In this episode, our guest is Dr. Leigh Ann Ross who is the Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs at the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy and Professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice. She previously served as the Chair of the Department of Pharmacy Practice and currently serves as Director of the Center for Clinical and Translational Science and Research Professor in the Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences at UM. Dr. Ross also works with the John D. Bower School of Population Health at the University of Mississippi Medical Center as a Professor in the Department of Population Health Science.

Dr. Ross received a Bachelor of Business Administration and a Doctor of Pharmacy from Ole

Miss. She completed a Primary Care Pharmacy Residency at UMMC. Since joining the faculty in

2009, Dr. Ross has led practice initiatives to implement medication management services at the

Medical Center and in communities through UM’s Community-Based Research Program. In

addition to her work in pharmacy, Dr. Ross completed a 2-year Congressional Fellowship in the

Office of U.S. Senator Thad Cochran where she served as policy advisor on health care and also

worked on labor, housing, and economic development. Dr. Ross is a graduate of Leadership

Mississippi and has been actively involved in professional organizations at a state and national

level. She is a Past President of the Mississippi Pharmacists Association and current President-

Elect of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy. Dr. Ross is passionate about leadership

development and advocacy within our profession.

Key points:

Service - I love professional service and I feel it is important to encourage our students and early career pharmacists to be involved in professional organizations. I have worked with most all professional organizations over the last 20 years, but my current focus is as President-Elect of ACCP and member of their Board of Regents.

Leadership - I am passionate about leadership development. I appreciate the mentorship provided to me in this area and have tried to incorporate this into our curriculum for both students and residents.

Advocacy - I feel advocacy to move pharmacy forward is very important. I have enjoyed building on my experience as a Health Policy Fellow and working with others to better understand legislative processes and how to advocate for our profession.

Practice Advancement / Community-Based Research - I had the opportunity early in my career to lead the Pharmaceutical Care Clinics at UMMC, comprised of pharmacist-run clinics and interprofessional clinics and later to work with colleagues to implement a Community-Based Research Program to implement medication management services (like those in the Pharmaceutical Care Clinics) in community pharmacy and clinic settings. Through the Community-Based Research Program, we have established a number of partnerships, such as the Mississippi State Department of Health.

Research - Most recently, I worked with colleagues to establish a Center for Clinical and Translational Science in our Research Institute. This Center is structured to facilitate research across the translational spectrum from basic research to clinical trials to communities. Our community research is now housed in this Center.

Guest - Leigh Ann Ross, PharmD, BCPS, FASHP, FCCP, FAPhA, FNAP

Host - Hillary Blackburn, PharmD, MBA

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