Mercer University Health Services

Dr. Ashish Advani and Dr. Ted Matthews of Mercer University

We sat down with Dean and SVP of Health Services, Dr. Ted Matthews, and Dr. Ashish Advani, Clinical Associate Professor of Pharmacy from Mercer University. Mercer University’s College of Pharmacy is ranked among the top five pharmacy programs at private institutions in the United States, according to U.S. News & World Report. The College offers doctoral degrees in pharmacy (Pharm.D.) and pharmaceutical sciences (Ph.D.). The College is one of four health sciences units within the Mercer Health Sciences Center, which also includes the School of Medicine, College of Nursing, and College of Health Professions.

With an enrollment of more than 650 students and a distinguished faculty of basic scientists and clinicians, the College of Pharmacy houses seven centers focusing on research, teaching and learning. The College’s motto, “A Tradition of Excellence – A Legacy of Caring,” frames its philosophy of providing excellent academic programs in an environment where every student matters and every person counts.

Mercer University is applying an approach to their health sciences programs called, “interprofessional education or IPE”. This approach brings students from the various health science programs together with those of the others to talk about their respective considerations when approaching certain care scenarios. This leads to a greater understanding of the other team members of the multidisciplinary team and ultimately, better patient outcomes.

The College of Pharmacy has also developed a technology platform aimed at putting pharmacologic study data and medicine information in the hands of clinicians to facilitate evidence-based decision making. Developed with support from Mercer University’s College of Pharmacy, InpharmD is a web-based drug information center. With an estimated 20 million pharmaceutical studies available, InpharmD offers access to the health information that healthcare providers and patients need to make informed and improved decisions.

InpharmD provides customized, evidence-based responses within a user-requested time period. By significantly increasing the credibility of the information and substantially decreasing the turnaround time, InpharmD has created a fundamental change in drug information delivery.

Special Guests:

Dr. Ted Matthews, Dean and SVP of Health Services, Mercer University