Leigh A. Briscoe-Dwyer, PharmD, BSPharm, BCPS, FASHP ([email protected]) is the system director of pharmacy for the UHS Hospitals System in Johnson City, NY. She received her Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from Albany College of Pharmacy and her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from St. John's University. She began her career as a clinical specialist in HIV and infectious disease at SUNY Stony Brook and has worked in various areas of pharmacy practice, including the pharmaceutical industry, with the majority of the last 20 years in pharmacy leadership roles.
Her ASHP service includes Board of Directors (2020-2023), chair, Committee on Nominations, Council on Public Policy, the FASHP Recognition Committee, and New York State delegate to the ASHP House of Delegates for over ten years. She is a past president of the Long Island Society of Health-system Pharmacists and was very active in the New York State Council of Health-system Pharmacists as a board member and presidential officer. In addition, she served on the New York State Board of Pharmacy for ten years in several capacities, including as its chair.
She is a member of the Board of Trustees of Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences and is chair of its Academic Affairs Committee. She has received numerous recognitions for her contributions to pharmacy, including the Distinguished Alumnus Award from St. John's University, the NYSCHP Board of Directors Award, and the NYSCHP Research and Education Foundation Bernard Mehl Leadership Award.
Meet Leigh A. Briscoe-Dwyer
The pharmacy profession has emerged in the last decade to be a driving force in the transformation of healthcare. As external disruptors enter the market, the profession needs to remain focused on its strengths while capitalizing on the opportunities this presents.
The public perception of pharmacy does not appear to be reflective of the work we do in health systems today. An appreciation for a reliable medication-use system that has a positive impact on every patient it touches must be a priority for our profession. We need to continue to strengthen the voice of pharmacy so we retain our current workforce and continue to attract the best and brightest as we move forward to the future of our practice. That practice will not focus on drug distribution but on efficiencies gained with technology, genomics, and digital health.
As we emerge from the pandemic into the future of healthcare, it is my wish that the profession of pharmacy will be recognized as:
- Providers of life-saving patient care rather than of products
- Experts in active medication management rather than passive monitors of medication use
- True financial contributors who have earned a seat at the table rather than simply cost centers
- Leaders of healthcare organizations beyond management of pharmacy departments
- Members, once again, of the most trusted profession
ASHP remains well-positioned to lead the profession into this future, and it would be an honor for me to serve as ASHP President.