In the Spotlight – September, 2015
Name: Christina E. DeRemer, Pharm.D., BCPS
Title: Internal Medicine Clinical Pharmacist & Medicine Team Supervisor
Work Location: Georgia Regents Health System, Augusta GA
Her Story
Christina received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of the Sciences,
Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, in Philadelphia, PA. After graduation, she completed a
Pharmacy Practice Residency (PGY1) and a Primary Care Pharmacy Specialty Residency (PGY2)
at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA. She then joined the pharmacy
team at MCG Health, now Georgia Regents Health System, and obtained Board Certification as
a Pharmacotherapy Specialist. Christina practices with the adult inpatient internal
medicine/hospitalist services and in the pharmacist-managed ambulatory care anticoagulation
clinic, where she precepts both pharmacy residents and students. She holds an appointment as
Clinical Associate Professor of Pharmacy from the University of Georgia (UGA), College of
Pharmacy.
Christina joined ASHP as a student and has maintained her membership for professional
development, leadership opportunities, and national networking with colleagues. For her
personally, there is a professional fulfillment in knowing that this national organization
encourages and fosters individual participation for the unified mission of forwarding the
profession of pharmacy and feeling the impact made through this involvement.
Overview of Facility/Health System
Based in Augusta, Georgia, GRHealth is a world-class health care network, offering the most
comprehensive primary, specialty and subspecialty care in the region. GRHealth provides
skilled, compassionate care to its patients, conducts innovative clinical research and fosters the
medical education and training of tomorrow’s health care practitioners. GRHealth is a not-for-
profit corporation that manages the clinical operations associated with Georgia Regents
University. GRHealth encompasses: 478-bed Georgia Regents Medical Center, 154-bed
Children's Hospital of Georgia including the region's only Level IV NICU, more than 80
outpatient practice sites in one convenient setting (Medical Office Building), and Critical Care
Center, housing a 13-county regional Level I trauma center.
Significant Projects
Teaching and mentoring residents and students is an essential component of Christina's daily
activities. She has precepted more than 30 residents in both ambulatory and internal medicine
areas and more than 80 students in her 10 years at Georgia Regents Medical Center (GRMC).
She recently accepted the roll as Educational Coordinator for University of Georgia College of
Pharmacy IPPE/APPE pharmacy students at GRMC and was previously the resident coordinator
for GRMC/UGA PGY1 resident class for five years.
With her practice in internal medicine, Christina feels as though she is involved in numerous
aspects of the health system. One of her main focuses has been anticoagulation optimization,
management, and monitoring. Institutionally, she has been collaborating to update the VTE
assessment and protocol, and was previously involved in the out roll and education of the
weight-based heparin protocols. In 2010, Christina was one of the two pharmacists that
established the pharmacist managed anticoagulation clinic.
Regarding anticoagulation-focused scholarship, Christina is completing a 2014 resident project
that collaborated with two electrophysiologist physicians that has been submitted for
publication decision to Cardiovascular Drug and Therapy focusing on the impact of
documentation of atrial fibrillation risk stratifications. She was also a site investigator and
referenced in New England Journal of Medicine for her participation in the Clarification of
Optimal Anticoagulation through Genetics (COAG) trial. Optimizing anticoagulation is an area
of interest and practice focus for Christina.
Her second main focus has been to enhance hospital-based management of insulin for diabetic
patients. Christina has continuously been collaborating with multi-disciplined professional
teams to optimize insulin managed patients. This has been an evolving process that started
with a pilot project and led to an electronic order set for assisting prescribers in ordering insulin
with correction factor insulin and a hypoglycemic protocol. Most recently, after another MUE
assessment, further adjustments to the order set are planned along with a cost saving approach
for insulin delivery to floors.
ASHP | 7272 Wisconsin Avenue, Bethesda, Maryland 20814 | 301-657-3000 |
Page 2
Christina has presented at the ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting, ASHP National Pharmacy
Preceptors Conference, Georgia Association of Perianesthesia Nursing Conference, and is a
regular presenter with the Georgia Society of Health-System Pharmacists and GRU/UGA Grand
Rounds, in addition to institution specific groups and in-services. Many presentations are
related to the above topics of anticoagulation, insulin management, and increasing use of
extenders.
Advice for Someone New to Your Specialty Area
"Be open to change, embrace it and be bold. Being an active member in ASHP has also opened
my eyes to the enjoyment that I receive personally collaborating with others to fulfill a need,
create and complete projects, while working towards a unified goal."
Value of ASHP
"I joined for the networking and residency support, but actively maintain membership for the
overwhelming educational aspect and involvement opportunities. ASHP serves as a repository
of endless information and resources from high view leadership and legislative aspect of the
profession to focused learning on a specific medication."
"ASHP provides a unified voice for promoting and forwarding the profession (like provider
status!) It serves as a platform for information sharing and networking which is absolutely
needed!"
ASHP | 7272 Wisconsin Avenue, Bethesda, Maryland 20814 | 301-657-3000 |
Page 3