UF clinical pharmacy faculty named IOM Anniversary Fellow in Pharmacy

IOMfellow_StevenSmith_JSJ_6JJ9145Steven M. Smith, Pharm.D., M.P.H., a clinical assistant professor of pharmacy and medicine at the University of Florida, has been selected as the 2014-16 Institute of Medicine Anniversary Fellow in Pharmacy.

Anniversary fellows in pharmacy, internal medicine and osteopathic medicine were announced Oct. 20 at the IOM 44th annual meeting at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C., which Smith attended.

In commemoration of its 35th anniversary in 2005, the IOM established two anniversary fellows programs in medicine. A two-year pharmacy fellowship was added in 2012 through the support of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy and the American College of Clinical Pharmacy.

UF College of Pharmacy Dean Julie A. Johnson, Pharm.D., elected as a new IOM member this year, felt doubly honored that another faculty member in her college was chosen for the pharmacy fellowship.

“Dr. Smith has a unique opportunity to enhance his knowledge and experience through the pharmacy fellowship,” Johnson said. “But, moreover, he will carry the responsibility of representing, at the national level, the interprofessional role of all pharmacists charged with improving patient care in clinical practice settings.”

Smith, whose research and clinical practice are in the area of cardiovascular pharmacotherapy and hypertension, is the co-director the UF Family Medicine Pharmacy Fellowship, and oversees 30 student pharmacists per year at the UF Health Family Medicine at Main clinic in Gainesville. The practice is part of the UF College of Medicine’s Community Health and Family Medicine network, which cares for more than 40,000 patients. Smith also plays a critical role in the training of 30 family practice residents within the family medicine training program at UF Health.

Smith is a member of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy, American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, American Society of Hypertension, American Heart Association and National Lipid Association.

Established for early-career faculty as future leaders in their field, the IOM fellowship provides a $25,000 flexible research stipend and requires up to 20 percent commitment of time for two years. Working under an IOM member who will serve as a mentor, Smith also will attend a one-week orientation on health policy and will contribute to the work of an appropriate expert study committee. He also will be appointed to an IOM board and attend its regular meetings. Boards include Health Sciences Policy; Health Care Services; and Children, Youth and Families, among others.

Fellows gain opportunities to meet a variety of experts with multiple perspectives, including legislators, government officials, industry leaders, executives of voluntary health organizations, scientists and other health professionals.

Founded in 1970, the IOM joined the National Research Council and the National Academy of Engineering as part The National Academy of Sciences. Collectively the four nonprofit member organizations, known as the National Academies, serve as independent advisers to our national government.

More than 2,000 IOM members and foreign associates collectively provide scientific information related to health and medicine to Congress and other policymakers as part of a shared goal of improving health.