Asha Kalichira

Her Story

Asha Kalichira, Pharm.D., M.S., is currently a PGY2 Pharmacy Informatics Resident at Aurora Health Care, in Milwaukee, WI. She received her Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of Illinois at Chicago, where she also completed a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry, and a Master of Science in Health Informatics. Dr. Kalichira developed an interest in informatics when she was first introduced to the subject as a pharmacy student, and has conducted research in the realm of mobile health (mHealth) while completing her Master’s degree.

Dr.  Kalichira is currently a member of the Section of Pharmacy Informatics and Technology Section Advisory Group in Ambulatory Care Informatics.

Facility/Health System

Aurora Health Care is an integrated health system consisting of 15 hospitals, more than 150 clinics, and 70 retail pharmacies that span eastern Wisconsin and northern Illinois.

Significant Projects

As a PGY1, Dr. Kalichira was involved in standardization of the inpatient medication-use process for neonatal and pediatric patients. Currently as a PGY2, she will be focusing on the development of tools to facilitate population health initiatives in pharmacy clinics.

Advice for Someone New to Your Specialty Area

"As I am just beginning to delve into the “trenches” of pharmacy informatics, my advice is best directed towards students interested in this area. Take every opportunity to learn about informatics and get involved; ASHP has a wealth of resources on their website that are a great start. Reach out to pharmacy informaticians to see if there are opportunities to shadow, volunteer, or even work with them. These opportunities allow you to really immerse yourself in the specialty and it was these experiences that really sold me on pursuing a career in informatics. Finally, don’t underestimate the value of understanding clinical pharmacy practice, as it is a fundamental piece of becoming an effective informatician."

Initial Involvement in ASHP

"I first became involved in ASHP as a student in my college’s local chapter and found it to be a positive experience. Throughout the years I have benefited from many of the resources ASHP has to offer and wanted to do my part to contribute to the profession of pharmacy."

Value of ASHP

"ASHP brings together individuals passionate about pharmacy for advocacy, education, networking, and research. Through its work, ASHP helps to shape and define our profession from the health-system perspective. I have found its resources to be immensely valuable to me at every step of my journey in pharmacy."