Amber Franck

Her Story

Dr. Amber Franck received her PharmD from Pacific University School of Pharmacy in 2011. She started her professional career at Albertson's Savon Pharmacy. Within a year, she became Albertson's Pharmacy Manager in Troutdale, OR, and gained managerial experience there from 2012 through 2016. Although, managing the Albertson's Pharmacy was extremely rewarding, she felt like she wanted to gain more experience in a clinical setting. In 2017, she completed her PGY1 and received her Teaching Certificate at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center in Corvallis, OR. Dr. Franck served as a Clinical Pharmacy Specialist at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center’s Pharmacotherapy Clinic for 2 years. In May 2020, she transitioned into her current role as Clinical Coordinator at Credena Health Specialty Pharmacy. Dr. Franck is also an Affiliate Faculty member of Oregon State University’s College of Pharmacy. Her interests are Multiple Sclerosis, clinical program development, and precepting and mentoring student & resident learners.

Dr. Franck is the Clinical Coordinator at Credena Health Specialty Pharmacy, Ambulatory Care practice setting. Credena accepts students and PGY1 residents for a 6-week rotation.

Describe the facility where you work (eg. Is it a teaching hospital? Health Center? 

Credena Health Specialty Pharmacy is located in Portland, Oregon and is Providence's Health System Specialty Pharmacy. Credena Health Specialty Pharmacy serves patients with diseases such as MS, Hep C, HIV, and chronic inflammatory conditions (i.e., Psoriasis, Psoriatic arthritis, RA, UC, Crohn's, HS, Atopic Dermatitis). Dr. Franck serves as a preceptor and also coordinates Credena Specialty's experiential education rotation for students and residents. Credena Health Specialty Pharmacy is URAC and ACHC accredited and dispenses ~6,000 prescriptions per year.

Recent Significant Projects

Dr. Franck recently coordinated with a Providence Arthritis Clinic and The Oregon Clinic to assist Medicare/Medicaid patients in Stelara's CMS transition to the self-administered drug (SAD) list. She has been involved with the creation of workflows for Part D billing and pharmacist injection administration. Dr. Franck has also assisted with the start of Credena and Oregon CAREAssist's (Oregon's drug assistance program) partnership which serves patients living with HIV/AIDs. She has assisted with the development and growth of Credena Health Clinic which administers immunizations, Stelara injections, and provides other services such as Travel Health consults, MTM’s, etc. In the near future, the Credena Health Clinic will be able to prescribe and administer Cabenuva injections under a CDTA created in partnership with Providence Infectious Disease Consultants. Currently, Dr. Franck is working with a team and one of Providence's PGY1 residents on a project to increase naloxone dispensing at discharge to improve access to high-risk patients.

Initial Involvement in ASHP

Dr. Franck has been an ASHP member since 2016. This is her first year serving as a member of the Section of Ambulatory Practitioners Section Advisory Group on Compensation and Practice Sustainability.

Why did you become involved in ASHP? 

Dr. Franck became involved in ASHP in order to gain insight from pharmacy colleagues. ASHP has a vast network of pharmacists who practice in many different settings and being part of that collaboration to advance our field is extremely rewarding.

Advice for Someone New to Specialty Area 

Put the patient at the center of everything you do; everything else is secondary. Also, although you may want to educate and counsel your patients, don't forget to keep your ears open. They may also have a lot to teach you.

How would you explain the value of ASHP to a friend or colleague?

What ASHP does for the advancement of the pharmacy profession is invaluable. ASHP is a network that allows the collaboration of tens of thousands of pharmacy professionals to discuss ideas and visions and creates a space that transforms those ideas into reality.

What is the value of ASHP for the profession?

ASHP is a proponent for the pharmacy profession. The progressive nature of our technicians' and pharmacists' work wouldn't be where it is today without ASHP members and advocates.