Stefanie Ferreri, Pharm.D., is the recipient of the 2018 Distinguished Achievement Award in Pharmacy Practice from the American Pharmacists Association. The award recognizes an individual who has developed or implemented an innovative, original pharmacy program or service that is significant to their area of practice.
Ferreri is a clinical professor at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy and executive vice chair of the Division of Pharmacy Practice and Clinical Education. She is a fellow of the APhA and a board certified ambulatory care pharmacist.
APhA selected Ferreri for her role in the development and implementation of a collaborative care model in which community pharmacists are integrated into the medical home care team. Ferreri was selected to join the team of University of North Carolina researchers that partnered with Community Care of North Carolina to develop the innovative model with a three-year CMS Innovation Award. Ferreri worked with some 250 community pharmacists statewide to help implement the model in their pharmacy. She helped community pharmacists build collaborative relationships with other members of the care team, provided pharmacies with support to implement clinical services in their pharmacy, and provided feedback on documentation processes for clinical services. In the last year, the model has expanded to almost all 50 states. Due to its success, the CDC presented Ferreri with an award that will allow her to build on the model to include a falls prevention program for older adults in community pharmacies.
In recent years, Ferreri has developed two postgraduate learning opportunities at the School. The first is the Community Pharmacy Research Fellowship. This two-year fellowship trains graduates for research careers in academia. The second is the Independent Pharmacy Ownership Residency. This one-year residency trains future independent owners.
Launched in partnership with the National Community Pharmacists Association and Mutual Drug Company, in 2015, the Independent Pharmacy Ownership Residency is aimed at new graduates interested owning a pharmacy.
“The independent pharmacy ownership residency program teaches residents innovative and entrepreneurial techniques to be pharmacy owners in an evolving health-care market,” Ferreri said. “They get the skills, confidence and experience needed to create a viable business model for community pharmacies of the future.”
The residency currently encompasses 10 locations in North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin with more planned. There are four residents in the 2017–2018 class.
Ferreri’s main research interests include advancing clinical practice in the community-pharmacy setting. Through her research, she hopes to change the way community practice is portrayed and delivered to the population of the United States while influencing reimbursement strategies that affect health policy. Her other teaching and research interests include nonprescription therapeutics, medication therapy management and transitions of care.