Rebecca Tourtellotte
I have recently returned to Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA) after finishing my post-graduate residency training. I completed my first year of training at CHA and then went on to the Hunter Holmes McGuire Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Richmond, Virginia to complete a second year of residency, specializing in psychiatric pharmacy. This training has given me a solid foundation in psychopharmacology and the management of patients with various psychiatric diagnoses. I also plan to pursue board certification in psychiatric pharmacy in the next few months to further advance my knowledge and commitment to this field. Throughout my training, I have had a passion for working with and advocating for patients with serious mental illness. I strive to provide these patients with evidence-based, patient-centered care. As I make my transition from resident to clinician, I look forward to the opportunity to this patient population at CHA.
My current position of Clinical Pharmacist Specialist at CHA will be the first ambulatory pharmacist position specifically dedicated to work with the psychiatry department. I will also be cross-trained in primary care (e.g., diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia management, etc.) which will enable me to provide comprehensive care to the patients I see. As the first ambulatory clinical pharmacist working in psychiatry, I have the opportunity, in collaboration with Monica Akus and Jennifer Greenwold, to build this service from the ground up. Together we can identify areas of need within the department and decide how my time can be best allocated in the department. One of these areas of need is team-based care. As a member of the behavioral health team I will be able to provide expertise in psychiatric medication therapy that complements the skills of the other members of the health care team. Additionally, a shortage of mental health providers across the country has created difficulties obtaining timely psychiatric care and integrating a pharmacist into the mental health care team can increase access to care and offload some of the burden from other providers.
We plan to conduct a performance improvement project as we undertake this pilot service, and participating in the Gold Innovation Fellowship would provide us with the tools and knowledge to successfully implement and evaluate this change project. Although I have had some experience with quality improvement projects during my residencies, I believe I would benefit from the education this fellowship provides to further develop my skills. Completing this fellowship so early in my career would give me the foundation to continue to successfully undertake change projects throughout my career. I look forward to the opportunity to create and evaluate change at CHA as we begin this new collaboration between pharmacotherapy and psychiatry to provide team-based care.
Click here to learn more about Rebecca’s fellowship project.
