Pooja Ojha

Her Story

Dr. Ojha received her Pharm.D. degree from the University of Houston College of Pharmacy in 2020. She completed her general inpatient and outpatient PGY-1 residency at Piedmont Columbus Regional Midtown in Columbus, GA. During her clinical rotations and residency, Dr. Ojha worked on many informatics-focused projects and was inspired to pursue a PGY-2 residency in Pharmacy Informatics. Dr. Ojha completed a PGY-2 Pharmacy Informatics Residency at Mayo Clinic. Currently, Dr. Ojha works as a Medication Management Informaticist at Mayo Clinic.

Overview of Facility/Health System

Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to clinical practice, education and research. Mayo Clinic has major campuses in Rochester, MN; Phoenix, Arizona; and Jacksonville, Florida with additional sites, known as the Mayo Clinic Healthcare System (MCHS) across Minnesota and Wisconsin. Additionally, there are international branches of Mayo Clinic in London, UK and Abu Dhabi, UAE, with many International Offices to assure that language and distance are not barriers to receiving world-class care. Mayo Clinic cares for more than 1.4 million people each year with serious or complex illnesses from all 50 U.S. states and 140 countries.1

Significant Projects

Dr. Ojha has been involved, most notably, in a research project that investigates methodologies to implement a rules-based verification system for medication orders and in a quality improvement project that aims to improve the rates of ordering and administering venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis across the Mayo Clinic Enterprise.

Initial Involvement in ASHP

Dr. Ojha began her involvement in the Section Advisory Group for Clinical Decision Support and Analytics in the subgroup called Get IT Done. In this role, Dr. Ojha has recorded podcasts related to Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Leadership in Pharmacy. Currently, Dr. Ojha is leading a podcast series about Generative AI. 

Why did you become involved in ASHP? 

Dr. Ojha became involved in ASHP through her residency director and mentor, Dr. Benjamin J. Anderson. ASHP provided a means for Dr. Ojha to become involved in a professional society outside of her residency. Now, ASHP serves as a channel for education and participation in Pharmacy Informatics, with networking opportunities across the nation.

Advice for Someone New to Your Specialty Area

Dr. Ojha believes that anyone who is new to Pharmacy Informatics should always feel free to ask questions, no matter how silly they may seem. Often, questions asked by learners not only help the learner learn, but they also help the teacher teach!

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

ASHP offers significant networking and education opportunities within health system pharmacy. Through ASHP, pharmacists (in-training or in practice) receive mentorship that aligns with future career goals. Additionally, ASHP provides the chance to learn what other organizations are doing or what upcoming technologies are available in the field.

What is the value of ASHP for the profession? 

ASHP has led the way for pharmacists for many years. Specifically, ASHP provides practice initiatives to help provide a vision of pharmacy for years into the future. ASHP also helps pharmacists become great leaders as part of the leadership academy and other leadership opportunities. 

References:

1. About Mayo Clinic - About Us - Mayo Clinic