President-Elect 2024

Jessie Prociv PharmD BCACP is the Lead Ambulatory Care Pharmacist at Bronson Hospital. Jessie graduated from Ferris State University and completed a PGY1 at the VAMC in Battle Creek. She has been with Bronson for 5 years and has special interests in treating patients with diabetes and chronic pain. In her free time, you might see her going for a run or chasing her three daughters around.

Treasurer 2024-25

Andrea Borst attended Ferris State University and earned her Doctor of Pharmacy in 2016.  Following pharmacy school, Andrea completed a PGY-1 residency at Corewell (Spectrum) Health and a PGY-2 pediatric residency at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital.  Andrea currently works at Helen DeVos as a clinical pharmacist with a focus on general pediatrics and kidney transplant.  In her free time, Andrea enjoys running, reading, and spending time with her husband and two kids.  Andrea served as a WMSHP board member from 2018 to 2021 before transitioning to Treasurer in 2022.  During her time on the board, Andrea has planned continuing education events and has volunteered at the annual WMSHP Mock Interview and CV Review at Ferris State University.  Andrea is excited to continue her involvement with WMSHP as Treasurer for the 2024-2025 term.

Technician Board 2024-25

Heather Hamilton is a pharmacy technician with nearly 20 years experience in the retail and hospital location.  For the last 13 years she had worked at Michigan Career and Technical Institute where she delivers pharmacy technician instruction.  

Board Members 2024-25

Hello! My name is Kelsey Ernst. I recently started a new role as an ambulatory care pharmacist with Ascension Borgess Medical Group in Kalamazoo, practicing out of three family medicine clinics in Allegan County. I graduated from the Ferris State University College of Pharmacy and completed residency at University of Michigan Health, with a PGY1 in community pharmacy and a PGY2 in ambulatory care. My favorite clinical areas are diabetes, psychiatry, transitions of care, and geriatrics. I enjoyed my involvement with professional organizations throughout pharmacy school, such as the Michigan Pharmacists Association (MPA) and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP). I also had the opportunity to take a more active role in organizational leadership as the founder of a mentoring program between pharmacy and pre-pharmacy students during my time at Ferris. During residency, I was a member of ASHP Section of Community Pharmacy Practitioners Education, Communication, and Training Section Advisory Group and appreciated working with other pharmacists to provide tools and educational materials to support our members. I am newly returned to southwest Michigan and hoping to become more involved in my local pharmacy community with the Western Michigan Society of Health-System Pharmacists as a board member. As a student, I benefited greatly from the events supported by WMSHP and look forward to providing the same support for current and future student pharmacists with events like the mock interviews. I also look forward to working more closely with pharmacy advocacy to help support our profession.
My name is Destiny Hughson and I am a recent PGY-1 pharmacy graduate from Trinity Health Grand Rapids. Following completion of my residency, I was able to continue my career with Trinity Health Grand Rapids as a clinical pharmacist. I feel very lucky and privileged to be afforded the opportunity to work with such a diverse patient population and an amazing team of pharmacists at THGR. In my free time, I love to explore the greater Grand Rapids area with my husband, cuddle and play with my three cats (Gracie, Gaia, and Onyx), visit my friends and family up North in my hometown of Traverse City, and relax on the couch binge watching a good show (Schitt's Creek is my favorite!). I am interested in serving on the board of WMSHP to establish relationships that go beyond my colleagues at work. I want to meet new people with shared interests and continue to shape and develop my skills and knowledge related to pharmacy practice. Being a part of WMSHP would give me the opportunity to stay informed, remain engaged, and support my journey of life-long learning all while developing connections and making friends, which sounds like a win-win to me. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Nathan Kanous: I am a Clinical Pharmacy Specialist in Ambulatory Care at the Ascension / Borgess Woodbridge Heart Failure Clinic and three Family Practice Clinics in the greater Kalamazoo Area. I received my PharmD from Ferris State University and completed an ASHP-accredited ambulatory care residency at the William S. Middleton Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Madison, Wisconsin.  Since graduation, I have worked in many practice settings including academia, the pharmaceutical industry, pharmacy benefits and managed care.  My clinical interests focus on ambulatory endocrinology and cardiology, geriatrics, and de-prescribing.  

