Elaine Strauss

Her Story

Elaine Strauss received her Doctor of Pharmacy in 2010 from the University of Georgia College of Pharmacy and completed a 2-year Health System Pharmacy Administrative Residency from 2010 - 2012 at The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) and Master’s Degree in Health System Pharmacy Administration from the University of Pittsburgh. For the first four years of her career, Dr. Strauss served as the Clinical Pharmacy Manager at West Penn Hospital and then the Manager of Operations at Forbes Hospital, both community teaching hospitals of the Allegheny Health Network (AHN) in Pittsburgh, PA. In these former roles, Dr. Strauss was responsible for daily operations, growth of clinical programs, implementing electronic health record and barcode scanning, and developing a discharge medication delivery program. Most recently, she held held the role of Pharmacy Operations Manager of Compounding Services at Massachusetts General Hospital which is a 1000-bed academic medical center. In this role, she was responsible for ensuring the safety of all compounding services of the main pharmacy, batch manufacturing pharmacy, and oncology pharmacy satellite. After relocating back to her hometown of Atlanta, Georgia, Dr. Strauss joined the Atlanta-based WorkingBuildings Clinical Division team. 

Facility

Dr. Strauss currently serves as a Senior Consultant, Cleanrooms and Sterile Compounding for the Clinical Division of WorkingBuildings. WB is an Engineering, Commissioning, and Design firm based in Atlanta, GA that works to solve technically complex issues, processes, building and regulatory issues by providing key consulting and support services for regulated medical manufacturing, healthcare, science and technology, commercial, government, and iconic programs. The Clinical Division works on CGMP compliance, cleanroom design, construction, commissioning, qualification, and operations. In her role, Dr. Strauss works to support Health System Pharmacy Clients on their journey towards USP compliance through Cleanroom SOP development, workflow assessments, regulatory support, and staff training. She also provides expertise for manufacturing firms seeking support with FDA CGMP compliance including FDA registration and listing. 

Recent Significant Projects

Dr. Strauss works with health system clients to streamline the journey towards USP compliance by reviewing and updating policies and procedures, perfoming design reviews, conducting gap analysis, and developing staff education. One of her projects includes a program to assist health-systems in combatting unintended HD drug exposure.  Through this program, she works with a multidisciplinary health system team to develop SOPs, create a plan for HD-environmental wipe testing, patient care area cleaning, disposal of body fluid and HD-contaminated supplies, and staff education. Additionally, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Strauss has developed programs to support firms in ensuring safety and compliance for hand sanitizer development and FDA registration and product listing.

On a professional front, Dr. Strauss has also been involved with a number of ASHP initiatives over the past 4 years. over the course of 2017-2018, she worked with ASHP leadership and industry experts to update the ASHP Guideline for Selecting Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Suppliers. And recently, Dr. Strauss served as a faculty member along with other industry experts and developed content for both the ASHP Compounded Sterile Preparation Certificate Program for Pharmacists and the ASHP Sterile Product Preparation Certificate for Pharmacy Technicians. These programs will support pharmacists as they prepare to sit for Board Certified Sterile Compounding Pharmacist (BCSCP) pharmacy certification examination and technicians as they prepare to sit for the Certified Compounded Sterile Preparation Technician™ (CSPT™) Exam.

Initial Involvement in ASHP

I currently serve as a member on the Section of Pharmacy Practice Leaders Educational Steering Committee, where we worked on developing educational content for the upcoming Midyear Clinical Meeting and Conference for Pharmacy Leaders.  In  2018-2019,I served as Chair of the SPPL Section Advisory Group on Leadership Development. Our group had an extremely active year and successfully developed podcasts, blogs, and webinars on topics such as organizational department culture and executive presence. Each year, I also volunteer for the ASHP CV review program. I enjoy connecting with and providing feedback to student pharmacists and young practitioners.

Why did you become involved in ASHP? 

