Maria Giannakos

Biographical Information:

Dr. Maria Giannakos received her PharmD from Ohio Northern University and completed her PGY1 Pharmacy Residency at Summa Health System in Akron, Ohio. She later completed her MBA at Lake Erie College. After several years serving in a variety of clinical and operational roles in the inpatient setting, she diversified into home infusion and specialty pharmacy practice. She now currently holds certification in Lean Six Sigma, as well as dual BPS certification in Pharmacotherapy and Compounded Sterile Preparations. 

Current employment, practice, and academic responsibilities:

Option Care Health is the nation's largest home infusion provider, operating 98 pharmacies across the US. The team includes 1500 pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, and the organization delivers 1.6 million compounded sterile preparations per year, with over 250,000 patients cared for annually.

Option Care Health offers a PGY1 Pharmacy Residency program, comprised of 8 residency positions across 7 different residency locations. In her current role, Dr. Giannakos is responsible for the drug information service, maintaining drug information and drug policy resources, and overseeing all of the pharmacy residency locations. 

Significant projects and accomplishments:

The pharmacy residency program recently expanded from 6 locations to 7 locations, with the addition of a Columbus, Ohio site. Approval of the expansion was the result of promotion and education on the benefits of the residency program to the location and the organization. Dr. Giannakos precepts residents and students through a drug information practice, and has co-authored and mentored several poster presentations on topics in home infusion and specialty pharmacy, one which received an award in 2022 and was published in a peer -reviewed journal She also participates in the ASHP Guided Mentorship Program as mentor. 

Professional Engagement:

Dr. Giannakos has been a member of ASHP since she was a pharmacy student. She has been involved with three different SAGs, and is currently active in the Section of Pharmacy Educators Advisory Group on Post-Graduate Education and Learning Experiences. She has also served as AJHP peer reviewer, Midyear poster reviewer and moderator, and ASHP mentor. 

ASHP Value:

Through the resources ASHP offers to its members, pharmacists and technicians can leverage the power of networking and collaboration to push pharmacy practice forward. The manner in which the COVID-19 information and drug updates were and continue to be organized accurately and efficiently is just one example of the strength and influence of ASHP and its members. 

Professional Advice:

Understand the why. Understanding your why, your organization's why, the clinical why, and also the why of your learner(s). They may not all align, but awareness of all of these different angles will push you further in your own growth and development, which will in turn broaden and deepen your contributions to our pharmacy profession.