By Kevin Dudley
Originally posted in the WSU Health Sciences Spokane Extra February 5, 2021
WSU Health Sciences Spokane is pleased to announce that College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Science’s Angie Stewart was selected as incoming executive director for the Yakima Valley Interprofessional Practice and Education Collaborative (YVIPEC).
Currently an associate dean for WSU’s Doctor of Pharmacy program in Yakima and an associate professor in Pharmacotherapy, Stewart has been an integral part of the YVIPEC since its inception, serving on various committees and leadership positions. Her experience will help build on progress made over the past few years and lead to greater impacts as the Collaborative begins its next strategic plan.
The Collaborative was created by four universities in Washington’s Yakima Valley about five years ago to launch a sweeping experiment in interprofessional education. The team-based approach begins in classrooms, eventually flowing to simulation training and clinical experiences in the community. Some 20 years of research and evidence shows such collaboration improves the quality and cost-effectiveness of health care.
“Students readily buy in to the philosophy behind why interprofessional education and interprofessional practice are so important,” said Mark Leid, dean for the WSU College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. “Now, these students will have the added benefit of experiencing Angie’s leadership as she builds on the innovative concepts already in place thanks to previous director Keith Monosky and the YVIPEC team, who we are grateful to.”
Stewart will continue to maintain her formal administrative and faculty positions with WSU. Monosky leaves the YVIPEC director role as he retires from Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences (PNWU) in March. Stewart and Monosky are already working on transitioning roles.
In addition to WSU pharmacy students, YVIPEC also includes nursing students from WSU; osteopathic medical students from PNWU; public health, paramedic and dietitian students from Central Washington University; and nursing and physician assistant students from Heritage University.
Said Stewart, “Having four universities involved in YVIPEC makes the collaboration unique among the growing number of interprofessional education programs. Students across the board want to work as part of a team, particularly when they know teamwork will help them better take care of their patients in the future.”
Stewart received her BS in pharmacy from the University of Washington and her PharmD from the University of Texas, Austin and University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio (UTHSCSA). She completed a PGY1 residency at St. Joseph Hospital in Tacoma and a specialty residency in adult internal medicine at the UTHSCSA and Bexar County Hospital District in San Antonio.
She is a board-certified Pharmacotherapy specialist with more than 30 years of experience caring for patients and precepting students. Her precepting happened within multiple inpatient and ambulatory care teams at Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital where she served as residency director and clinical pharmacy supervisor.
She is a two-time board member and past president of the Washington State Pharmacy Association and remains active in the association locally and on the state level. Stewart teaches throughout the PharmD curriculum in courses including politics, leadership, management, and medication safety. Her current research interests center around interprofessional education and the scholarship of teaching and learning.
Please join us in congratulating Stewart on this achievement!