Jacob McFarland

Jacob’s Story

Dr. McFarland is originally from southern California, and received his bachelor’s degree in biology from California State University, San Bernardino. He headed north to complete his Pharm.D. at University of California, San Francisco. Afterward, he continued north further to complete his PGY1 Pharmacy Practice residency and PGY2 Pharmacy Informatics residency at Oregon Health & Science University.

Dr. McFarland currently serves on the Clinical Applications Section Advisory Group.

Facility

Oregon Health & Science University is nationally ranked academic medical center and level 1 trauma center. Among all health specialties, OHSU treats just over 1 million patients each year; approximately 31,000 inpatient patients per year and 883,000 outpatients treated in medical clinics. As a research focuses intuition, OHSU has been awarded over $389 million. 

Significant Projects

Jake is currently involved in various types of informatics related projects, but his main focus is automation and operations related areas. Recent automation related projects include, implementation of barcoded breast milk and accompanying workflows, picture capture and remote verification for OHSU’s Research Pharmacy Services, and BCMA implementation for ambulatory infusion clinics. Other recent projects include implementation of required antibiotic indications at time of ordering, implementation of TJC compliant duplicate PRN indication warnings, and implementation of simplified procedural medication documentation. 

Initial Involvement in ASHP

"The main reasons I became involved in ASHP was for the community and the chance to have a hand in progressing the profession. It’s a great way to connect with organizations across the nation and interact with though leaders of the profession. It allows me to stay update on current trends and struggles facing both informatics and the profession of pharmacy. Additionally, ASHP has been a tremendous resource through my career as a student and resident for information and networking; I want to return the favor to the next generation of up and coming pharmacists."

Advice for Someone New to Your Specialty Area

"Although I’m a fairly new pharmacy informaticist, I’ve learned quite a few good lessons so far. The first is to be confident in your abilities; you’ve had years of training and guidance to get you to the point you’re at. Second, stay involved. The best way to stay in touch with current practice and leading trends is to stay involved with local and national organizations. Third, be open to learning about new areas of pharmacy informatics as opportunities are presented to you. Finally, do what you can to ensure you still enjoy it!"

ASHP’s Value to Members

"ASHP provides a venue to interact and collaborate with likeminded individuals to discuss current pharmacy events. It allows one to gain a fresh perspective on current practice, and hypothesize about what the future might look like. Additionally, ASHP can help you facilitate learning and mentorship to the next generation of pharmacists."

"The value of ASHP for the profession is quite broad. A huge benefit is that is provides a unified voice for the profession for the many challenges that arise. Additionally, it provides a mechanism that ensures continued progression of the profession through national collaboration. ASHP also provides a network to foster and prepare the next generation of pharmacists."