I have been a WMSHP member and Board Member since my return to Michigan in 2019.  It has been my pleasure to provide support to pharmacists in West Michigan through the society’s educational and advocacy initiatives.  Given the rapid changes occurring within healthcare and our profession, strong advocacy efforts are more important than ever and I look forward to dedicating an additional three years to professional advocacy in West Michigan.
Tara McAlpine is an ambulatory care pharmacist in primary care at Trinity Health Grand Rapids. She earned her PharmD from Ferris State University College of Pharmacy in 2016 and completed her PGY1 Pharmacy Practice Residency at Bronson Methodist Hospital in 2017. She has been a WMSHP member since 2015 and has served on the Board since 2018. She serves as committee chair of the community and membership outreach committee. She is involved in organizing the mock interview events for the students. Tara is passionate about continuing to serve on the WMSHP Board.
Jeff Van Houten received his BS Pharm from Ferris and after licensure he worked two years at Blodgett Hospital as a Staff Pharmacist while completing PharmD at Ferris.  He went on to complete a PGY-1 residency at Hamot Medical Center in Erie, PA. and then started working as a Clinical Pharmacist at Saint Mary's Hospital, where he continues to work.  He has worked in many clinical roles over the years at Trinity Health GR and currently works as the floor pharmacist in an Inpatient Geriatric unit.  Jeff has been a member of WMSHP since the beginning of his career (minus an occasional inadvertent lapse in membership).  He has served on the WMSHP board in the past as board member as well as the President Elect/Current/Past President position in the 1998-2000 term.

It has been a very busy fall so far, as you can tell by the combined September and October update. WMSHP members and board have been very active. We have hosted two CE events, Andrew Watson gave a very interesting presentation about management of Sickle Cell. Then Dean Van Loo provided our first hybrid live/zoom CE from Bronson about the grey area of MSSA bacteremia treatment. We also hosted our first live residency showcase with Ferris State University since 2019. We had 29 programs in attendance and lots of interested P3/P4 students. Finally, we hosted one of two mock interviews for students with the virtual one coming in November. 

We are excited about the level of activity and engagement our group has had this fall and look forward to keeping the moment up. Be on the look out for board member voting. 

Shelby

WMSHP President

I hope everyone had a great summer. We had a great night at the White Caps baseball game this month. The board has planned great activities for this year. We will have a combination of in-person and virtual events. If you have ideas for topics or speakers, please reach out to a board member or email me at ShelbyKelsh@ferris.edu. Our first meeting will be held in person in Grand Rapids on September 28th. The registration is open. 

Additionally, MPA is hosting Pharmacy Day at the Capitol on September 14th from 9:30-2pm. If you are interested or want to register follow this Pharmacy Day at Michigan's Capitol - Register - michiganpharmacists.org

Finally, MSHP Annual Meeting is being held October 27th. The registration is also open Link here. 

Looking forward to a great Fall. 

Shelby

WMSHP President 

April and May have been full of educational opportunities. In April, we had 2 local residents present their research projects on enoxaparin dosing in obesity and cephalexin dosing. These projects are on the edge of clinical practice and one day may inform dosing changes.

May brought us Spring Seminar. We had a full house of exhibitors and participants. Our speakers updated us on buprenorphine for pain, law, hepatitis C, implicit bias and burn out. Don't forget to complete your WMed CE evaluations. 

The board has our planning meeting in June. If you have suggestions for speakers or topics please reach out to myself (shelbykelsh@ferris.edu) or the board (leadership@wmshp.net). Otherwise, we will see everyone at the Whitecaps game on August 17th. 

All the best,

Shelby Kelsh

WMSHP President

Wow, March has flown by. We had a strong turnout for Dr. Patrick Staso, MD virtual CE on Drug Allergies. How awesome is it that technology allows us to connect with providers across the country for a WMSHP meeting? We continue to have an open board position for 2023. This a great opportunity to see if serving on the board is something you would enjoy. The responsibilities would be to attend monthly board meetings before the CE events. We prefer in person attendance but do utilize zoom for those who can’t attend. Please email me at shelbykelsh@ferris.edu if you are interested.

We have two meetings left for Spring 2023, first is our annual resident research presentation. This will be held Thursday, April 13^th at Uccello’s in Grand Rapids. Then we will have a full day of presentations at WMSHP Spring Seminar on Tuesday, May 9^th at Prince Conference Center. Please make sure you register for both great events.

All the best,

Shelby Kelsh

WMSHP President

Thank you, Cassandra Falk, PharmD, MPH for the great review of Chronic Heart Failure. Our meeting in March will be hosting virtually via zoom on March 9^th. Dr. Patrick Staso, MD will be joining us to discuss Drug Allergies.

