Leslie Hurst

About my pharmacy practice journey, education, and key accomplishments

Dr. Hurst received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy in 2006 and achieved Board Certification in the Ambulatory Care Pharmacy Specialty in 2013. She has practiced as a pharmacist in various ambulatory and specialty settings, and has held a wide range of pharmacy leadership roles to expand patient care services in Kentucky and surrounding states. Key accomplishments include achieving national recognition for expanding immunization access, serving on the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Kentucky and Indiana Chapter Board of Directors from 2016-2021, and currently serving as member of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists Section of Specialty Pharmacy Practitioners Advisory Group on Business Development (2022-2023).

Current employment, practice, and academic responsibilities

In her current role as System Director of Ambulatory & Specialty Pharmacy at Baptist Health, Dr. Hurst leads strategic planning, coordination, and direction of ambulatory and specialty pharmacy services. The Baptist Health family consists of 9 hospitals including 1 joint venture location, and is the largest not-for-profit health system in the state of Kentucky, providing service for patients living in urban and rural communities. Baptist Health owns 10 community pharmacies, providing medication fulfillment and delivery services for patients, employees and families. Dr. Hurst oversees embedded clinic pharmacy teams and a centralized call center providing specialty pharmacy services in hospital based departments and medical group practices across the enterprise. Plans are underway to open a Central Pharmacy Services Center to support central medication fulfillment and distribution for Baptist Health pharmacies, hospitals, clinics, patients, employees, and families.

Significant projects and accomplishments

The most significant recent effort related to education for Dr. Hurst was to spearhead specialty pharmacy accreditation efforts for her organization. This included several key steps such as systemization of clinical and dispensing workflows, hiring new patient-facing and leadership positions, building and implementing new specialty patient management software, and creation of new policies, procedures, and committees. Leading the effort through education of pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, pharmacy care coordinators, and pharmacy leadership, as well as supporting teams (IT, finance, legal, compliance, risk, etc.) and executive leadership to move the organization forward was a significant accomplishment.

Please describe your professional involvement with ASHP and the Section of Specialty Pharmacy Practitioners

Dr. Hurst initially became involved with ASHP when implementing a new community pharmacy residency program in 2013. Her participation and involvement has evolved as her roles have changed throughout the years. Currently, she is a member of the Section of Specialty Pharmacy Practitioners Advisory Group on Business Development. Through this group, she is able to engage with peers on current specialty pharmacy topics and work collaboratively to build tools and resources for ASHP members to bring back to their organizations and patients. 

Share your thoughts on ASHP’s contributions to the education of the pharmacy workforce. What do you think are some key success, resources, and opportunities?

ASHP brings a broad range of educational resources to support pharmacists practicing in various areas of pharmacy. As a patient-facing clinician and lifelong learner, board certification preparation and continuing education resources are extremely valuable and offer a consistent learning experience. Access to AJHP online to review full text articles and access to a vast library of resources created by sections of practitioners, such as labor benchmarking tools, enable practice leaders to make evidence based and guided decisions. Access to peer networks to collaborate and solve problems helps build connections to continue to advance the profession of pharmacy. ASHP educational content is timely and relevant to industry practice, making membership a critical development resource for the workforce to stay educated and marketable for career progression.

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

Dedicate time for your professional development and build a strong network of peers with diverse experiences to strengthen your leadership skills. Seek opportunities to improve your knowledge base in areas where you have a lack of comfort, even if you learn aspects that support your career from resources outside of the profession. Pay it forward and look for opportunities to transfer your knowledge and skills to develop future pharmacists and leaders.