Dr. Jenny Bingham wins pharmacy innovation award
Jenny Bingham, PharmD, BCACP, FAzPA, FNAP, an assistant professor of practice at the University of Arizona R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy, received the 2023 Excellence in Innovation Award from the Arizona Pharmacy Association.
Jenny Bingham, PharmD, BCACP, FAzPA, FNAP
The national award recognizes qualified pharmacists in each state who have demonstrated innovative pharmacy practice that resulted in improved patient care. Dr. Bingham received the award for her work on developing and implementing telehealth best practices and models.
“I am humbled by the nomination and truly honored to be recognized by my colleagues,” Dr. Bingham said. “None of this would be possible without the unwavering support of my telehealth teammates and mentors.”
Dr. Bingham, who serves as a telehealth advanced practice pharmacist for El Rio Health, said she hopes this achievement can inspire others to be an agent of change and to be open-minded to innovative approaches that integrate pharmacists into the interprofessional telehealth care team.
A telehealth pioneer, Dr. Bingham has leveraged research dissemination to impact policy reform and create non-traditional roles within the profession. Some of those efforts include creating the first pharmacist-led chronic care management telehealth program at a local clinic; creating the role and serving as lead pharmacist for one of the first interprofessional transitions of care telehealth programs; serving as the first lead telehealth pharmacist for a rural-based epilepsy clinic; and creating the first four-part professional training series on the role of pharmacists in telehealth in collaboration with the American Pharmacists Association.
Her work in telehealth ramped up during the pandemic as health care professionals worked quickly to implement best practices to address the global health crisis. “The pandemic forced us to adapt overnight and implement new methods of patient care that would have otherwise taken years to develop,” Dr. Bingham said.
Advocacy is top of mind for Dr. Bingham. Her service on task forces and advisory boards during the pandemic contributed to extended telehealth flexibilities beyond the pandemic.
She said the effort is ultimately about serving as a source of inspiration to the next generation of pharmacists.
“I teach my students the value of getting involved in organizations and volunteering because that is how they can grow the profession and open doors to new opportunities,” she said.
Dr. Bingham is researching the needs and requirements for clinicians who want to conduct telehealth services as part of the larger digital health umbrella. She is also focused on how best to integrate telehealth, as a modality of care, into pharmacy practice curriculum.
The Arizona Pharmacy Association was founded in 1910. Its mission is to serve and represent “all pharmacy professionals by fostering safe and effective medication therapy, promoting innovative practice and empowering its members to serve the health care needs of the public.”
A version of this story originally appeared on the Coit College of Pharmacy website.