Sharon Jones

Her Story

 Dr. Jones received her BS. Pharmacy from West Virginia Universityin 1981. After practicing 17 years, she completed a non-traditional Pharm. D. at the University of Kentucky 1998, and went on to complete a PGY1 Pharmacy Residency with an Emphasis in Critical Care at Grady Health in Atlanta, Georgia in 2000.

Dr. Jones is currently the Clinical Pharmacy Supervisor, Residency Program Director, and Cardiology Clinical Pharmacy Specialist at St. Mary’s Medical Center in Huntington, West Virginia. She has worked for 21 years in this role.

Her current responsibilities included rounding in a Cardiac Intensive Care Unit, oversight of Medical and Interventional Pharmacy Cardiac programs and leadership of Clinical Pharmacy programs. She is a liaison to physicians during orientation and practice. Committee work includes the Marshall University Investigational Review Board, Critical Care Committee, Diabetic Work Group and Cardiac Section among others. She serves as Secretary of the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee.

Facility

St. Mary's Medical Center is the largest medical facility in Huntington, one of Cabell County's largest private employers (2600+ employees) and, at 393 beds, is among the largest healthcare facilities in West Virginia. It is part of the Mountain Health Network.

As a teaching facility associated with the Joan C. Edwards Marshall University School of Medicine, St. Mary's trains medical residents in several specialties. The hospital campus is home to the St. Mary's School of Nursing, the St. Mary's School of Medical Imaging and the St. Mary’s School of Respiratory Care. All three programs are associated with Marshall University.

St. Mary's specializes  in cardiac care, cancer treatment, emergency/trauma services, neuroscience, and orthopedics feature the exceptional technology and medical expertise that make St. Mary's Medical Center the region's medical leader. Advanced medical care delivered with compassion is the hallmark of St. Mary's reputation.

Recent Significant Projects

Dr. Jones recent projects includes the growth of clinical pharmacy services by the addition of three clinical pharmacy specialists (Oncology, Emergency Medicine, Critical Care) and medication reconciliation pharmacy technicians in the Emergency Department. This effort was supported by the pharmacy clinical team that helped to develop a compelling proposal.

As part of the response to the COVID pandemic, she served at a Vaccine Coordinator for the facility and been very involved in employee and patient vaccination. In addition, she worked directly with state agencies for acquisition and development of programs for infusion of monoclonal antibody therapy. Dr. Jones was a co-chair of the COVID Therapeutics Committee. This intra-disciplinary, steering committee is responsible for all protocols, order sets, and therapeutic modalities. The COVID Therapeutics Team reports directly to the Medical Executive Committee. 

Initial Involvement in ASHP

Dr. Jones serves on the Section Advisory Group (SAG) on Front Line Leaders. She serves  as a Practioner Surveyor of ASHP PGY1 Pharmacy Residency Programs for 15 plus years.

Why did you become involved in ASHP? 

ASHP has played an integral part of my professional life. It provided a venue for posters and presentations, networks for professional development. The guidance documents and practice resources are very important to guide best practices. I serve as a practioner surveyor to support the ASHP goals of pushing toward best practices in pharmacy. The programs energize me to bring best practices to my program.

Advice for Someone New to Specialty Area 

Development of strong, collegial relationships with Physicians, Nursing Leadership, Senior Leadership and allied health care providers is critical to success. Those relationships will help to the build high reliability framework to improve patient outcomes.

The trust and collaboration of your pharmacy team will enable them to grow and develop new programs to advance pharmacy services and improve patient care.

Find the mentor that is vested in your professional development. Meet with the mentor and listen to their advice to guide your professional development

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

ASHP provide support at the grass roots level and advocates at the highest level for the development of Pharmacy Practice.

What is the value of ASHP for the profession?

It provides a voice for development of best practices in all areas where pharmacists are working to improve patient outcomes. ASHP provides a robust platform for involvement, development and advocacy for the profession.