Ryan Rodriguez

Ryan’s Story

Ryan Rodriguez, Pharm.D., BCPS, received his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Florida in Gainesville in 2010 and completed specialty residency training in Drug Information at Shands Hospital at UF in 2012. Despite being a Gator graduate, he is still proud to be a natural born Buckeye - he also holds a degree in molecular genetics from the Ohio State University.

Dr. Rodriguez is a member of the Section of Inpatient Care Practitioners’ Education Steering Committee and volunteers as a resident poster mentor at ASHP Midyear Clinical and Summer Meetings.

Facility

Dr. Rodriguez currently works as a specialist in the Drug Information Group (DIG) at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Pharmacy. The DIG serves a variety of nationwide client hospitals and health systems to provide drug information responses to patient- and population-level questions related to drug use. The DIG also is involved in an array of other projects for their clients, including production of drug class reviews and educational endeavors.

Significant Projects

Recently, Dr. Rodriguez led a research project characterizing the practice and training of contributors to Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committees that was recently published. He has also been involved in implementing fresh ideas into a new drug information curriculum at the UIC College of Pharmacy to teach students the importance of evidence-based practice.

Advice for Someone New to Your Specialty Area

"New practitioners in Drug Information should get comfortable handling the grey areas. There will be many times that complicated questions just don't have high-quality evidence to support a definitive recommendation and clinical judgment becomes important. Also, get comfortable teaching yourself new things quickly! DI specialists need to answer the questions that get past the experts, and they're often very unique - so it is important to have a working knowledge of the question's context to provide actionable information."

Involvement in ASHP

Dr. Rodriguez became involved in ASHP because of the many opportunities it provides, including networking, education, and day-to-day news on all drug-related matters, including therapeutics and regulatory information

ASHP’s Value to Members

"ASHP is a fantastic resource for all pharmacists. The organization provides so many helpful resources for different practice areas and leads the way for new pharmacy initiatives, including bringing attention to them at a national level. Of course, it also offers its members opportunities for professional development through involvement in their many volunteer opportunities."

"The value of ASHP for the profession of pharmacy is rooted in its expansive member base and established importance to pharmacists in all places at all stages - from seasoned professionals to new students. The variety of viewpoints, experiences, and perspectives provided by its members forms the perfect combination to encourage positive change among our members as well as through interdisciplinary and regulatory efforts."