section of Pharmacy Practice Leaders educational steering committee. He also serves as a mentor in the ASHP Guided Mentorship Program.

PHLD 8062 – Capstone 2

Owen BonDurant

Partner, Independent Rx

Owen BonDurant is 2nd generation (his father Mark BonDurant, IRx Chief Consultant) in the pharmacy business and has worked in independent pharmacies all his life. His pharmacy experience includes almost every role an independent pharmacy has to offer, from cleaning bathrooms, to working as a technician, to marketing and running a durable equipment company. He is currently an owner in a retail pharmacy, a compounding pharmacy, and an LTC pharmacy, and is the founder of Independent Rx Consulting.

Owen graduated from Miami University of Ohio and has a degree in marketing and a minor in management information systems (MIS). Over the past 20 years, he has started two companies, sold enterprise software to major retail organizations, and helped start or acquire over 100 pharmacies.

PHLD 8070 – Accounting and Financial Decision-Making for Pharmacy Leaders

Kimber Boothe, PharmD, MHA

Owner and CEO, The Kimber Boothe Group

Kimber Boothe is a pharmacist, healthcare leader, and entrepreneur with over 15 years of experience in Health Systems and 10 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry. She is the founder and CEO of the Kimber Boothe Group, where she provides coaching, consulting, courses, and speaking on strategic pharmacy leadership. Dr. Boothe previously led pharmacy services for a four-hospital community health system where she drove innovative strategy for the pharmacy enterprise as System Director of Pharmacy. She also served as the Director of Clinical Pharmacy Services at Yale New Haven Health.

Dr. Boothe is Chair of the Kentucky Society of Health System Pharmacists (KSHP) House of Delegates. Her prior organization has been recognized with the KSHP Innovative Health-System Pharmacy Practice Award, and she is also the recipient of the Connecticut Society of Health System Pharmacists Meritorious Achievement Award.

PHLD 8070 – Accounting and Financial Decision-Making for Pharmacy Leaders

Ezra Bradshaw, PharmD, BCPS, CHFP, FACHE

System Director of Pharmacy Home Infusion, Bon Secours Mercy Health

Ezra Bradshaw serves as the System Director of Pharmacy Home Infusion at Bon Secours Mercy Health, where he leads the formation and strategic direction of the Pharmacy Home Infusion Service Line. This initiative includes a new 11,000-square-foot Home Infusion Pharmacy Hub in Mason, Ohio, along with locations in Youngstown and Lima. The service line aims to increase patient access to ambulatory infusion services and bring patients back into the BSMH health system, enhancing both care quality and financial outcomes.

Ezra brings over 11 years of pharmacy leadership experience to his role. In his previous position as the Director of Pharmacy at The Jewish Hospital – Mercy Health, he significantly impacted patient care and the financial bottom line. His notable achievements include expanding the Graduate Medical Education (GME) Clinic’s prescription assistance program, leading clinical savings initiatives, and managing large-scale capital projects. Additionally, Ezra played a pivotal role in operationalizing a vaccination clinic that administered over 22,000 COVID-19 vaccinations during the pandemic.

Ezra holds a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Ohio Northern University and is a Board-Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialist (BCPS). He has earned multiple certifications, including Certified Financial Healthcare Professional (CHFP) and Certified Pharmacy Executive Leader (CPEL), and is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE). As part of his commitment to education and leadership development, Ezra serves as faculty for the Master’s in Pharmacy Leadership program at the University of Cincinnati, focusing on the Management of Medication Use Systems. An active member of professional organizations such as OSHP and ASHP, Ezra also contributes to the Section of Pharmacy Practice Leaders (SPPL) Advisory Group on new and emerging leaders. He is passionate about innovation, leadership, and the advancement of pharmacy. Ezra resides in Cincinnati, Ohio, with his wife and two young children.

