West-Strum receives praise for EPIQ program

Donna West-Strum, a University of Mississippi department chair and professor in the School of Pharmacy, was recently recognized for her role in creating the University’s Educating Pharmacists in Quality (EPIQ) program.

Selected as the 2015 Duncan Neuhauser Award winner by the Academy for Healthcare Improvement, the EPIQ program is an educational tool used to enhance and improve the teaching of pharmacists, pharmacy students and other industry workers in regards to reporting, measuring and pharmacy performance.

“We are honored to receive this prestigious award,” West-Strum said. “It is nice to be recognized for our passion and dedication to improving pharmacy quality."

Created in partnership with the Pharmacy Quality Alliance and several other industry professionals, the EPIQ program consists of five modules and 26 online sessions that serve as a resource for those wishing to continue and improve their education.

“My colleagues and I are grateful for PQA’s support and the adoption of this educational tool by so many faculty across the country,” West-Strum said. “This tool provides access to important material for learning about pharmacy quality measurement and improvement. Hopefully, pharmacists and pharmacy students are being empowered to improve the quality of pharmacy care."

Since its launch in Aug. 2014, the EPIQ program has been downloaded more than 63,000 times.