ASHP CE Center

Dr. Fox is originally from Daphne, Alabama, a bay community outside of Mobile, Alabama. He received a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy and a Doctor of Pharmacy from Auburn University Harrison School of Pharmacy in Auburn, Alabama. He worked in the health-system software development industry as a pharmacy specialist. Dr. Fox then returned to Auburn University's Department of Pharmacy Care Systems where he earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree, serving as a Fellow with the American Foundation for Pharmaceutical Education. Dr. Fox spent the next two years as an Assistant Professor and the Director of the Center for Pharmacy Informatics at Shenandoah University's Bernard J. Dunn School of Pharmacy. He subsequently returned to the Harrison School of Pharmacy where he serves as the Assistant to the Dean for Educational Technology. In this role, Dr. Fox focuses on evaluation, selection, implementation, training, and monitoring of information technologies to support the School's education, research, and outreach missions. Current initiatives within the School include an electronic medical record to be used longitudinally throughout the curriculum, an electronic documentation system, and implementation of technology, facilities, and personnel for a satellite campus in Mobile. Other responsibilities include building an integrated electronic portfolio for students and faculty, integration of pharmaceutical technology into the professional curriculum, and development of web-based programs to capture educational assessment data. Dr. Fox's teaching, research, and outreach activities are focused on the optimal use of healthcare information technology to improve patient outcomes. He has delivered more than 100 presentations, posters, and papers on the integration of information technology into healthcare systems. Dr. Fox is also very active in several national professional associations. He is coauthor of a skills based book on healthcare informatics, published by the American Pharmacists Association in 2005. Brent is married to the former M. Georgia Wavra. They enjoy exercising, attending Auburn sporting events, and entertaining friends and family in their spare time.

Originally from Connecticut, Karl graduated from Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts, with a Bachelors of Science in Pharmacy. He completed a Pharmacy Practice Residency at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, DC. He began her career in Baltimore, Maryland, with the University of Maryland Medical System as a clinical pharmacist in Neonatology. Karl spent much of his time obtaining clinical skills in nutrition support of the critically ill infant. After five years, he returned to Children’s National Medical Center as a Clinical Coordinator and the Director of the Residency Training Program. During his time at Children’s, he eventually became Director of Pharmacy. Some of his achievements were to install a computerized provider order entry (CPOE) system, plan for an Oncology Satellite, and to expand clinical services. He currently serves as Director of the ASHP Section of Pharmacy Informatics and Technology. As Director of the Section of Pharmacy Informatics and Technology, Karl guides the strategic planning and coordinates all activities of this newly formed membership component group. He is responsible for facilitating the active participation and involvement of pharmacists involved in informatics within ASHP. Since the Section will focus on the integration of information and technology into clinical pharmacy practice, there will be many opportunities to influence the future of pharmacy. Karl has given professional presentations on a variety of topics both internationally and domestically. He was president of the Washington Metropolitan Society of Health-System Pharmacists, and he has helped coordinate a skills development seminar series for the Pharmacy Residents and Fellows in the DC metropolitan area.

Mark H. Siska, R.Ph. MBA/TM Mark Siska is the Assistant Director of Informatics and Technology for Pharmacy Services at Mayo Clinic Rochester. He has been actively engaged in the development, implementation, support & oversight of medication related electronic applications and automation supporting a fully integrated electronic medical record at Mayo Clinic Rochester for over 8 years. These initiatives include CPOE, eMAR, electronic medication charting, automated dispensing cabinets, e-prescribing, bed-side bar code medication charting and inventory management systems. Mark is the current chair of ASHP’s Section of Informatics and Technology and is actively involved in healthcare care technology groups including AMIA and HIMSS. He received his Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy Degree from the University of Illinois, College of Pharmacy in 1980, completed his Hospital Pharmacy Resident training at Saint Mary’s Hospital, Rochester Minnesota in 1981and recently completed his MBA in technology management. He has been involved in pharmacy management for nearly 27 years, supervising in a variety of clinical settings until 1998 when he began focusing his attentions on the electronic environment.

Dr. Fox is originally from Daphne, Alabama, a bay community outside of Mobile, Alabama. He received a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy and a Doctor of Pharmacy from Auburn University Harrison School of Pharmacy in Auburn, Alabama. He worked in the health-system software development industry as a pharmacy specialist. Dr. Fox then returned to Auburn University's Department of Pharmacy Care Systems where he earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree, serving as a Fellow with the American Foundation for Pharmaceutical Education. Dr. Fox spent the next two years as an Assistant Professor and the Director of the Center for Pharmacy Informatics at Shenandoah University's Bernard J. Dunn School of Pharmacy. He subsequently returned to the Harrison School of Pharmacy where he serves as the Assistant to the Dean for Educational Technology. In this role, Dr. Fox focuses on evaluation, selection, implementation, training, and monitoring of information technologies to support the School's education, research, and outreach missions. Current initiatives within the School include an electronic medical record to be used longitudinally throughout the curriculum, an electronic documentation system, and implementation of technology, facilities, and personnel for a satellite campus in Mobile. Other responsibilities include building an integrated electronic portfolio for students and faculty, integration of pharmaceutical technology into the professional curriculum, and development of web-based programs to capture educational assessment data. Dr. Fox's teaching, research, and outreach activities are focused on the optimal use of healthcare information technology to improve patient outcomes. He has delivered more than 100 presentations, posters, and papers on the integration of information technology into healthcare systems. Dr. Fox is also very active in several national professional associations. He is coauthor of a skills based book on healthcare informatics, published by the American Pharmacists Association in 2005. Brent is married to the former M. Georgia Wavra. They enjoy exercising, attending Auburn sporting events, and entertaining friends and family in their spare time.

Dr. Pedersen is an Associate Professor at The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy. He is married and has four children. Dr. Pedersen was born in Seattle, Washington and received his Bachelor of Science degree (1989) in Pharmacy from the University of Washington. He earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree (1995) in pharmacy administration from The University of South Carolina. Prior to joining The Ohio State University, Dr. Pedersen was Assistant Professor at Creighton University. While at Creighton University, Dr. Pedersen co-founded the Center for Practice Improvement and Outcomes Research, and worked extensively with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska in their managed care and pharmacy benefit management operations. He has completed internships in both the pharmaceutical industry and state government. His practice experience includes work as a staff pharmacist in chain, independent, and hospital pharmacy settings. Dr. Pedersen’s research program is in the area of health services research in medication use system management. He conducts research to 1) track and trend national medication use system practices, 2) understand the diffusion of innovations and how to speed the adoption of new technology to improve medication use, 3) understand the impact of different care delivery models, including the application of technologies on medication safety, 4) understand the limits of human performance and impact of designing more robust medication use system that accommodate these limits, 5) understand the culture of improvement and determinants of this culture as it relates to making the changes necessary to improving medication use systems, and 6) create better ways to measure and manage the performance of the medication use system. He has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals and is a frequent speaker on the medication use system and workforce topics. Dr. Pedersen’s research program has attracted over $2.5 million in funding. Dr. Pedersen is an active member of the American Pharmacists Association, the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, and the National Patient Safety Foundation. He has served as Speaker for the APhA House of Delegates and member of the APhA Board of Trustees. Currently, Dr. Pedersen is serving on the FIP Working Group on Pharmacy Workforce.