Timothy R. Brown, PharmD, RPh

Pharmacotherapy Specialist in Family Medicine
Director of Clinical Pharmacotherapy

Family Medicine is the definition of direct patient care that spans from birth to death. This specialty encompasses preventive measures like smoking cessation and antiplatelet therapy as well as active management of common disease states such as diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension just to name a few. The Specialist in this field affects medication selection at the point of care by direct consultation with other practitioners. The consultation is individualized for each patient seen and involves choosing appropriate treatments based on efficacy, side effect profile, drug interactions, compliance issues and cost concerns. The specialist also maintains office hours that are used as a consult service for other practitioners when patients of the practice need a more directed interaction with a pharmacist. This Pharmacotherapy Consult Service is used to manage chronic disease states where medication regimens are actively reviewed and altered in order to reach standardized goals for each disease state.

This care also extends into the inpatient setting when a patient from the practice center is admitted for care. The Specialist rounds with the team and offers advice on medication selection as well as monitoring. Other areas of impact include formulary compliance, reduction in medication errors and adverse drug reactions, and assistance in transition of the patient back to the outpatient setting.

Many pharmacists choose careers that involve direct patient care. Most complete a Doctor of Pharmacy degree and then seek a residency that suits their goals, whether it is a Pharmacy Practice position or a specialized residency aimed at Ambulatory Care or Family Medicine. Once established, many Specialists work with other practitioners in a family practice setting that may or may not be affiliated with a Family Medicine residency program. Others work in pharmacist-driven clinics that are aimed at specific disease state management. Both paths normally involve teaching other healthcare professionals through appointments to various colleges of pharmacy and medicine and, in some cases, nursing.

How They Got There

As a junior at High Point University in North Carolina, Tim planned on attending medical school by enrolling and completing the required courses. His plans changed only after his advisor commented on an interesting new degree being offered at a small private university in the state. The degree was an entry level Doctor of Pharmacy in which he could “track into” the program without receiving a bachelor’s degree. However, Tim decided to complete his undergraduate degree so he could interview at both medical and pharmacy schools. In his interview at Campbell University, he met Dr. Dan Teat, who impressed him so much with his love for the profession of pharmacy and all the future held for this degree that he dropped his plans for medical school and accepted admission into pharmacy school. This was the first program of its kind on the East Coast and involved not only classroom work but approximately 18 months of clinical rotations with pharmacy practitioners all over the state.

After graduation, Tim was matched with the pharmacy practice residency at the Medical College of Virginia, where he was able to manipulate his time to spend extra months in the pharmacy operated ambulatory clinics. It was while completing these rotations that he determined primary care was the career choice for him. Upon graduation from the residency, Tim interviewed with several programs looking to add a Specialist to the teaching faculty. He selected a position at Akron General Medical Center based on the program outline created by Kathy Donley, RPh and Joe Snoke, RPh, BCPS, which allowed for 100% clinical application within a chosen area of the institution. He has held this position for almost 10 years and is currently the Pharmacotherapy Specialist in Family Medicine for the Department of Pharmacy. He is also considered the Director of Clinical Pharmacotherapy at West Side Family Practice, which includes faculty appointments at the four pharmacy schools in Ohio, as well as being an Associate Professor at the Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine.

Other Professional Activities

Throughout his career, Tim has spoken on a variety of topics across the nation, including how to add a Specialist to a family practice program. His discussion on the need for every family practice residency program to have a dedicated pharmacist has been delivered nationally at the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine conference, as well as several state professional organizations. He continues to teach and educate groups across the Northeast through lectures/discussion on topics ranging from herbal products to hypertension management. He has authored many newsletter articles, book chapters, and acted as a reference for the local media. He currently participates in a radio program aimed at educating the public about their health. Tim also sits on several committees for the hospital as well as serving on the Ohio Patient Safety Institute’ Marketing Committee, in which he has worked with other committee members and Project Learn of Summit County to develop the first medication safety brochure aimed at the low literacy population.

Tim is also actively involved with the local pharmacy society as an Immediate Past President. At the state level, he is acting President Elect and the Chairman of the Membership/Marketing Committee, which was created to increase enrollment as well as develop strategies to keep current members satisfied. He also sits on the finance committee for OSHP and assists in developing the operating budget for the organization. Tim will assume the presidency at the Annual Meeting of the Society this year.

Advanced Training

To become a Pharmacist/Specialist in Family Medicine, you need a Doctor of Pharmacy Degree. Specialty practice usually requires a residency with an emphasis on outpatient care or a specialized residency following completion of a pharmacy practice residency

Advice

" Never let anyone say you are just a pharmacist! You are the reason people live better lives.”