We have an open board position for 2023. If you are interested, please reach out to me or any board member. If you aren’t sure what being on the board entails, please join us at 5:30 before the March CE. The board meetings are always open to our membership, and we meet the hour before a CE starts. Our main charge is to schedule monthly meetings and other events for our members. We would love to have you join us. 

Finally, it’s still not too late to register for the Michigan Pharmacists Association (MPA) Annual Convention & Exposition (ACE). Programing will be at the Detroit Marriott Renaissance Center from Friday, February 24 to Sunday, February 26.

Hope to see you soon!

Shelby Kelsh

WMSHP President

Happy 2023! I am excited to be serving as WMSHP President this year. My goal is to increase attendance to our education, community service and social events. We have great speakers lined up for our monthly meetings and for Spring Seminar in May. We started our year with a delicious dinner at Martell’s in Kalamazoo and very engaging presentation from Jeffrey Wilt, MD about pulmonary hypertension (PH). With the recent changes in PH diagnostic criteria, it sounds like more patients will receive a PH diagnosis and qualify for treatment. 

In February, our resident board member Cassandra Falk PharmD, MPH from Trinity Health St. Mary’s will update us on chronic heart failure. We are hosting the CE at Ferris State University’s College of Pharmacy Grand Rapids Campus at 25 Michigan and will be covering parking for those who attend.

Finally, don’t forget to register for the Michigan Pharmacists Association (MPA) Annual Convention & Exposition (ACE). Programing will be at the Detroit Marriott Renaissance Center from Friday, February 24 to Sunday, February 26. MPA ACE Registration Link. 

Hope to see you soon!

Shelby Kelsh

WMSHP President

As we come to the end of 2022, I want to thank you all for the opportunity to serve as this year’s WMSHP President. I have learned so much in this role, and it has been my privilege to lead our organization. I look forward to serving on the board next year as your immediate Past-President for 2023. As always, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns about WMSHP or your membership, please contact me or any Board Member.

This past month our continuing education programming was presented by Abigail Geyer, PharmD, PGY2 Infectious Diseases Pharmacy Resident at Trinity Health St. Mary’s. A huge “thank you” to Dr. Geyer for thoroughly walking us through some of IDSA’s treatment guideline updates during her informative presentation “Treatment of Drug-Resistant Gram-Negative Infections: IDSA 2022 Guidance Documents”. Our next continuing education presentation will take place on January 12^th, 2023. Dr. Jeffrey Wilt, MD, a critical care physician from Borgess Medical Center will be presenting “Pulmonary Hypertension”. The meeting will take place at Martell’s Restaurant in Kalamazoo, and you don’t want to miss it! Keep an eye out on the website and your email for the event registration link in the coming weeks.

Our Board elections for 2023 terms took place in November as well. Please join me in congratulating President-Elect Benjamin Pontefract, Secretary Brad Miller, and pharmacist Board members Ashley Blanchette, Amy Bowers, Jessie Prociv, and Kristina Stoncius! This group will lead us to great things over the next few years.

WMSHP was proud to award Midyear Scholarships to three deserving students this year. Congratulations to Paige Stratton from University of Michigan and Veronica Mills and Brittany McMahon from Ferris State University! We hope your trip to ASHP Midyear was both productive and fun.

Did you know that all of our CE programming is approved for both pharmacist and technician live CE credits? We would love to have you join us at our monthly meetings for CE, food, and networking. WMSHP is still offering FREE one year membership to pharmacy technicians who join by December 31^st, 2022. Registration can be found here. 

I wish each of you a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a healthy New Year as we head into 2023!

Sarah

I can’t believe it’s already November! The second half of this year has just flown by. We only have one more general CE meeting in 2022!

A big “Thank You” to Autumn Neff, PharmD, MBA, for presenting last month’s CE “Osteoporosis”. Dr. Neff did a fantastic job covering all the necessary information regarding an osteoporosis diagnosis and treatment that pharmacists should be aware of, and how we can best care for this patient population. Our November CE presentation will take place on November 3^rd. Abigail Geyer, PharmD, PGY2 Infectious Diseases Pharmacy Resident at Trinity Health Saint Mary’s will be delivering “Treatment of Drug-Resistant Gram-Negative Infections: IDSA 2022 Guidance Documents”. I hope you all can make it! Registration can be found here.

Thank you to everyone interested in running for a board position for the upcoming term starting in January.  Please read the candidate bios located on the WMSHP website, and check your email for a link to vote. Ballots are due at 5pm on November 3^rd.  Those chosen for an upcoming term will be announced at our November meeting. 

