Jennifer Lee

Dr. Lee earned her Pharm.D. from the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Pharmacy in 2015. She started her career at Walmart as a retail staff pharmacist, then moved to a decentralized staff pharmacist role in a hospital for three years before beginning her residency training. She completed her PGY-1 Pharmacy Practice Residency in 2019 and PGY-2 Critical Care Pharmacy Residency in 2020 at the NewYork Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital.

After finishing her residencies, Dr. Lee accepted a position as a clinical educator at Staten Island University in affiliation with the Arnold & Marie Schwartz College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. She precepted many pharmacy students and also assisted in establishing an accredited pharmacy residency program as a PGY-1 residency program coordinator. Additionally, she served as an adjunct professor at Wagner College of Nursing, teaching pharmacology and pharmacodynamic course to nursing students. Most recently, Dr. Lee was the critical care pharmacy manager at Mount Sinai West.

Current employment, practice, and academic, teaching, or precepting responsibilities:
While in the ICU she worked in the medical intensive care unit as a drug information resource and served as the pharmacy lead and liaison for interdisciplinary initiatives in various areas including critical care, stroke, electrolytes, and epilepsy.

Describe the facility where you work:
Mount Sinai West is an academic medical center that serves as a teaching facility for the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. It is a full-service, tertiary-care, Level 3 trauma hospital with 505 beds, serving Midtown and the West Side of Manhattan. Mount Sinai West is a leading center for orthopedic surgery and endovascular neurosurgery.

What type of significant projects have you been involved in recently?
Dr. Lee is currently involved in the OPTIM: Optimizing Pharmacist Team-Integration for ICU Patient Management research. This study aims to assess the effects of high pharmacist workload on mortality rates and patient-centered outcomes, considering demographic factors like the Medication Regimen Complexity - Intensive Care Unit (MRC-ICU) Scoring Tool. As the site lead, Dr. Lee is responsible for coordinating IRB submissions and managing data use agreements to support multi-center research. Additionally, she logs her daily workload and collects retrospective outcome data for patients.

Dr. Lee has also developed and implemented a stress ulcer prophylaxis stewardship protocol enterprise-wide. This protocol allows pharmacists to independently add or remove acid suppressive agents using their clinical discretion.

What kind of advice would you provide for someone new to your specialty area?
I would advise joining a specialty organization and seeking a mentor in your field. Utilizing networking opportunities and learning from those who have walked similar paths can be incredibly beneficial. It can also be an opportunity to develop your leadership skills and open the door to things you have not done outside of your work.

Furthermore, always feel free to ask questions and maintain your curiosity. Speaking up in interdisciplinary rounds can feel daunting due to the crowd, but voicing your thoughts is an excellent way to make your presence within the team and participate in meaningful discussions.

What is your current involvement with ASHP?
I currently serve on the Section of Clinical Specialists and Scientists Educational Steering Committee, where help the Section create resources important to members including webinars and educational sessions for Midyear Clinical Meetings. I am also part of a virtual learning community in ASHP called the Well-being Ambassador Cohort. This group is dedicated to empowering the local action to decrease occupational burnout and promote well-being cultures within healthcare organizations.

Why did you become involved in ASHP?
My initial involvement with ASHP began during my final year of pharmacy school, as I was seeking residency training during Midyear. Since then, the networking and continuing education opportunities, along with the various forums where pharmacists share insightful discussions, have kept me actively engaged with ASHP.

How would you explain the value of ASHP to a friend or colleague?
Regardless of your specialty, ASHP provides invaluable resources for pharmacists at all stages and in all fields. It offers a wide range of communities, from drug shortage and compounding to practice advancement initiatives. This diversity provides numerous opportunities for networking and remaining updated on various issues relevant to our profession and health system.

What is the value of ASHP for the profession?
ASHP offers numerous professional development opportunities for individuals at all stages of their careers. Whether you're a member or part of a committee, a wide range of information and community resources are available to you. ASHP doesn't only provide clinical resources, but also contributes to policy positions, sets standards for pharmacy residency education, maintains our health-system practice standards, and advocates for the advancement of our profession. The contribution of ASHP to our profession as a whole is invaluable.