Pharmacy Leadership National Advisory Board: MS in Pharmacy Leadership

VP Pharmacy Administration, UC Health

Dr. Jeffrey Akers is the Vice President of Pharmacy at UC Health.  Previous to joining UC Health in 2022, Dr. Akers was the CEO of Pharmaceutical Services at Appalachian Regional Healthcare for nearly 21 years.  He is a 1993 graduate of the University of Kentucky, College of Pharmacy in Lexington where he received a Bachelor of Science (BSPharm) and a Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) with Distinction.  Dr. Akers also graduated with a Masters in Healthcare Administration from the School of Public Health at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and became a Board Certified Pharmacotherapeutic Specialist (BCPS) in 2000.  He has served on the Kentucky Medicaid Formulary Advisory Board, chaired that Board’s Prior Authorization Subcommittee for Kentucky Medicaid, the Kentucky Hospital Association Pharmacy Committee, is a member of several professional societies including the American Society of Health System Pharmacists, and is active in the pharmacy profession especially with 340B advocacy.   Jeff is married to Kendra Akers, has seven children, and is a Deacon at the First Baptist Church of Pikeville, Kentucky.

Former CEO, ASHP Foundation (retired)

Stephen J. Allen served as the Chief Executive Officer of the ASHP Research and Education Foundation (ASHP Foundation) for nearly 20 years before retiring in 2018. The ASHP Foundation is a separate charitable, nonprofit organization affiliated with ASHP that provides leadership programs and conducts education and research activities that advance the role of the pharmacist in direct patient care and leadership roles. During his tenure, he significantly expanded the programmatic activities of the organization as well as ASHP member and corporate support of the Foundation.

Before his role at the ASHP Foundation, he served as Director of Pharmacy Services at Georgetown University Hospital; was Director of Pharmacy, Nutrition, and Central Supply at the Children’s National Medical Center; and had pharmacy director positions with Kaiser Permanente Mid-Atlantic region and Suburban Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland.

Vice President, Office of Accreditation Services American Society of Health System Pharmacists (ASHP)

Samuel V. Calabrese is the Vice President for the Accreditation Services Office of the American Society of Health System Pharmacists (ASHP) where he oversees the accreditation processes for pharmacy residency and technician training programs. Prior to his role at ASHP he was the Chief Pharmacy Officer for the Cleveland Clinic Health System. Sam received his B.S. in pharmacy from The Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science and his MBA from Cleveland State University. Sam has been an active member of ASHP where he served as a member of the Board of Directors, chaired the ASHP Section Advisory Group on Quality and Compliance, served as Director at Large for the Section of Pharmacy Practice Leaders (SPPL) and Chair of SPPL. He has served on the ASHP Council on Pharmacy Management and has been an ASHP delegate for Ohio. He is a past president of The Ohio Society of Health System Pharmacists (OSHP) President and has received the OSHP Timothy D Moore Pharmacy Management Award and The Walter M Frazier Award.

Chief Executive Officer, Danam Health

Tim Canning has over 40 years of experience in the pharmacy and healthcare sectors ranging from startup/early-stage to Fortune 5 companies. He has a diverse background with leadership roles in general management, sales, and marketing for some of the healthcare industry’s leading organizations. Throughout his career, Tim has been an advocate for advancing the important role pharmacists play as vital members of the healthcare team.

Tim is currently Chief Executive Officer of Danam Health, a leading-edge provider of pharmacist- and patient-focused solutions, including a vertically integrated technology platform and a distribution/fulfillment network that improves drug access and patient outcomes.

Prior to joining Danam, Canning was EVP Corporate Development and Chief Revenue Officer for iA, a software-enabled pharmacy automation organization offering robust solutions for centralized fulfillment and retail pharmacy settings. Tim also held leadership positions as Chief Marketing Officer at Omnicare and President of Health Mart at McKesson. His early career included roles of increasing responsibility in sales and marketing at Wyeth and Pharmacia (both acquired by Pfizer).  

