Pharmacist Receives Statewide Award

Jacqueline Joss, PharmD, anticoagulation pharmacist with Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center, has been named Pharmacist Practitioner of the Year by the Oregon Society of Health-System Pharmacists.

Joss, who goes by JJ, has been with Samaritan since 2001. Since then, she has established an ambulatory care pharmacy practice that has grown into a comprehensive anticoagulation clinic, and programs that help manage anemia, pulmonary wellness, smoking cessation and heart failure. In 2003, she developed the PGY1 residency program, which she still directs. 

She also worked on the “meds to beds” program at GSRMC, which is a collaboration between ambulatory and inpatient pharmacists, with several programs to improve the transition of care between the inpatient and outpatient care settings. Pharmacist residents helped with many of these projects, which provides learning experiences for future clinical pharmacists and improves the care provided to patients. 

Joss collaborates with the Oregon State University College of Pharmacy to precept pharmacy students.  Her nomination for this award was supported by several co-workers who spoke of her patience, grace, kindness and integrity in every situation.

“Personally, I believe JJ is the consummate professional,” said Penny Reher, Chief Pharmacy Officer for Samaritan Health Services. “She is the kind of practitioner every pharmacist should aspire to be. She gives 100-plus-percent day in and day out, she is an encyclopedia of pharmacy knowledge, a trusted colleague and a dear friend who has enriched my life from the moment that she entered it.  This is a richly deserved award and we are all very proud of her.”

Joss said she was extremely humbled to receive the award.

“I could not do any of it without the great multidisciplinary teams we have here,” she said. “The dedication of Samaritan to make sure the needs of the patient always come first, has made this a wonderful place to work. I am very thankful!”

Pictured: Penny Reher, chief pharmacy officer for Samaritan with Jacqueline Joss and Christina Heinrich, who presented the award to Joss