Lauren Cimino

Her Story

Lauren received her Pharm.D. degree from Samford University's McWhorter School of Pharmacy in Birmingham, Alabama. She then went on to complete her PGY-1 Pharmacy Residency at DCH Regional Medical Center in Tuscaloosa Alabama before beginning her PGY-2 residency in Ambulatory Care which she will complete in June of 2021. She is currently completing her PGY-2 training at Samford University’s McWhorter School of Pharmacy with a practice site at Christ Health Center.

Facility

Christ Health Center is a federally-qualified health center (FQHC), providing care for underserved and underinsured patients across the city of Birmingham, Alabama. Christ Health Center is associated with the St. Vincent’s East Family Medicine Medical Residency program and houses groups of pharmacy residents, medical residents, pharmacy students, medical students, and attending physicians. Thousands of Birmingham residents receive care at Christ Health Center each year, largely insured by Medicaid or not insured at all. Current pharmacist-managed services include Medicare Annual Wellness Visits, complex patient care management, specialty clinic (currently primarily focused on patients with Hepatitis C), and Transitional Care Management services.

Recent Significant Projects

 I have recently been involved in beginning multiple pharmacist-led clinical services at my practice site. Primarily, these have been Medicare Annual Wellness Visits and Transitional Care Management clinic for our hospital follow-up patients. We have been working through these services to largely improve continuity of care for our large volume of patients.

Initial Involvement in ASHP

 I am currently a third-year member of the Medication Management Section Advisory Group with the Section of Ambulatory Care Practitioners. I became involved in ASHP as a first-year student and knew early on that I wanted to get involved at a national level. I also was honored to be one of 11 recipients to receive the ASHP Student Leadership Award as a fourth-year student pharmacist in 2019.

Why did you become involved in ASHP? 

I became involved in ASHP because I wanted to be a part of something bigger than myself. While being a part of a national advisory group as a student pharmacist felt intimidating at first, I gained more knowledge than I ever thought possible and was able to play a big part in all that our SAG completed. I participated in a workgroup that authored and published an FAQ document about pharmacists transitioning into the Ambulatory Care setting during my first SAG year and have been able to present clinical pearls on Medicare Annual Wellness Visits as well as COVID-19 and influenza since then. I made the best decision when I decided to become an ASHP member so early on!

Advice for Someone New to Specialty Area

I would advise someone new to Ambulatory Care to be open to trying new things. There are SO many areas to explore: from academia, to outpatient specialty pharmacy, to primary care, and dozens more!

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

I would explain the value of ASHP by saying that it is an organization that provides the perfect location to gain and share more knowledge than anywhere else in our profession. There are innumerable opportunities to connect with other pharmacists and ask for guidance or share positive experiences of your own.

What is the value of ASHP for the profession?

The value of ASHP for the profession is truly difficult to quantify. By providing a place for so many pharmacists from all walks of life and all specialties to collaborate, patient care has benefitted and will continue to benefit from this organization. ASHP allows student pharmacists to work alongside pharmacy residents, new practitioners, and pharmacists who have been practicing for decades. Not many professions are lucky enough to have an organization that can truly "bridge the gap" between all practitioners.