Alumni Profile: Dr. Justin Bednar (’11)

Dr. Justin Bednar (’11) began working at the Multonomah County Health Department’s Mid County Health Center as a Clinical Pharmacist at the end of October 2013. The transition to this position offers Bednar opportunities to grow as a pharmacist in the ambulatory care setting. He works to optimize complex drug regimens, perform medication reconciliation, address adherence issues, reduce hospital recidivism, and co-manage multiple disease states through collaborative drug practice agreements. Since his position is new to the Health Department, Bednar and his colleagues are working to establish an ambulatory care program from the very beginning. They are designing programs to assist in the transition of patient care from hospital admissions, and developing new collaborative practice agreements to co-manage high-risk medications and disease states.

Since beginning work at the Health Department, Bednar and his team of clinical pharmacists have created collaborative practice agreements for clozapine monitoring, diabetes management, hypertension management, and lipid management. They have launched a hospital follow-up service used to review a patient’s medications immediately after hospital discharge. This service helps to ensure safety and efficacy, and identifies potential drug therapy problems. The team coordinates care with community and inpatient pharmacists to ensure the highest quality of patient care.

Bednar hopes to continue to develop the services offered at the Mid County Health Center and build interdisciplinary relationships with other health care professionals. He also hopes to create a dynamic ambulatory care rotation for fourth year pharmacy students. On a personal level, Bednar hopes to learn Spanish and take the BCPS exam. It is evident by Bednar’s remarks, he greatly enjoys his position at the Health Department:

“Ambulatory care is an exciting and growing area for pharmacists. Primary care providers only have so much time to spend with patients at each visit, making ambulatory pharmacists a valuable clinic asset in assisting patients to meet their health goals. Over 50% of the patient population at my clinic does not speak English… Because of the language barrier, these patients are at an increased risk of drug related therapy problems. This makes the role of the ambulatory pharmacist all the more important…[I] encourage students to explore the rewarding and exciting opportunities that working in public health offers.”