Magaly Rodriguez de Bittner Installed as President of MPhA

SOP Department Chair will lead professional society representating practicing pharmacists in Maryland

By Becky Ceraul
July 9, 2008

Magaly Rodriguez de Bittner, PharmD, professor and chair of the Department of Pharmacy Practice and Science at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, has been elected President of the Maryland Pharmacists Association (MPhA). She was installed at the MPhA’s annual meeting in June in Ocean City, MD.

Rodriguez de Bittner has focused her practice in ambulatory care and community pharmacy practice sites, emphasizing innovative practice models and disease management. She focuses her area of research on the implementation and evaluation of innovative patient care in the community, and its impact on patient’s outcomes. Other areas of interest include minority health issues, cultural competence in health care delivery, and Hispanic health issues.

She has been a faculty member at the School of Pharmacy since 1984. She earned her board certification in pharmacotherapy in 1994, her PharmD at the University of Maryland in 1983 and her BS in pharmacy at the University of Puerto Rico in 1979. She has been a trustee of the MPhA for six years.

The MPhA was organized in 1882 and, with approximately 1,000 members, is the only statewide professional society representing all practicing pharmacists. MPhA is an affiliated state organization with the American Pharmaceutical Association, the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists and the National Community Pharmacists Association. The mission of MPhA is to promote excellence in pharmacy practice, strengthen the profession of pharmacy, and advocate for all Maryland pharmacists.

“I am honored to be serving as President of the Maryland Pharmacists Association,” says Rodriguez de Bittner. “My goals as President are to strengthen the association focusing on membership and programs, create a dialogue with other health care professional organizations concerning pharmacy issues, and develop innovative programs to promote and advance pharmacy practice in the state.”