We chat with Zahra Kassamali Escobar and Rupali Jain about their experiences with their antimicrobial stewardship programs within the University of Washington Health System and the management of COVID-19, use of remdesivir, and their top clinical concerns.
SPEAKERS
Zahra Kassamali Escobar is a clinical pharmacist specializing in infectious diseases at the UW Medicine Valley Medical Center in Renton Washington. She co-directs the local antimicrobial stewardship committee and serves as an associate medical director of the larger University of Washington Tele-Antimicrobial Stewardship Program, or UW-TASP. UW-TASP broadcasts weekly to 70 hospitals, mainly rural and/or critical access across the Pacific Northwest and Western regions of the United States. Zahra holds a clinical faculty position with the University of Washington School of Pharmacy.
Rupali Jain is the Co-director of the Antimicrobial Stewardship program at UWMedicine- UWMC Montlake campus in Seattle WA. She is the Director of the PGY-2 program for Infectious Diseases. She is a Clinical Associate Professor in the School of Pharmacy and School of Medicine Division of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
Vicki Basalyga, Pharm.D., BCPS, BCPPS, is the Director for the Section of Clinical Specialists and Scientists. In this role Vicki serves as an information resource and provides guidance to ASHP members regarding science and scientific developments affecting pharmacy practice in health systems. She serves as secretary to the Section executive committee and coordinates activities to accomplish the objectives established by the Section. Additionally, Vicki has assumed the position of Council Secretary for the ASHP's Council on Therapeutics.
Vicki received her Doctor of Pharmacy from Duquesne University and completed an ASHP accredited PGY1 at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, DC. Vicki is also a Board Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialist and a Board Certified Pediatric Pharmacotherapy Specialist.
Prior to her current position at ASHP, Vicki practiced as critical care pharmacist in both the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit and the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, DC. Other activities Vicki performed included drafting policies and procedures, co-chairing the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program, creating and drafting order sets for CPOE conversion and precepting residents and students.