Manager, Clinical Program Development Kroger Health

Stacey Frede is Manager of Clinical Program Development for Kroger Health. Her main responsibilities are focused on population health and include developing, implementing, and enhancing people-centered value-based care services across the multidisciplinary team; driving innovation in patient care through creation and support of services that improve the medication use process and integrate pharmacists into team-based care environments; supporting interventions that improve clinical quality metrics in community pharmacy practice; collaborating with internal and external partners to create sustainable research that advances the profession of pharmacy, and leading postgraduate residency and fellowship programs for Kroger Health.

Dr. Frede received her B.S. in Biochemistry from the University of Dayton and Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Cincinnati. She completed a postgraduate PGY1 community pharmacy residency with the University of Cincinnati and Kroger Pharmacy. She has served in several leadership roles with Kroger Pharmacy aimed at evolving and advancing patient care in community practice. Numerous publications have resulted from innovative practice-based research and patient care services, including two publications receiving the Clinical Paper Research Award from the American Pharmacists Association. Her research interests include chronic disease prevention and management, transitions of care, population health, and the advancement of community pharmacy practice. Dr. Frede is a Board Certified Ambulatory Care Specialist, Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist, and an Adjunct Professor at the University of Cincinnati James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy.

Colonel (retired), U.S. Army

COL Mike Heath, U.S. Army (Ret) is a senior partner and CEO of Heath Healthcare Consulting, Inc. Mike served on active duty in the United States Army for 31 years, culminating in his final active-duty senior leadership position as Chief Pharmacist for the Army and the Pharmacy Consultant to the Army Surgeon General.

He is the 2002 recipient of the Association of Military Surgeons of the U.S. (AMSUS) Andrew Craigie Award, the 2005 recipient of the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) Distinguished Federal Pharmacist Award, and the 2006 recipient of the Medical University of South Carolina College of Pharmacy Distinguished Alumni of the year. Additionally, he was selected as the 2006 recipient of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists Honorary Lifetime Membership Award, and in 2011 he was honored as the Phi Lambda Sigma National Alumnus of the Year.

In 2013 he was selected as an APhA Fellow. He is a member of the Medical University of South Carolina Foundation Board, the MUSC College of Pharmacy Dean’s Advisory Council, He now serves as Chair of the Beaumont YMCA Board in Lexington, KY and he is a Chair of the University of Cincinnati (James L. Winkle) College of Pharmacy Leadership Advisory Board. Since 2015 Mike has served as a moderator on the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy PharmD candidate interview committee.

Professor Emerita, Pharmacy Practice & Administrative Services, University of Cincinnati

Marianne F. Ivey, Pharm. D., M.P.H., is Professor Emerita, James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy at the University of Cincinnati. She was previously Vice President for Pharmacy Services of the Health Alliance in Cincinnati and Director of Pharmacy Services at the University of Cincinnati. Prior to that, Dr. Ivey was Associate Director of Pharmacy Services at the University of Washington and Harborview Medical Center, and Associate Professor of Pharmacy at the University of Washington.

Dr. Ivey was a recipient of the Federation of International Pharmacists (FIP) Distinguished Pharmacy Practice Award, and she has also received the Harvey A. K. Whitney Lecture Award, the Donald E. Francke Medal, the Walter Frazier Leadership Award, the John W. Webb Lecture Award and is an Honorary Member of ASHP. She is a Fellow of ASHP and a Fellow of FIP and is currently chair of the Board of Pharmacy Specialties and elected Vice President with the FIP Bureau.

VP, Chief Pharmacy Officer, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL

Kenneth Komorny is the Vice President, Chief Pharmacy Officer at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida, and is responsible for all pharmacy services at the Center. These services include hospital, multiple hospital-based outpatient infusion centers, specialty pharmacy, clinical services, and an investigational drug service. Moffitt Cancer Center is currently a top 25 U.S. News & World Report ranked hospital in cancer care and has been nationally ranked by U.S. News & World Report since 1999. It is one of 51 National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers. Kenneth is active in and leads various committees with the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), the Alliance of Dedicated Cancer Centers (ADCC), Premier Inc, and the Florida Society of Health-system pharmacists. He currently is faculty in the Pharmacy Leadership Academy (PLA) of American Society of Health-system Pharmacists (ASHP) and teaches leadership lectures. He has multiple professional publications and presentations at local, state, and national venues. Previously he has served as the System Director of Pharmacy for Summa Health, a 7-hospital system in Northeast Ohio. He has also served as the Assistant Director of Pharmacy at UF Health Shands in Gainesville, Florida and held appointments at the University of Florida, College of Pharmacy, where he advised and lectured on leadership.

