JIM AND JEAN CLARK

All that remained for Jim Clark to meet his graduation requirements from the Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences was a Red Cross certification class. As luck would have it, “a lovely instructor named Jean was teaching and I asked for her number at the end of class. The rest is history,” says Jim.

While their early careers brought them together by chance, the Clarks designed their career paths with purpose during their 46-year marriage. “As a hospital pharmacist, I prepared specialized IVs for burn patients, among other responsibilities,” says Jim. “I loved the hospital setting, but it was always my goal to work in pharmaceutical research and innovation. During my 40 years in the pharmaceutical industry, of which 23 were at Johnson & Johnson, I advanced in different roles and participated in a variety of leading initiatives.” With a master’s degree in elementary education, Jean’s focus as an educator spanned early childhood education and program development, as well as coaching high school sports. “I love young people and education is a pathway to opportunity,” she says.

“In the two decades since moving to Doylestown, we’ve watched Doylestown Hospital evolve,” shares Jim. “It offers the high quality and expertise of a big city hospital in a smaller setting.” While their appreciation for Doylestown Hospital grew as lifetime members of Friends of the Heart Institute, Jim and Jean also wondered how their involvement could grow in other areas of the health system. Jim’s interest in pharmacy led to a meeting with Christine Roussel, PharmD, BCOP, BCSCP, the Senior Executive Director for Pharmacy, Laboratory, and Medical Research, in 2019.

“Pharmacists serve as medication therapy experts in the healthcare system,” says Roussel. “Most patient treatments involve one or more types of medication, whether it’s a surgical procedure, diagnostic and radiologic studies, or wound care.” At Doylestown Health, 20 full-time pharmacists and 14 part-time pharmacists provide care across a variety of settings and specialities: cardiology, emergency medicine, intensive care, infectious diseases, internal medicine, long term care, transitions of care, oncology and outpatient infusion, pharmacy informatics, pharmacy operations, and investigational drugs. Given the complexity and volume of medications required, highly specialized pharmacists are located within the second floor Della Penna Cardiovascular Intensive Care/Interventional Unit and the third floor Putman Intensive Care/Intermediate Unit opened as part of the Cardiovascular and Critical Care Pavilion.

Doylestown Hospital is consistently recognized both regionally and nationally as a leader in patient safety. Pharmacists play a critical role in the achievement of this distinction by proactively monitoring orders and ensuring that each medicine used is evidence-based, with over 100,000 doses of medication dispensed each month. “Medications must be 100-percent accurate, and our pharmacy team is responsible for tracking and dispensing over 3,000 different medications,” says Scott Levy, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Doylestown Health. “Being an early adopter of medication barcode tracking—deployed at Doylestown Hospital in 2007—is one striking example,” according to Levy. “The collaboration between our pharmacists, physicians, nurses, and care teams is unparalleled, and we were especially proud of that during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing vaccine distribution campaign in our community,” he says.

From the Clarks’ first meeting and tour of the Doylestown Hospital Pharmacy they knew they had chosen a leading institution. “I was impressed to see the highest levels of expertise and specialization of pharmacy leadership and technology, like the state-of-the-art cleanroom—a valuable tool to prevent particulate and microbial contamination while processing and compounding all sterile medications,” Jim observed. “This pharmacy is on par with university hospitals in its configuration and quality.”

As their conversation progressed, the Clarks and Dr. Roussel discussed plans for a new pharmacy residency program. Launching a post-graduate year one (PGY1) residency program is a rigorous process: hospitals must meet the highest standards in five specialty areas of pharmacy to qualify, and then must match with a resident. “It’s unusual for a hospital of this size to have this program,” says Roussel. “Only 17 percent of hospitals host post-graduate pharmacist training programs. While we are fortunate to offer this opportunity for advanced training, the greater benefit is increasing the scope of care we can provide to our patients through new program development, increased time at the bedside, and creating a pipeline of future hires with advanced training.”

“We knew immediately the PGY1 residency program was something we wanted to support,” says Jean. “We want to support the hospital’s mission and advance the pharmacy through ongoing education. It’s the perfect blend of both our professional careers and philanthropic interests.”

In June, the Clarks were among the first to greet Robin Isaac, PharmD, Doylestown Hospital’s inaugural PGY1 resident. A graduate and valedictorian of Temple University School of Pharmacy, Isaac was drawn to apply to Doylestown Hospital’s program because of its reputation for patient safety. “It was also evident when I met with Dr. Roussel and the preceptors that they are great at what they do and really care about the patients,” said Isaac. “Being the first resident in this program supported by the Clarks inspires me to be the best resident that I can be.”

“The Clarks’ interest in our program and support of our mission means so much to all of us,” says Dr. Roussel. “Thanks to their generous investment, we are raising the bar higher for the benefit of all the patients we serve.”