In the Spotlight July, 2015
Name: Emmanuel Enwere, Pharm.D., M.S.
Title: Clinical Informatics Pharmacist
Work Location: The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center,
Houston, TX
His Story
Dr. Enwere received his Doctor of Pharmacy from The University of Texas College of Pharmacy
in 2012. He also earned a Master of Science in Health-System Pharmacy Administration at The
Ohio State University and completed a 2-year Pharmacy Practice Residency with an emphasis in
pharmacy informatics at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in 2014. After the
completion of his residency, Dr. Enwere accepted a Clinical Informatics Pharmacist position at
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in his hometown of Houston, Texas. Dr.
Enwere's main areas of interest and expertise currently include clinical decision support,
formulary management, process improvement, pharmacy finance, operations and automation.
During his residency Dr. Enwere was able to serve on the New Practitioners Forum
Communications and Technology Advisory Group (CTAG) where he collaborated with other new
practitioners on a variety of different projects. Most recently, the Q&A ASHP Connect
community article that he worked on with his CTAG subcommittee was published in the June
2015 edition of AJHP. Dr. Enwere also served a second year on the New Practitioners Forum
Communications Advisory Group (CAG) where he had the opportunity to help develop a
roadmap that describes all the different ways that ASHP members can get involved. Dr. Enwere
is also excited to serve as a member of the Section Advisory Group on Clinical Information
Systems in 2015-2016.
Current Pharmacy Practice
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center is one of 41 National Cancer Institutedesignated comprehensive cancer centers and is continually recognized as one of the nation’s
top leading cancer care hospitals. MD Anderson is a 650 plus bed Academic Medical Center
with multiple outpatient clinics on the main campus and throughout the city of Houston. MD
Anderson Cancer Network has many collaborative partnerships nationally and internationally.
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Significant Projects
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center is in the process of implementing Epic as
their new electronic health record (EHR) system, and Dr. Enwere is highly involved with the
development of the system. The Division of Pharmacy at MD Anderson is also undergoing a
practice model change, and he is assisting on projects related to pharmacy acuity scoring
systems, clinical documentation, and quality improvement of pharmacy services.
The Division of Pharmacy was recently awarded with an ASHP Foundation Demonstration Grant
to help study “The Impact of a Pharmacy Driven Transitions of Care Program on Post-Discharge
Healthcare Utilization at a National Comprehensive Cancer Center.” Dr. Enwere serves as a coinvestigator for this project, and he is pleased to have the opportunity to participate on such an
exciting project.
Advice for Someone New to Your Specialty Area
"I strongly advise anyone new to pharmacy informatics to seek out a mentor or a network of
colleagues that you can share ideas with and learn from their experiences. Someone once told
me that “experience is the best teacher, and it is a shame if we make the same mistakes that
others have.” Therefore, it would be beneficial to develop relationships with other hospitals
that use the same pharmacy system and attend pharmacy meetings."
"I would also advise pharmacists to develop relationships in areas outside of pharmacy.
Medications are touched by many healthcare providers, and the decisions pharmacy makes can
have a huge impact on nurses and physicians. It is critical to weigh the advantages and
disadvantages of any medication-related change to an integrated EHR system, because it will
help make the best decision for your institution and not just the pharmacy department."
Value of ASHP
"I would describe ASHP as an extremely valuable resource that includes tons of information
online, amazing networking opportunities, webinars, live programming, and an up-to-date
pharmacy journal. In regards to involvement, you definitely get what you put in and more!"
"I consider ASHP a fantastic organization with the potential to be even better if we are able to
get all pharmacists to join in and support the cause. I also see ASHP as a progressive advocacy
group for all pharmacist and pharmacy technicians nationwide. ASHP is making many strides
related to gaining provider status, transitions of care, sterile compounding, and many other
progressive pharmacy issues that impact all pharmacist and not just members of ASHP.
Therefore, I encourage anyone in health-system pharmacy who is not a member of ASHP to
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join, so we can receive the ultimate value as an organization and as a member. "
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