The annual WMSHP/FSU Residency Showcase was held virtually on October 6^th. A huge thank you to all of the students and residency programs that made this a successful event again this year. If you have any suggestions for next year’s showcase, please pass those along to me or another board member.

Attention students! Are you planning to travel to ASHP Midyear in Las Vegas this December? WMSHP is pleased to announce that we will be giving away three $370 scholarships to P4 students who want to attend the Midyear meeting! This will cover student ASHP member registration fees for the conference. To be eligible for one of these scholarships, students must have an expected graduation date in 2023, be in good standing with their College of Pharmacy, and be a current or native resident of West Michigan. To apply for this scholarship, students must submit their CV along with a cover letter outlining their interest in attending the Midyear Clinical Meeting and future career goals. All submissions and/or any questions can be directed to me at sarah.hoerner@spectrumhealth.org. Applications must be submitted by November 1^st.

Did you know that all of our CE programming is approved for both pharmacist and technician live CE credits? We would love to have you join us at our monthly meetings for CE, food, and networking. WMSHP is still offering FREE one year membership to pharmacy technicians who join by December 31^st, 2022. Registration can be found here.

I hope you all stay safe and healthy as we gear up for this holiday season. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please let me know!

President-elect

Benjamin Pontefract graduated from the University of Toledo with his PharmD in 2016. The following year, he completed a PGY1 ambulatory care residency at MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio. He finished his post-graduate training by completing a 2-year antimicrobial stewardship fellowship at the Boise VA Medical Center in Boise Idaho. After completing his post-graduate training, he accepted a position as an assistant professor at Ferris State University where he currently teaches calculations and infectious diseases topics. Through this, he also works at Spectrum Health Blodgett Medical center as an internal medicine pharmacist. This allows him to precept P4 students on internal medicine APPE rotations. Ben is also an active member of WMSHP, where he has served as an e-board member for the past year.

Treasurer

Brad Miller is an Informatics Pharmacist at Corewell Health in Grand Rapids. He graduated from Ferris State University many years ago.  After practicing Emergency Medicine Pharmacy for several years at then-Spectrum Health Butterworth, he transitioned to the pharmacy informatics team.  Brad has served as the secretary for WMSHP since 2004.

Board Members

Amy Bower is a Clinical Pharmacy Specialist in Internal Medicine at Borgess Medical Center in Kalamazoo MI. She was born and raised in Sault Ste. Marie Ontario, Canada and completed part of her undergraduate training at Lake Superior State University. She received her Doctor of Pharmacy Degree from Ferris State University in 2008. She has been an active member of WMSHP for many years and would love the opportunity to serve on the board to further her involvement. Her current areas of interest include oncology, infectious disease, diabetes, and neurology.

Ashley Blanchette earned her PharmD from Wayne State University’s Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences during which time she served as an active member of the Michigan Pharmacists Association, board member on the Oakland County chapter, and in her final year became president of the Macomb/St. Clair/Lapeer chapter. Her biggest accomplishments during this time were organizing the Student Pharmacists Diversity council, drafting and presenting multiple resolutions at the MPA House of Delegates sessions, and contributing to two publications as second-author. She served as the WMSHP resident member-at-large during her PGY-1 residency at Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital and went on to complete a PGY-2 Ambulatory Care residency with the Spectrum Health Medical Group. After graduation, Ashley accepted the position of Supervisor of the Spectrum Health West Michigan medication history team. Special interests are population health, precepting, transitions of care, research, and corny jokes! Ashley looks forward to the opportunity to promote the professional interests of pharmacists in West Michigan by serving as  a WMSHP board member.

Jessie Prociv PharmD BCACP graduated from Ferris State University with her PharmD and worked in retail pharmacy for two years before completing an ambulatory care focused PGY1 at the Battle Creek Veterans Affairs Medical Center. She started the ambulatory care pharmacy clinic at Ascension Borgess and expanded the footprint to 4 primary care offices. Jessie then transitioned to Bronson and is now one of the lead pharmacists for the ambulatory care pharmacy team. 

Kristina Stoncius graduated from Purdue University College of Pharmacy in 2021. After graduating, she pursued a PGY1 Residency position at Ascension Borgess Hospital in Kalamazoo, Michigan. During her residency she served as the Resident Board Member of WMSHP and assisted in planning events with the Community and Membership Committee. Currently she holds an inpatient pharmacist position at Ascension Borgess Hospital where she spends a majority of her practice in the intensive care units, emergency department, and co-managing sterile compounding activities. Kristina hopes to serve on the board to continue her involvement in events such as Mock Interviews for Students and Spring Seminar while encouraging participation from students and residents!