PHLD 8040 – Medication Use System Management

Kenneth Cohen, Pharm.D., Ph.D, BCGP

Professor of Pharmacy Practice, Retired

Dr. Cohen has spent most of his career in clinical and administrative pharmacy practice in health care organizations and as a pharmacy educator in both the didactic and experiential programs. He has experience teaching in both traditional and distance learning. He has also been involved in the origination, accreditation, development and direction of ASHP accredited residency programs and has served as a residency program director. He is a Board Certified Geriatric Pharmacist.

He has much experience in the utilization of evidence based medicine to guide health care systems in their decisions on how to use medication to treat disease. These presentations are utilized both at the group level and as individual patient and clinician consultations. His presentations involve demonstration of the value and well as the cost of drug therapy and the use of this information to provide input on formulary decisions as well as decisions on individual patient therapy.

Dr. Cohen has been involved in a number of publications and studies that demonstrate the impact of clinical pharmacist services. Dr. Cohen has participated in a number of associations including the New York State Society of Health Systems Pharmacists, The American College of Clinical Pharmacy, the American Society of Health Systems Pharmacists and the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists.

PHLD 8010 – Leading Quality Management in Pharmacy
PHLD 8061 – Capstone 1
PHLD 8062 – Capstone 2

Laura Cranston, RPh, CPHQ

Strategic Healthcare Consultant and CEO, Cranston & Associates, LLC

Laura Cranston is a strategic builder with extensive experience working with healthcare stakeholders. Laura’s career has focused on optimizing health by advancing the quality, safety and appropriateness of medication use and medication management. She established the Pharmacy Quality Alliance (PQA) and grew the organization from a vision held by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services into a vibrant, thriving nonprofit healthcare association with over 250 corporate members. Under her leadership, PQA was the recipient of the 2010 APhA Pinnacle Award in the nonprofit category for leadership in assisting patients and their caregivers in achieving better outcomes from their medications. During her 15-year tenure at PQA, Laura was also instrumental in establishing a for-profit, joint venture company, Pharmacy Quality Solutions (PQS). She has served as both a board member of PQS since its inception, and as its chair for 18 months, through June 2020.

Prior to joining PQA, Laura was the founder and Executive Director of the Institute for the Advancement of Community Pharmacy, a nonprofit organization that developed nationally recognized, award-winning training programs; supported research and education; and helped spur the growth of community pharmacy residency programs through the provision of multi-year starter grants.

Laura is active within the healthcare community and currently serves on Board of Advisors for the Ohio Northern University, Raabe College of Pharmacy, STC Health’s Advisory Board, and the board of the Pharmaceutical Coalition for Patient Access. She is a frequent guest lecturer and moderator at state and national healthcare conferences, and she enjoys mentoring pharmacy students and early professionals in the healthcare field. Laura is a pharmacist and graduate of St. John’s University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences and served as the inaugural Executive Fellow of the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists.

PHLD 8040 – Medication Use System Management

Zack J Dumont BSP ACPR DPLA MS Pharm Leadership

Manager of Pharmacy Practice, Saskatchewan Health Authority

Zack Dumont is the Saskatchewan Health Authority Manager of Pharmacy Practice for the Regina area. There he supports a team of progressive clinical pharmacists that impress him every day. Zack believes that supporting others to provide care is one of the most effective ways of improving the care provided to many patients in cascade. Zack has completed a hospital pharmacy residency, is certified in website design and development, has participated in intensive evidence-based medicine training programs, and formally studied pharmacy leadership with multiple institutions, including the ASHP Pharmacy Leadership Academy. He also is a Clinical Lecturer with the Collee of Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan. Zack serves as a Clinical Pharmacist for Academic Detailing for the RxFiles Academic Detailing Program of Canada. Zack holds a BS in Pharmacy from the University of Saskatchewan (2008) and Master Degree in Pharmacy Leadership from the University of Cincinnati (2018). Zack has held numerous professional leadership roles, including President of the Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists.