I first became a member of ASHP over 10 years ago. I was very fortunate to have mentors early in my career as a pharmacy student, resident, and young practitioner that reinforced the value of professional involvement, networking, and giving back to your profession. Through my mentors as a student, including the late Dr. Henry Cobb III, and then my mentors and colleagues in residency and as a young practitioner in Pittsburgh, including Laura and Scott Mark, Rafael Saenz, and Matt Eberts, I was supported and encouraged to become involved in ASHP. I began my ASHP involvement on the New Practitioners Forum Advisory Group on Public Affairs and Advocacy. As a resident and new practitioner, I was fortunate for the opportunity to serve on the Commission on Credentialing and the Council on Pharmacy Management. During my HSPA residency, I had a leadership rotation at the ASHP headquarters where I was exposed to a variety of policy initiatives and professional projects. Then, from 2013 to 2019, I enjoyed productive and active involvement on the SPPM SAG on Manager/Leadership Development as a member, then Vice Chair and finally chair. Through these 6 years, I worked with colleagues to develop publications, webinars, and podcasts for pharmacy leaders across the country. I also presented the ASHP student leadership development workshop on many occasions in both Pennsylvania and in Boston. And lastly, I have worked with ASHP in a variety of contract roles on writing policies, guidelines, and other professional resources. Ultimately, the opportunity to create lasting connections with fellow pharmacy leaders and develop resources for other pharmacy leaders working on the same issues I had on my plate has been extremely rewarding.

Advice for Someone New to Specialty Area

Whether you are a health system pharmacy manager overseeing a cleanroom or are working in pharmacy industry with a supportive product or service, our goal is ultimately to ensure the safety of our patients, the safety and success of our employees, and environmental protection from unintended contamination. By keeping these three elements as your priority, you can prioritize your daily work and keep yourself grounded. Also, as you are asked to take on additional responsibilities, think about how your roles and responsibilities support the overall mission of your department/organization and whether they contribute to and support your personal and professional philosophies. One thing that I wish I had recognized earlier in my role as a health system pharmacy leader is that putting in more hours does not necessarily equal better. There is an increased emphasis on leader burnout and pharmacist burnout and ASHP is developing fantastic resources on this very important topic. It is important as leaders, that we build a culture of resiliency and well-being and start with ourselves first. Don't feel guilty about leaving at 4:30 or 5pm to make it to a spin or yoga class. Set the example by encouraging junior leaders and leaders in training to (students/HSPA residents) to set aside time for themselves as well. If you see a junior manager frequently coming in early and working late, work with them to develop healthier work habits and encourage them to prioritize their own self-care. As Sara White states, our career is an M-shaped curve and will include early and increasing professional involvement, a dip while children are young, and then a reclaiming of professional involvement once children and family responsibilities might go down.

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

The value of ASHP is absolutely what you make of it! The connections, opportunities, and projects I have worked on have made positive impact not only on the trajectory of my career, but have impacted the careers of many young and upcoming pharmacists and hopefully many more to come. My sustained involvement has meant more than just checking a box for “professional involvement.” It has created meaningful and lasting friendships that I hope to maintain and continue to grow for many years. Getting involved in ASHP first through pursuing an ASHP-accredited residency and then through committees and advisory groups has connected me with pharmacists practicing in my specialty all over the country. When I’m working through a difficult work project or need to bounce an idea off another colleague, it is my ASHP connections that I turn to first. I can simply pick up my phone and reach out to a dozen or more colleagues.

What is the value of ASHP for the profession?

The amazing team of staff and leaders at ASHP headquarters work tirelessly to support pharmacists and pharmacy technicians by creating educational programs, forums for professional networking, and resources for professional and regulatory issues. I encourage all pharmacists to explore what else ASHP can do for you. If you’ve never served on a committee or advisory group, consider applying! Next time you’re dealing with a professional issue or are looking for background information on a new initiative at your facility, check out the ASHP website for content and resources. ASHP and its state affiliates also work hard to advocate for advancing the roles of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians at the national and state levels. So, the next time you’re thinking about how you can grow professionally, think about the value of ASHP and how it can help further develop your career!