Governor Appoints SOP’s Rochester Board of Pharmacy Commissioner At-Large

Charmaine Rochester, PharmD, CDE, BCPS, BCACP, to represent Maryland pharmacists on the state’s Board of Pharmacy.

By Malissa Carroll
August 20, 2013

Governor Martin O’Malley has appointed Charmaine Rochester, PharmD, CDE, BCPS, BCACP, associate professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice and Science (PPS) at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, as a commissioner at-large on the Maryland Board of Pharmacy. Rochester will represent Maryland pharmacists from a wide range of fields in this new role for four years, with the option for a second four-year term in 2017.

“Dr. Rochester will be a valuable addition to the Maryland Board of Pharmacy,” says Natalie D. Eddington, PhD, FAACP, FCP, dean and professor of the School of Pharmacy. “She brings a wealth of pharmacy practice knowledge based on her many years working in clinical settings with patients, and she is a forward thinker and problem-solver who always demonstrates sound judgment. The citizens of Maryland can be assured that she will work hard to protect their interests when it comes to pharmaceutical care.”

The Maryland Board of Pharmacy consists of 12 commissioners who represent different areas within the pharmacy profession, including chain pharmacy, independent pharmacy, acute care hospital pharmacy, long-term care pharmacy, and home care pharmacy, as well as consumer advocates. Commissioners serve on at least one of the Board’s 10 committees, which work together to ensure that Maryland pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, pharmacies, and drug distributors are properly licensed and meet quality practice standards.

“I would like to congratulate Dr. Rochester on her appointment to the Maryland Board of Pharmacy,” says Lenna Israbian-Jamgochian, RPh, PharmD, president of the Maryland Board of Pharmacy. “We are excited by the extensive experience and clinical training that Dr. Rochester brings to the Board, and look forward to working with her to advance our mission to protect Maryland consumers and to promote quality health care in the field of pharmacy.”

“Dr. Rochester has been a friend to the Maryland Board of Pharmacy for many years, and is a welcomed addition to our organization,” continues LaVerne Naesea, MSW, executive director of the Maryland Board of Pharmacy. “Her clinical knowledge, including her support in establishing Drug Therapy Management in Maryland, is invaluable, and we look forward to her contributions in assuring quality health care and patient safety for citizens across the state of Maryland.”

Rochester received her Doctor of Pharmacy from the Howard University School of Pharmacy, Nursing and Allied Health Sciences in 1996. She completed a pharmacy practice residency at the Medical University of South Carolina, as well as a primary care residency at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. She is a certified diabetes educator, board certified pharmacotherapy specialist, board certified ambulatory care pharmacist, and is also certified in disease management in diabetes, dyslipidemia, anticoagulation, and asthma by the National Institute for Standards in Pharmacist Credentialing.

“Dr. Rochester’s work at the School of Pharmacy reinforces the mission of the Board of Pharmacy to protect Maryland patients and promote quality pharmacy care,” says Magaly Rodriguez de Bittner, PharmD, BCPS, CDE, professor and chair of PPS. “She is a pioneer in the establishment of protocols under Collaborative Drug Therapy Management. In addition, her expertise in diabetes management, cardiovascular risk reduction, tobacco use and dependence management, and minority health disparities, as well as her understanding of team-based collaborative practice, makes her a valuable asset to the Board.”

Rochester currently practices at the Center for Diabetes and Endocrinology at the University of Maryland Medical Center and the Bay West Endocrinology Clinic at the Greater Baltimore Medical Center. She also serves as director of the School of Pharmacy’s Ambulatory Care Pharmacy Residency Program and is a preceptor for students and residents pursuing their experiential and elective training. Her appointment to the Board of Pharmacy officially began May 1, making her the third full-time School of Pharmacy faculty member to serve on the Board, following Raymond Love, PharmD, BCPP, FASHP, professor in PPS and director of the School’s Mental Health Program, and Lynette Bradley-Baker, PhD, a School of Pharmacy alumnae and former assistant professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Health Services Research.

“It is an honor to be named a commissioner on the Board of Pharmacy,” says Rochester. “As a pharmacist, I have served patients as well as students at the School of Pharmacy. Being appointed to serve in public office allows me to extend my contribution and serve citizens across the state of Maryland, and I am looking forward to making the most of this great opportunity.”

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