PHLD 8010 – Leading Quality Management in Pharmacy

William Ellis, MS, RPh

Executive Director, Board of Pharmacy Specialties

William M. Ellis was named Executive Director of the Board of Pharmacy Specialties (BPS) in 2011. Previously, he served as CEO and Executive Director of the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) Foundation. He served on the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) and was Chair from 2016 through 2017. He currently serves as a member of the Liaison Committee for Medical Education (LCME) and is Chair of the Institute for Credentialing Excellence (ICE) Certification Development Steering Committee. After receiving his pharmacy degree from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, Mr. Ellis earned a Master of Science degree in health education from Saint Joseph’s University.  He is also a licensed pharmacist and holds a White Belt of Six Sigma Methodology.

PHLD 8030 – Communication for Pharmacy Leaders

Steven B. Johnson, PharmD

Chief Medical Officer, Zealand Pharma

Steven began his career in drug development as a Clinical Pharmacologist within the Division of Metabolic and Endocrine Drug Products at the US FDA.  During his tenure he was involved in the review of more than sixty new drug applications, primarily focused on therapies that targeted diabetes mellitus, thyroid disease, or hypercholesterolemia.

Prior to joining UCB, he was the Senior Vice President, Scientific Development, and Executive Committee member at the clinical research organization, Medpace Inc.  At Medpace, he provided regulatory and development consulting services to sponsors in the biologics and advanced therapeutics sectors, with significant focus on gene therapy-based products.

Steven was Vice President, Regulatory Affairs, at Novo Nordisk A/S.  In this role, he had global regulatory responsibility for the immunology and growth hormone development portfolios.  While working at Novo, he and his family lived in Kongens Lyngby, Denmark. Steven holds bachelor’s and Doctor of Pharmacy degrees from Washington State University.  He completed a Clinical Pharmacology Fellowship with a research focus on pattern recognition using neural networks. In addition, Steven has served in the US Army and Reserves as a Platoon, Company, and detachment Commander, respectively, and as a CBRNE Consequence Management Officer.

PHLD 8050 – The Healthcare MarketPlace- Pharmacy Economics

Melinda Joyce, Pharm.D., FAPhA, FACHE

Executive Director, Western Kentucky Heart and Lung Research Foundation

Melinda Joyce is the Executive Director of the Western Kentucky Heart and Lung Research Foundation, which operates in conjunction with Med Center Health, a six-hospital health system located in south-central Kentucky. Dr. Joyce provides oversight for the research activities of the medical staff, fellows, residents, and students of Med Center Health. She is an adjunct faculty for Western Kentucky University and teaches pharmacology to graduate nursing students. She also serves as a preceptor for pharmacy, nursing, and healthcare administration students. Dr. Joyce is a nationally recognized speaker and gives many presentations to a variety of healthcare organizations. Dr. Joyce retired from Med Center Health, the parent company for The Medical Center in Bowling Green, Kentucky in July, 2021 as Vice-President, Corporate Support Services. Previously, she was the Corporate Director of Pharmacy for Med Center Health. Dr. Joyce has been very active in local, state, and national pharmacy and healthcare leadership organizations. She held all of the leadership positions within the Kentucky Pharmacist Association and served as a Trustee of the American Pharmacists Association. She served two terms on the Kentucky Board of Pharmacy and served as President during her last term. She also was the President of the Kentucky chapter of the American College of Healthcare Executives. Dr. Joyce has been honored with several awards, including the Gloria Niemeyer Francke Award, Kentucky Hospital Pharmacist of the Year, Kentucky Pharmacist of the Year, and the Bowl of Hygeia.

PHLD 8050 – The Healthcare MarketPlace- Pharmacy Economics

Erica Paluf, Pharm.D.

Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, Specialty Pharmacy, Premier Health System

Erica (Tolle) Paluf currently works as a Clinical Pharmacy Specialist at Premier Health System in Dayton, Ohio. In this role, she collaborates with rheumatology, neurology, and GI providers to optimize care for patients taking specialty medications. Previously, Erica was the Chief Operating Officer of Hocks Pharmacies and Medical Supply. She graduated from Ohio Northern University’s Raabe College of Pharmacy and completed a community-based residency through the University of Iowa and Towncrest Pharmacy under the mentorship of Randy McDonough. She also completed an academic fellowship at the University of Cincinnati, focusing on academia and ambulatory care practice. Dr. Paluf has practiced as a community and clinical pharmacist in Ohio, Iowa, and Georgia and has served as an instructor at various colleges of pharmac

PHLD 8020 – Human Resource Management in Pharmacy
PHLD 8030 – Communication for Pharmacy Leaders

Jenelle Sobotka, Pharm.D, FAPhA

Director of Online Certificate and Master’s Programs in Pharmacy Leadership, UC

Jenelle Sobotka is Professor and Director of the Online Certificate and Master’s Programs in Pharmacy Leadership at the James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy. Before coming to UC in 2016, she was a professor and Endowed Chair of Pharmacy Practice at Ohio Northern University Raabe College of Pharmacy. Dr. Sobotka received her B.S. Pharmacy and her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Iowa.  Sobotka has given numerous national and international presentations on pharmacy, as well as published several articles, book chapters and co-authored a book, A Practical Guide to Pharmaceutical Care.  She was elected 2012-13 President of the American Pharmacists Association (APhA). Sobotka also has over 20 years of global experience with the Federation of International Pharmacists (FIP); currently serving as Chairman of the Board to the FIP Foundation and previously as Treasurer to the Academic Section Executive Committee. She became a member of the ACPE International Commission in 2021. Sobotka has received several honors and awards including the Kappa Epsilon National Career Achievement award and is recognized as Fellow with FIP, APhA, the Hong Kong Academy of Pharmacy and the National Academies of Practice for health care professionals.

PHLD 8063 – Capstone 3

Mark Thomas, MS, RPh

Chief Pharmacy Officer, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center

Mark is currently the Chief Pharmacy Officer for the Division of Pharmacy at Cincinnati Children’s Medical Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. He also serves as the organization’s residency program director for the PGY1/PGY2 Health-System Pharmacy Administration and Leadership Residency Program. Prior to coming to Cincinnati, he was the Medication Safety Officer and then Regional Director for Safety and Reliability at CHRISTUS Spohn Medical Center in Corpus Christi. Previous positions include: Director of Pharmacy at Cook Children’s Medical Center, Fort Worth; System Director of Pharmacy at Children’s Hospitals and Clinics in Minneapolis and St. Paul; and Pharmacy Manager at Integris Baptist Medical Center in Oklahoma City. His first pharmacy job was as a staff pharmacist for 2 ½ years for Parkland Hospital in Dallas, Texas.

He received a B.S. in biology from University of North Texas in 1984 and a B.S. in pharmacy from Southwestern Oklahoma State University in 1988. In 1993 Mark earned his Masters of Science degree in Hospital Pharmacy from the University of Kansas and completed a two-year pharmacy practice residency at the KU Medical Center. He has a wife, Leigh and two adult children, Kirk and Shelby Thomas.

He has served as president of the Coastal Bend Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Metroplex Society of Health-System Pharmacists, and Central Minnesota Society of Health-System Pharmacists, and leader of the Safest in America, Medication Safety Collaborative in Minnesota. He has also served as a delegate to the American Society of Health System Pharmacists

PHLD 8010 – Leading Quality Management in Pharmacy

Robert Rose

Pharmacy Supply Chain Specialist, QuicksortRX

Robert Rose has extensive experience in pharmacy supply chain, automation, and analytics.
Previously, Robert held several key positions in renowned healthcare institutions, including Pharmacy Manager for Supply Chain & Pharmacy Automation at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and Associate Director of Pharmacy Supply Chain at University of Kentucky HealthCare. He also completed a PGY1/PGY2 HSPAL residency at the University of North Carolina Medical Center and held internships at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and Cleveland Clinic.
Robert earned his Doctor of Pharmacy from Ohio Northern University’s Raabe College of Pharmacy and completed his M.S. in Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of North Carolina’s Eshelman School of Pharmacy.

PHLD 8050 – The Healthcare Marketplace – Pharmacy Economics