Ami Shah

About my pharmacy practice journey, education, and key accompishments:

Dr. Ami Shah received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy at Rutgers University in 2015. Post-graduation, Ami completed a PGY-1 Pharmacy Practice Residency program at Abington-Jefferson Health. She then completed a PGY-2 Critical Care residency at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. Post residency, Dr. Shah served as a Critical Care Specialist in the Medical and Surgical ICU at UPMC Pinnacle. During this time, she helped pilot the expansion of ICU services within in-network hospitals, assisted to establish a new program for pharmacy specialist services in the Emergency Department, served as an intensive care unit preceptor, and participated in multiple hospital committees. Dr. Shah joined Mount Sinai Morningside Medical Center in 2018 as their first Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit Pharmacy Specialist.

Current employment, practice, and academic responsibilities:

Dr. Shah joined Mount Sinai Morningside Medical Center in 2018 as their first Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit Pharmacy Specialist. Mount Sinai Morningside Medical Center is an academic medical center in New York, NY with a Certified Comprehensive Cardiac Center. In this role, Dr. Shah oversees the pharmaceutical care of patients in the cardiothoracic intensive care unit, actively participates in codes, develops protocols/policies/procedures, and serves as part of various pharmacy, critical care, and cardiac surgery committees. Dr. Shah is also heavily involved in research and project management. Dr. Shah additionally provides continuing pharmacy and medical education, presenting posters and presentations at various pharmacy/medical society meetings, serving as a peer-reviewer, and publishing book chapters and review articles.

Significant projects and accomplishments:

Dr. Shah aims to exemplify leadership qualities at the practice, departmental, institution, and state/national levels. Dr. Shah provides comprehensive pharmaceutical care by collaborating with patients, physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and other healthcare professionals to deliver safe, effective, and fiscally responsible patient-centered care.. Dr. Shah is also heavily involved in various committees, workgroups, and task forces within the institution to promote optimized and patient-centered medical management for critically ill patients and spearheadsresearch initiatives/publication opportunities. She has presented at national multidisciplary meetings and as an author of  numerous publications in respected journals and book chapters focused on cardiology and more recently, COVID-19 pharmacotherapy.  .

What has been your ASHP journey?

Dr. Shah is an active proponent for local and national pharmacy and medicine service organizations. From her time as a student to her current time as a practitioner, she has strongly believed that leadership organizations have the ability to unite practitioners, advocate for the pharmacy profession, and ultimately assist in achieving optimal health outcomes. Dr. Shah has been an active member of ASHP as a student and has continued her involvement as part of the NPF post-graduation. As a member of the New Practitioner's Forum (NPF) Resident Advancement Advisory Group (RAAG), Dr. Shah has been able to advocate for the profession of pharmacy and promote the advancement of residency programs.. Dr. Shah was appointed as Chairperson of the ASHP NPF RAAG for the 2019-2020 term and in 2021  Dr. Shah was Member of the New Practitioners Forum Executive Committee, where she serves as the Executive Committee Liaison to the NPF Clinical Practice Advisory Group (CPAG) to support new practitioners with optimizing the care they provide to their patients. Dr. Shah looks forward to continuing her role in furthering the vision and mission of ASHP.

Share your thoughts on ASHP’s value as a professional organization in contributing to the education of the pharmacy workforce? What do you think are some key success, resources, and opportunities?

Dr. Shah strongly believes that leadership organizations have the ability to unite practitioners, advocate for the pharmacy profession, and ultimately assist in achieving optimal health outcomes. ASHP specifically is an integral professional organization to serve as a "professional home" for pharmacists, student pharmacists, pharmacy residents, and pharmacy technician across a wide-spectrum of practice areas. As such, ASHP has a critical role in: addressing medication shortages (especially during instances such as the IV fluid shortage resulting from Hurricane Maria), providing practice resources and guidelines (especially during global pandemics such as COVID-19), assisting students in selecting and supporting their career path (Midyear and Summer Clinical Meetings), providing various resources for New Practitioners (via education support for pharmacy residents and staff pharmacists), initiating timely discussion and action plans for diversity/equity/inclusion, offering access to multidisciplinary professional development CE, and ultimately advancing healthcare while propelling the pharmacy profession forward.

What advice would you provide for individuals new to your area of practice?

Utilize the wide array of resources provided to you by ASHP to enhance your career! Whether you are seeking career opportunities, guidance on pharmacy career paths, advice to transition between career paths, CV review, mentorship, national leadership opportunities, advocacy, or more – ASHP is an excellent resource to support your personal and professional growth.