School of Pharmacy Names New Associate Dean of Health System Affairs

Appointment of Raja Zeitany, PharmD, to newly created position will strengthen partnership between School and University of Maryland Medical System.

By Malissa Carroll
December 12, 2013

Natalie D. Eddington, PhD, FCP, FAAPS, dean and professor of the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, has appointed Raja Zeitany, PharmD, former chief pharmacy officer at the University of California Irvine Medical Center, as the School’s new associate dean of health system affairs. This appointment follows Zeitany being named senior director of pharmacy services for the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) and University of Maryland Midtown Campus by Jonathan Gottlieb, MD, senior vice president and chief medical officer at UMMC.

“The School of Pharmacy is pleased to welcome Dr. Zeitany as the newest member of our faculty,” says Eddington. “This newly created position of associate dean of hospital health affairs highlights the level of importance that the School of Pharmacy places on our relationship with the University of Maryland Medical System and its affiliate hospitals. I have every confidence that Dr. Zeitany will work collaboratively with the School to enhance clinical, experiential, and outpatient opportunities within UMMS for our faculty, residents, and student pharmacists.”

As associate dean of health system affairs, Zeitany will work to strengthen the partnership between the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) and the School of Pharmacy as the medical system seeks to implement important changes in health care policy. He will serve as the principal teaching, practice, and research partner within UMMS for the School’s students, residents, and fellows, and provide experiential educational opportunities in clinical practice environments throughout UMMS.

“We are delighted that Dr. Zeitany has chosen to serve the School of Pharmacy, as well as UMMC, the University of Maryland Midtown Campus, and UMMS, as the next chapter of our country’s health care is being written,” says Gottlieb. “Since the start of his career, Dr. Zeitany has been an effective advocate for enabling pharmacists to practice at the full extent of their abilities. Through his new role with the University of Maryland, he will help improve service to our patients, enhance education for the next generation of pharmacists, and support innovation through an enhanced partnership with the School of Pharmacy.”

Zeitany received his Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) from the University of South Carolina in 1987. For 14 years, he served in a number of roles at the University of California Irvine Health System, holding his most recent role as chief pharmacy officer for three years. He has experience with consolidating drug distribution, barcode medication administration, inventory management software implementation, automated medication distribution technologies, and other innovative technologies.

“My experience since joining the faculty at the School of Pharmacy has been amazing and gracious,” says Zeitany. “All of my colleagues exhibit the utmost courtesy, professionalism, and hospitality. It is my hope that the partnership we are building will be far-reaching and long-lasting – one that helps to set a benchmark for pharmacy practice and clearly demonstrates the value that a pharmacist has as an integral member of the health care team.”

Zeitany will also work to enhance practice, preceptor development, and acquisition of experiential sites for the School, expanding existing opportunities for student pharmacists to engage in progressive patient-centered care. He hopes to promote practice scholarship through the development of innovative practice models and educational program.

“I am excited to have the opportunity to establish consistent standards of pharmacy practice among all health systems within UMMS,” says Zeitany. “This standardization will lead to a more robust and productive collaboration between UMMS and the School of Pharmacy, and gives us an opportunity to establish a state-of-the-art, pharmacist-managed population-based disease management program that we can use to improve patient outcomes, reduce utilization of health care resources, and positively impact the health of our surrounding community.”

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