Ohio Valley General Hospital has joined the Academic Partners Program of the Duquesne University Mylan School of Pharmacy, becoming the latest member of a unique network of regional hospitals, health systems and health care providers collaborating with the pharmacy school.
The program’s mission is to enhance pharmacy practice at each member site, improving patient care and advancing clinical research. To date, 10 regional hospitals are partners in this program, which also provides educational and practice opportunities for Duquesne University faculty and student pharmacists.
This formal collaboration between an academic institution and pharmacy health care providers is the first of its kind in Pittsburgh, according to Dr. Thomas J. Mattei, associate dean of the Mylan School of Pharmacy.
“Through the Academic Partners Program, Duquesne University can facilitate the process for our partners to access the most up-to-date information and pharmaceutical resources to enhance patient care,” explained Mattei. “The available services range from direct access to clinical specialists and research scientists to technological resources such as software for medical therapy management and drug utilization.”
The network members also can share information with each other about best practices and strategies to enhance health and economic outcomes. Mylan School Faculty Dr. Nicole Tagliavia and Dr. Holly Lassila began their practice at Ohio Valley General Hospital on May 1. Tagliavia, in collaboration with Dr. Tony Baroni, a physician hospitalist at Ohio Valley General Hospital, will provide medication therapy management, drug information, patient education and other clinical pharmacy services to the hospital patients. In addition, he will develop wellness, disease prevention and disease management services for hospital employees and the community. Lassila will team with Ohio Valley Pain Treatment Center Director Dr. David Provenzano to provide a multidisciplinary approach to chronic pain treatment to the center’s outpatients, and they will collaborate on clinical research projects and health outcome studies.
“We are very excited to partner with the Mylan School of Pharmacy,” Provenzano said. “I believe it will be truly a symbiotic relationship which will result in the advancements in clinical care, in education of students and in superb clinical research. I have been impressed with the academic talent and enthusiasm of the professors and administration at the Mylan School. I think in a few years we will look back and see how special this relationship has been for Ohio Valley General Hospital and Duquesne University.”
Ohio Valley Hospital and Pain Treatment Center also will serve as primary training sites for Duquesne’s student pharmacists.
Duquesne University
Duquesne is a private, coeducational university with more than 10,000 students. An extensive selection of undergraduate and graduate degree programs is offered across 10 schools of study. Duquesne is consistently ranked among the nation's top Catholic universities for its award-winning faculty and 130-year tradition of academic excellence. |
