Transplant Center

Transplant Pharmacy Services

A vital and important component of post transplant care is the management of the many and complex medications that all transplant patients must take. The University of Maryland Medical Center recognizes these new challenges and provides transplant pharmacy clinical services to assist in the medication management process. At UMMC, pharmacists have been directly involved in the care of transplant patients since 1992. The goal of the pharmacists is to help patients and families understand the importance of their medications and to address concerns with or questions about their new medication regimens.

The pharmacy department assists in the following ways:

Participating as a part of multi-disciplinary team by attending daily in-patient care rounds.
Providing information on the purpose, dosage, and potential side effects of medications.
Reviewing complex medication profiles for potential drug interactions.
Preventing, detecting, and monitoring adverse drug reactions and medications errors.
Working with the physician in adjusting the dosage of medications depending on kidney or liver function.
Helping to design, implement, and individualize drug regimens and therapeutic plans.
Working with patients on home monitoring of blood pressure and diabetes.
Facilitating discharge planning and a smooth transition to an alternate site of care or the outpatient pharmacy.
Counseling on discharge medications.
Providing education for transplantation related studies to nurses and pharmacy staff.
Coordinating the pharmaceutical care of ongoing research in transplantation.

Transplant Pharmacy Team

Cheryle Gurk-Turner, RPh: Clinical Pharmacist in Solid Organ Transplant. She completed her pharmacy training at the University of Michigan, College of Pharmacy in Ann Arbor, MI, and began her practice of transplant pharmacy at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, Texas in 1995. She joined the University of Maryland Medical Center solid organ transplant team in November of 2004. She provided administrative leadership for the development and launch of the University of Maryland Medical System Transplant Prescription Program, which provides a continuum of care for transplant patients as they transition to the outpatient setting. Her research interests include the impact of Alemtuzumab on renal transplant out comes, and in particular on the development of cytomegalovirus disease.
Heather Hurley, PharmD, BCPS: Clinical Pharmacist in Solid Organ Transplant; Director of the PGY-2 in Solid Organ Transplant Pharmacy. She received her Doctor of Pharmacy Degree from Nesbitt School of Pharmacy at Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, and completed her pharmacy practice residency at Saint Luke's Hospital of Kansas City. She then moved to Rochester Minnesota where she practiced as a clinical pharmacist with critical care/transplant teams at Mayo Clinic's Rochester Methodist Hospital, after which she joined the University of Maryland Medical Center solid organ transplant team in May of 2005. Her research interests include antibody mediated rejection and HIV transplantation.
Wana Manitpisitkul, PharmD, BCPS: Clinical Pharmacist in Solid Organ Transplant. He received his Doctor of Pharmacy Degree from the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers University, New Jersey. He completed a pharmacy specialty residency in nephrology and kidney transplantation at the Hennepin County Medical Center, Minneapolis, MN, and then joined the University of Maryland Medical Center solid organ transplant team in August of 2005. His research interests include BK virus nephropathy and impact of CYP450 mediated drug interaction in transplant recipients.
Flavia A. Rasetto, RPh: Clinical Pharmacist in Solid Organ Transplant. She received her pharmacy degree from the National University of Rosario School of Pharmacy, Argentina. Following graduation, she joined the University of Maryland Medical Center as a clinical pharmacist in January 1996. She was part of the development of a unique clinical pharmacy practice model allowing transplant pharmacists to establish a collaborative practice with physicians. Her research interests include evaluation of immunosuppressant regimens and their impact on post transplant infectious complications.
Nikita S. Wilson, PharmD, BCPS: Clinical Specialist in Solid Organ Transplant. She received her Doctor of Pharmacy Degree from the University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy in Memphis, TN, and then continued her post-graduate training at Methodist University Hospital. She then went on to complete a solid organ transplant specialty residency at University of Tennessee/Methodist University Hospital. She joined the University of Maryland Medical Center solid organ transplant team in August of 2009. Her research interests include the outcome of combined kidney and liver transplant, the impact of recurrent Hepatitis C in liver transplant recipients, and antibody mediated rejection.

This page was last updated on: August 7, 2012.

If you would like to make an appointment or talk to someone about our services, please call 410-328-5408 or 1-800-492-5538.