Director of Pharmacy for the heart, vascular, and thoracic institute of the Cleveland Clinic

Dan Lewis, Pharm.D., MBA, BCPS is the director of pharmacy for the heart, vascular, and thoracic institute of the Cleveland Clinic Main Campus with additional oversight of critical care and neurology pharmacy services. He is primarily responsible for inpatient pharmacy operations and coordination of clinical pharmacy services for these areas. He also coordinates the HSPAL residency program at Cleveland Clinic Main Campus.

Dan received his Bachelor’s and Doctor of Pharmacy degrees from Duquesne University and completed a pharmacy practice residency at University Hospital in Cincinnati. He served as a clinical specialist at University of Kentucky, coordinating the internal medicine and pharmacokinetics/anticoagulation pharmacy services, and was residency program director for their PGY2 internal medicine residency prior to returning to Cleveland in 2012. During his time at Cleveland Clinic, Dan has held roles as a clinical pharmacist, PGY1 pharmacy residency program director, and pharmacy manager.

Dan has remained actively involved in local, state and national organizations throughout his career, having served on the ASHP Section Advisory group for Clinical Leadership and was previously appointed to the ASHP Section of Clinical Specialists and Scientists as a network facilitator.

SVP of Pharmacy and Chief Pharmacy Officer, Mount Sinai Health System

Dr. Susan Mashni is Mount Sinai Health System’s first SVP of Pharmacy and Chief Pharmacy Officer.  Reporting to the CEO of the Mount Sinai Health System, Dr. Mashni oversees over 600 FTE’s in Pharmacy at eight hospitals, an ACO pharmacy group, specialty pharmacy, several retail pharmacies, a 340b team, and a $400 million annual drug budget.   Sue is also an Associate Professor at the Icahn School of Medicine, who helps to provide guidance for a busy investigation drug pharmacy.

Dr. Mashni came to Mount Sinai in May 2018 and quickly established a corporate pharmacy team, including clinical, operations, 340b, contracting, business development, and specialty pharmacy leadership.  In the first year of management of this team, Dr. Mashni’s team achieved over $50 million in clinical cost savings initiatives and enhanced revenue, while successfully achieving reaccreditation with the Joint Commission for the Mount Sinai hospitals.  With dedication to increasing pharmacist’s involvement in providing care to the poor and underserved community of NYC, Sue added Pharmacy Residents and pharmacy staff to the volunteer staff of the EHHOP clinic (East Harlem Health Outreach Program). The Sinai Pharmacy team is also offering a new program offering Pharmacogenomic testing and counseling as well as disease state management for employees.

AVP, Pharmacy, St Elizabeth Healthcare, KY

Katie Clark McKinney, PharmD, MS, BCPS, serves as AVP, Pharmacy, St Elizabeth Healthcare, KY; Adjunct Assistant Instructor of Pharmacy Practice at University of Cincinnati James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy and Clinical Faculty at Ohio Northern University Raabe College of Pharmacy. Dr. McKinney received her PharmD from the University of Cincinnati and completed PGY1 Pharmacy Practice and PGY2 Health-System Pharmacy Administration Residencies at Grant Medical Center (OhioHealth). Dr. McKinney earned her MS degree in Health-System Pharmacy Administration from The Ohio State University and is a Fellow of both the American College of Healthcare Executives and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.

Dr. McKinney serves as a pharmacy practice leader at the local, state, and national levels. She is a 2006 recipient of both the Ohio Society of Health-System Pharmacists (OSHP) Student of the Year Award and ASHP Student Leadership Award and the 2020 recipient of the University of Cincinnati Arthur C. Glasser Distinguished Alumni Award and Ohio Society of Health-System Pharmacy Pharmacist of the Year Award. Additional recognition includes practice site awards for the 2014 ASHP Residency Expansion Grant and the 2017 OSHP Medication Safety Award. Dr. McKinney has served the OSHP state affiliate through the presidential progression, 2018-2021. Dr. McKinney is an active member of the pharmacy community within the city of Cincinnati as a member of the Board of Directors for the St. Vincent de Paul Charitable Pharmacy, previous service as President of the Greater Cincinnati Society of Health-System Pharmacists, and is the appointed Chair of the Pharmacy Director’s Division of the Greater Cincinnati Health Collaborative.

