Get to Know a Clinical Pharmacist PCOM's Dr. Julia Lees Talks Pharmacy Careers
August 29, 2024
Assistant Professor and Ambulatory Care Clinical Pharmacist Julia Lees, PharmD, BCACP, who serves Philadelphia-area patients at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine's
Joseph M. Hassman, DO '65 Family Medicine Center, describes what inspired her to pursue a career in pharmacy and her unique position
at PCOM.
What inspired you to pursue a career in Pharmacy?
I always knew I wanted to be a pharmacist, even as early as when I was in high school.
Chemistry was always my favorite subject, and I loved the idea of being able to help
people, especially how medications work in the body, what side effects to look out
for, or how to help lower the costs that patients face, so becoming a pharmacist felt like the perfect combination of my interests.
Sounds like a match made in heaven. How did you end up at PCOM?
As a Philly native, PCOM had a prestigious reputation growing up, and I had even wanted
to apply, but I was unable to relocate to Georgia to attend the pharmacy school. I pursued my degree at Temple University, where I received my Bachelor of Science
in Chemistry and Doctor of Pharmacy degrees. I earned my postgraduate residency at the University of Pittsburgh and completed rotations in internal medicine, intensive
care treatment for general medicine, as well as trauma, emergency medicine, solid
organ transplantation, a global health ambulatory care rotation serving patients without
health insurance, and inpatient pharmacy administration and operations.
After my residency I relocated back to the Philadelphia area and accepted a position
at Jefferson Health within the Population Health department. When I started at Jefferson,
I was the first ambulatory care pharmacist within my assigned campus. In my role, I was the only pharmacist assigned to 17 offices,
50 physicians and approximately 70,000 patients. While the work at Jefferson was incredibly
rewarding in many ways, I was ready for a change, and when I saw PCOM was offering
an opportunity to start a pharmacy service at the Philadelphia campus, I knew it was a sign from the universe and a full circle moment in my career.
What are some of the challenges you've seen in the Pharmacy industry? What do you
think can be done to help solve them?
Pharmacy practice is a complex, and unfortunately, underrepresented industry. Many people hear the
word “pharmacist” and immediately think of the people who work at their local CVS
or Walgreens and believe that pharmacists only dispense medication or give vaccines.
While retail pharmacists provide these services in addition to other responsibilities,
it's not the only career path for a student pharmacist. A lot of prospective students
don't know that, which I think has resulted in the pharmacist shortage we're seeing today, as well as declining enrollment in pharmacy schools across the
country.
Expanding education and opportunities in advanced roles can help solve these challenges.
There are many, many career settings students can pursue as a pharmacist: pharmacists perform inpatient rounds when caring
for patients in the intensive care units or general medical floors. Pharmacists also
practice in the emergency rooms or trauma departments to recognize life-threatening
situations and immediately prepare or administer medication to save lives when time
is crucial.
Pharmacists also study and identify novel drugs to treat newly identified disease or target specific receptors in new ways of drug
delivery. Being the expert on medications, pharmacists serve in the pharmaceutical
industry as medical science liaisons as well as other regulatory roles. Pharmacists also serve as consultants in many areas, including skilled nursing facilities,
home infusion services, mental health services, as well as experts in legal cases of medical malpractice,
wrongful death or toxicology interpretation. There is a growing need for pharmacists,
especially in the medical cannabis industry, as we identify drug interactions through emerging research in that field. Pharmacists are crucial to make sure the medication is not only safe,
but also effective for the patient.
What does your role entail at Hassman Family Medicine Center?
As an ambulatory care clinical pharmacist, my role is to provide patient care, first and foremost. Our patients have been coming
to PCOM for years and have established relationships with their physicians. The physicians will introduce me to their patients to work together to achieve clinical outcomes.
I am very passionate about diabetes management so I provide comprehensive care to
lower glucose to normal levels, monitor for kidney disease and prevent cardiovascular
complications. I see patients one-on-one to show them how to administer medications,
use medical devices to enhance their ability to self-care and engage patients in their
optimal health. I explain the purpose and why patients should take the medication,
and I also do the opposite where I recommend to stop or remove medications that may
not work for the patient. I also help patients reduce their prescription costs. My
patients know that they can depend on me, and it is phenomenal to make a difference
in the lives of patients.
What's a professional goal you hope to achieve in the next year?
I would like to create a team of pharmacists that offer a variety of services to care
for our patients. I hope to lead by example and demonstrate the value of interdisciplinary collaboration. I hope that my students, whom I teach in their third year and fourth years of pharmacy
school, feel inspired to pursue their dream careers and find my personal journey enlightening
and motivational for their own. I'd love to create a pathway program in Philadelphia
so that PCOM graduates from all campuses are able to get more postgraduate experience
and opportunities on the Philadelphia campus.
What is your favorite thing about PCOM?
There is so much support at PCOM. Whether it be with the physicians, fellow professors,
students, administration or other campus staff, there is such a strong sense of community,
culture, and connection here that I haven't seen anywhere else. I love that we promote
individual expression and always encourage and empower each other to show our strengths.
What is something people would be surprised to know about you?
I am one of the first (if not the first) pharmacist to be credentialed with Medicaid
insurance payors in the state. What this means is that I was one of the first pharmacists
in Pennsylvania to be able to bill for my services as a pharmacist, which is a big
deal. Physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and physical therapists all submit bills for the services they provide for patients to insurance companies.
Now that pharmacists are recognized as providers, we are eligible to bill for our
patient care services as well.
A personal surprise some people might not know about me is that I met my now fiance
while on vacation in Ireland. He is from the Netherlands and was also vacationing
in Ireland so it was a crazy way to meet. He's relocating to the United States soon
so we can get married and reside here.
Wow! That is something out of a Hallmark movie and definitely not a love story you
hear everyday. Last question: If you could switch jobs with anyone in the college
for a day, who would it be and why?
It would have to be anyone at the cafeteria, especially Albert or Heather. They not only get to interact with everyone on campus, but they are also greeted
with great energy and smiles from everyone because it's usually their favorite time
of the day—lunch! They are such a critical part of our campus so I'd love to get to
experience that feeling for a day.
About Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
For the past 125 years, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) has trained
thousands of highly competent, caring physicians, health practitioners and behavioral
scientists who practice a “whole person” approach to care—treating people, not just
symptoms. PCOM, a private, not-for-profit accredited institution of higher education,
operates three campuses (PCOM, PCOM Georgia and PCOM South Georgia) and offers doctoral degrees in clinical psychology, educational psychology, osteopathic
medicine, pharmacy, physical therapy, and school psychology. The college also offers
graduate degrees in applied behavior analysis, applied positive psychology, biomedical
sciences, forensic medicine, medical laboratory science, mental health counseling,
physician assistant studies, and school psychology. PCOM students learn the importance
of health promotion, research, education and service to the community. Through its
community-based Healthcare Centers, PCOM provides care to medically underserved populations.
For more information, visit pcom.edu or call 215-871-6100.
Contact Us
Gabrielle DePietro Associate Director, News and Media Relations Email: gabrielde2@pcom.edu Office: 215-871-6304