Molly Camis

After earning a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse, Molly earned her PharmD degree from the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy. She completed PGY1 residency training at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center and PGY2 Critical Care residency training at Texas Tech University Health Science Center (TTUHSC)/VA North Texas Health Care System (VANTHCS). Following residency, Molly initiated a role as the first clinical specialist in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit at William Beaumont Hospital in Troy, Michigan. While there, she was part of a team that started a PGY1 residency program, and she served as the PGY1 program director. Molly has worked at Children’s Mercy in Kansas City, MO, since 2009, serving as the Critical Care Clinical Manager, Clinical Pharmacy Manager, Operations Manager, and most recently, Assistant Director of Pharmacy. She currently oversees the operations of the Children’s Mercy Hospital Kansas Inpatient Pharmacy, the IDS Pharmacy Services, and all pharmacy residency programming for her organization. Molly completed her MSHA degree from Texas Tech University Health Science Center in 2023. She has been a board-certified pharmacotherapy specialist since 2006. She was the PGY1 residency program director at Children’s Mercy from 2010 to 2017, is currently a member of the RAC, and serves as a guest practitioner surveyor for ASHP. Molly was previously a member of the Section Advisory Group on Emerging Sciences from 2014 to 2015 and has been with the Section Advisory Group on Front-Line Leaders since 2022.

Facility:
Children's Mercy Hospital Kansas (CMHK) is a 48-bed community hospital in Overland Park, Kansas. This community hospital serves pediatric patients in the Kansas City region in conjunction with the network of Children's Mercy facilities throughout Kansas and Missouri.

Current Responsibilities:
I am the Pharmacist-in-Charge for the Inpatient Pharmacy at Children's Mercy Hospital Kansas, where I oversee a staff of 20 pharmacists, technicians and interns. I also lead the Investigational Drug Service (IDS) team for the Children's Mercy system. This team of 8 individuals oversees ~200 research projects involving medications across multiple campuses. Additionally, I oversee residency programming for our two ASHP-accredited postgraduate training programs, working with the two RPD's to ensure appropriate support and resources for the programs.

Recent Significant Projects:
I recently lead our IDS team through a Compliance Audit, and the associated follow-up items, which resulted in a complete overhaul of most of the IDS processes and procedures. As a result, the team has a more equitable distribution of work, standard expectations for processes, documentation, and follow-up. This work also resulted in increased levels engagement within the team and increased overall job satisfaction.

Advice for Someone New to a Specialty Area:
My advice is to seek first to understand. Before you can have an informed opinion, you need to be informed. If you listen and learn from the people you are working with, your words and actions will have a much greater impact because you have taken the time to make an informed decision.

Involvement with ASHP:
I have been a PGY1 residency program guest practitioner surveyor with ASHP since 2017. I was on the Emerging Sciences SAG in 2014-2015 and have been on the Workforce Resiliency and Sustainability SAG (formerly Frontline Leaders SAG) now since 2022. I was also a mentor in the ASHP Guided Mentorship Program from 2021-2023.

Reason for ASHP involvement:
I became involved in ASHP as a pharmacy resident and stayed involved in ASHP as I continued my development in preceptor and RPD roles. ASHP accredited residency programs are a very important element of our profession, encouraging us to continue to raise the bar in pharmacy education and training.

Value of ASHP for Peers or Colleagues:
ASHP is an essential resource for me as a pharmacist. From website resources on clinical, leadership and wellbeing topics to educational and networking opportunities at conferences, ASHP has something for everyone!

Value of ASHP for the Profession:
Having a strong national organization to advocate for our roles in patient care is an essential component of pharmacy practice today. ASHP provides that value to every health system pharmacist through its advocacy roles, and well as the educational offerings to help us grow with the advancements in medicine and healthcare.