Retired Healthcare Executive

Bill has served in a variety of leadership positions during his 47 years in the healthcare industry, including past positions as Vice President of Franciscan Mt. Airy Hospital (Cincinnati, Ohio), President of ProMedica Bay Park Hospital (Oregon, Ohio), Vice President of ProMedica Toledo Hospital (Toledo, Ohio), and COO of ProMedica Physician Group (Toledo, Ohio), a 500-provider multispecialty group which services 27 counties in northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan.

Over the years, Bill has taken a special interest in leadership development and remains involved as a leadership coach and mentor for both established and emerging leaders.

Bill currently serves on a number of Advisory Boards, both for-profit and non-profit, including having chaired the Advisory Board for the MS Leadership degree program at the University of Cincinnati College of Pharmacy, where he is also an Adjunct Instructor. Bill also serves as a Facilitator and Family Guide in the Next Generation Institute, Goering Center (a program affiliated with the University of Cincinnati Lindner College of Business.

VISN 10 Pharmacy Executive, Veteran’s Healthcare Administration (VHA)

Chrissy Richardson is currently the VISN 10 Pharmacy Executive, overseeing VA pharmacy practices in 11 main VA Medical Centers across Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio. She began her VA career in 2010 as an Outpatient Clinical Pharmacist at the Dayton VA Medical Center in Dayton, Ohio. Since joining the VA, Chrissy has served in various leadership roles, including Outpatient Pharmacy Supervisor, Inpatient Pharmacy Supervisor, and Assistant Chief of Pharmacy. She also completed three details in the Chief of Pharmacy role. In her various positions, she has supported the VA’s mission by overseeing the drafting and publication of policies, participating in the design and proposal of action plans for VA policy compliance, and serving on the VA National Formulary Committee. Additionally, she has led liaison efforts with the pharmacy industry and its associations, as well as with VA operational and clinical counterparts at national, regional, and local levels.

Prior to her positions at the VA, Chrissy worked with the Kroger Company as a Staff Pharmacist, Pharmacy Manager, and Medication Therapy Management (MTM) Pharmacist in the Dayton, Ohio area. As the MTM Pharmacist, she helped develop Kroger’s clinical pharmacy retail programs, which brought services such as vaccinations, smoking cessation, diabetes management, weight loss support, blood pressure control, and cholesterol management education directly to the community without requiring visits to medical providers.

During her 20+ year career as a pharmacist, Chrissy has taken great pride in developing future and current pharmacy staff through mentoring, succession planning, and creating growth and development opportunities within the field. She graduated in 2001 from Ohio Northern University with a Bachelor’s in Pharmacy and in 2024 from the University of Cincinnati with a Master’s in Pharmacy Leadership. Post-graduation, she accepted an adjunct professor position at the University of Cincinnati James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy.

Director of Pharmacy Operations, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital

Peter Shea, PharmD, MS is the Director of Pharmacy Operations at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center’s (CCHMC) Base Campus. Dr. Shea attended the University of Cincinnati’s James L Winkle College of Pharmacy for both his PharmD (2013) and MS in Pharmacy Leadership (2018) programs.

Upon graduation from pharmacy school, he began his career as an inpatient pharmacist at CCHMC where he developed a strong passion for delivering excellent patient care through impactful leadership. This passion led Dr. Shea to pursue both experiential and formal leadership training early in his career. Through these experiences, he developed a service-oriented leadership style that he utilizes and teaches others daily.

Dr. Shea serves the James L Winkle College of Pharmacy as a preceptor for Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience students, as a regular lecturer in the Professional Development Seminar Series, and as a board member on the online MS in Pharmacy Leadership Advisory Board. His specific interests include providing direct leadership education and experiences to the students at the College as well as expanding the scope of leadership training in both the pharmacist and pharmacy technician professions.