Tianrui Cindy Yang

Her Story

Tianrui “Cindy” Yang, Pharm.D., BCPS , received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from University of Houston College of Pharmacy. After graduation, she completed both her PGY1 pharmacy residency and PGY2 Internal Medicine residency at the Houston Methodist Hospital in Houston, TX. Currently, Dr. Yang is a BPS Board Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialist (BCPS) with a clinical practice in a teaching hospital with the hospitalists group. She is an assistant professor at the University of Texas at Tyler Ben and Maytee Fisch College of Pharmacy. Her areas of interest include academia, cardiology, transitions of care, and infectious diseases.

Overview of Facility/Health System

University of Texas (UT) Health East Texas is part of the UT Health system with multiple hospitals across the state including UT MD Anderson Cancer Center and UT Southwestern Medical Center. Within Tyler Texas alone, UT Health East Texas is comprised of two hospitals – a 339-bed teaching hospital located in downtown Tyler and a 120-bed teaching hospital located in North Tyler.

UT Health East Texas is the only level 1 trauma center within the region. As part of the UT Health system, UT Health East Texas provides care to thousands of patients each year through its extensive regional network of hospitals, clinics, rehabilitation centers, freestanding emergency centers, urgent care facilities, and other locations.

Significant Projects

As a faculty member at a new college of pharmacy, I have been working on establishing a new practice site at UT Health East Texas and expanding pharmacy services with our students. One of the projects that I’m currently developing is pharmacy students providing diabetes education in newly diagnosed diabetic patients who are starting insulin therapy.

Initial Involvement in ASHP

I’m involved with ASHP on multiple levels. I have been a member of ASHP since I was a student. Currently, I’m involved with ASHP Section of Inpatient Care Practitioners (SICP) as an Educational Steering Committee member. I’m also involved with the  ASHP Texas ASHP state affiliate organization, TSHP (Texas) as the East Texas Representative for the New Practitioner Section. Finally, I’m serving as the co-advisor for the local SSHP chapter at our college of pharmacy.

Why did you become involved in ASHP?

I first became involved with ASHP as a student for mentorship and networking opportunities. I stayed involved because ASHP not only allows me to connect with pharmacists from all different specialties but also provides diverse opportunities for me to serve and give back to the profession.

Advice for Someone New to Your Specialty Area

The best advise I can give someone entering internal medicine is to always stay curious and be a lifelong learner. The practice of internal medicine is so broad that no one can truly know everything especially with new literature coming out every day. Resources such as professional organizations, continuing education opportunities, and subscriptions to major journals are very helpful in order to stay on top of new literature. A little bit of reading a day will go a long way.

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

ASHP is the largest pharmacy organization for health-system pharmacists. ASHP provides opportunities for continued education, networking, and advocacy. In addition, ASHP also sets standards for pharmacy residency programs across the country.

What is the value of ASHP for the profession?

ASHP provides invaluable resources such as professional development opportunities and preceptor toolkits to help health-system pharmacists as well as preceptors and learners better advance their careers. Furthermore, ASHP works closely with legislators on key pharmacy issues and has always been a strong advocate and leader for the pharmacy profession.