Katayoon Kathy Ghomeshi, PharmD, MBA, BCPS, CPPS (kg-rx@ghomeshi.com) is a Medication Safety Officer at UCSF Health and Assistant Clinical Professor with UCSF School of Pharmacy. Dr Ghomeshi’s education includes the following degrees: Bachelor of Science in Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior from the University of California, Davis; Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of Maryland, Baltimore; and Master of Business Administration from the University of Baltimore/Towson University. Dr. Ghomeshi completed a PGY1 Managed Care Residency with Kaiser Foundation Hospitals. She then completed a PGY2 Medication Use Residency at the Johns Hopkins Hospital.
Dr. Ghomeshi’s involvement with ASHP spans many years through a variety of volunteer, appointed, and elected roles. Most recently, she completed a three year term as Director-at-Large for the Section of Inpatient Care Practitioners. She served on the Section Executive Committee and supported the progress of the Education Steering committee, the Small and Rural Hospital Advisory group, and the Medication Management advisory group. Prior, Dr Ghomeshi served on the Medication Safety advisory group as Chair, Vice Chair, and Member. Dr. Ghomeshi was appointed to the Council on Pharmacy Management. She served as California Delegate for ASHP House of Delegate proceedings. Dr. Ghomeshi authored two modules in the ASHP Medication Safety Competency Assessment Center and field tested the ASHP Medication Safety Certificate. She has presented at the Midyear Clinical Meeting and Summer Meeting, as well as serving as program chair for the Quality and Safety Pearls session. She has contributed to numerous toolkits and resource guides during her many years as a volunteer of the section. She maintains active volunteering to support the ASHP Foundation.
How many times have you faced an issue in your professional practice that was difficult to address? Anyone who has collaborated with me during my career has likely heard me ask: have we reached out to our peer network?
In the ever evolving landscape of patient care and healthcare, we, as healthcare professionals, find ourselves facing new hurdles and new challenges on a constant basis. Collaboration and building of trusted peer networks is integral for supporting optimal patient care in all healthcare delivery sites. I have found this to be true at my own practice site, as well as working with the various section advisory groups who strive to identify and address contemporary issues and needs in our areas of practice.
The sharing of ideas, challenges, solutions, and resources helps enhance operations, safety, regulatory compliance, and much, much more. Through the process of collaboration, we build a community of peers and friends who lend support during times of need. Or aid us in achieving beyond the status quo. My recent experience as Director-at-Large for the ASHP Section of Inpatient Care Practitioners and prior experience serving on the California Society of Health-System Pharmacists Board of Directors, as well as past roles in appointed and volunteer positions, has shown me that every one of us stands to gain so much from collaboration. It allows us to foster growth for ourselves, our practice, and most importantly, enhance our ability to provide the best care possible for our patients.