Naadede Badger Plange

Her Story

Graduated with Bachelor of Science  in Pharmacy and Doctor of Pharmacy  degrees from the University of Toledo in 2000 and 2002 respectively. Dr. Badger-Plange completed an ASHP-accredited Pharmacy Practice Residency at Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta, GA from 2002-2003. After residency, she stayed on at Piedmont as the Education Coordinator and Internal Medical Clinical Pharmacist. After working at Piedmont Hospital (Now Piedmont Atlanta Hospital) for several years, she took a position as a Clinical Pharmacist at Wellstar Kennestone Hospital. In 2012, she returned to Piedmont Atlanta Hospital, and later transitioned into the Clinical coordinator position. She is currently the Clinical Manager and PGY1 Residency Program Director at Piedmont Atlanta Hospital. She is also a Board Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialist.

Overview of Facility/Health System

Piedmont Atlanta Hospital (PAH) is one of 11 hospitals within the Piedmont Healthcare System. Piedmont Atlanta is a 643-bed, private, not-for-profit hospital – is a leader in patient care that has helped the Atlanta community get better and stay well for more than a century. Named the top acute-care community hospital in metro Atlanta in U.S. News and World Report’s Best Hospitals list, Piedmont Atlanta consistently ranks in the top five among metro Atlanta hospitals in patient experience scores. Piedmont Atlanta employs more than 1000 physicians and 4,000 healthcare professionals in various subspecialty areas including cardiology, transplant, oncology, critical care, internal medicine, neurology, orthopedic care and women's services. Piedmont combines personalized approach with innovative technologies to deliver treatments that set a new standard for excellence in care.

Significant Projects

Dr. Badger-Plange recently facilitated an interdisciplinary, multi-facility team to standardized heparin protocols across Piedmont Healthcare including converting all hospitals from using PTT to using Heparin Assays (Anti-Xa levels) for heparin monitoring.

She also spearheaded having decentralized pharmacists in all non-critical care areas at Piedmont Atlanta Hospital. These pharmacists have become an integral part of the care team in providing safe, effective and efficient medication therapies to all patients.

Initial Involvement in ASHP

Dr. Badger-Plange has served as a poster mentor for students and pharmacists at several ASHP Midyear Clinical Meetings.

She is currently a member of ASHP's Section of Inpatient Care Practitioners (SICP) Educational Steering Committee.

Why did you become involved in ASHP?

Dr. Badger-Plange first became involved with ASHP as a student with the local chapter at the University of Toledo. After graduating from pharmacy school, she has stayed involved for many reasons including: networking, professional growth and ASHP's ongoing advocacy work for the profession of pharmacy.

Advice for Someone New to Your Specialty Area

Her advice to any new practitioner or anyone new to any specialty is network, network, network - both locally and nationally. I cannot over-emphasize this point. There is always someone in your field who has experience with what you are doing or can provide some insight into a topic. Additionally, develop a system to remain current with changes in your specialty area.

How would you explain the value of ASHP to a friend or colleague?

ASHP provides a platform for education, networking, practice guidelines and resources in numerous  areas. In addition, it has information/resources tailored toward not only pharmacists but students, residents and technicians.

What is the value of ASHP for the profession?

ASHP is the pillar of the profession of pharmacy in the world. It embodies the values and goals of the profession of pharmacy. It provides many resources in a variety of areas including policies, position statements, residency accreditation, professional certifications, handling of never-ending drug shortages, and so on. ASHP’s Midyear Clinical Meeting (and other meetings) provides excellent educational opportunities. ASHP does an excellent job in its advocacy efforts. It also provides support for state organizations. I could go on and on about the value of ASHP!