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The CPNP Foundation enjoys recognizing donors who exemplify the values of the Foundation through their dedication and commitment to meeting the needs of patients living with psychiatric and neurologic disorders and their families. In this issue of Kaleidoscope, we feature Andrea Kelly Winterswyk, PharmD, BCPS.

[Pictured: Dr. Andrea Kelly Winterswyk, PharmD, BCPS poses for a photo with keynote speaker Mr. Kevin Hines at the 2017 CPNP Annual Meeting that took place in Phoenix last month.]

Dr. Winterswyk is a Post-Graduate Year 2 (PGY2) Psychiatric Pharmacy Resident at the Boise Veterans Affairs Medical Center where she has focused her efforts to design and pilot the first PGY2 psychiatric pharmacy residency in Idaho. After completing her B.S. in Health Sciences at Boise State University in 2010, she graduated from Idaho State University (ISU) with her Doctor of Pharmacy degree in 2015. Highlights in her early career include being the co-recipient of the 2014 ISPA Student-of-the-Year Award, the 2015 Division of Health Sciences Graduates of Distinction Award for Outstanding Leadership, and receiving the Wolters-Kluwer Award of Excellence in Clinical Communication prior to graduation. In 2016, she completed both her PGY1 Pharmacy Residency at the Boise VA as well as her ISU Teaching Certification. Last year, she was awarded the designation of 2016 Walmart Scholar by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy for her work in creation of a Leadership and Advocacy pharmacy elective with another resident .

In her future role, Andrea will continue to specialize in both complex pain management and primary care/specialty mental health, treating patients for chronic disease states via clinic and telehealth pharmacy services. She has become Board Certified in Pharmacotherapy, and plans to sit for the Board Certification in Psychiatric Pharmacy in the Spring of 2018 pending residency completion.

What led you to pursue psychiatric pharmacy?

I became interested in psychiatric pharmacy after completion of my undergraduate degree at Boise State. I received a letter in the mail with a jumble of words scribbled on the front and back of the envelope surrounding my name and address. It had return address stickers sealing the back flap of the envelope shut, multiple styles with the same name. Inside were pamphlets from bus routes, city tours, and lost cat flyers, all with hand-written notes on the back for websites and scholarships (i.e., Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Oprah Winfrey, national job-finding resources), different causes I should consider supporting, advice on financial investments, and a note expressing congratulations on my graduation. I was amazed at the contents of this envelope.  After investigation, I discovered this sender was one of my Great Aunts, whom I had not met previously.

My Grandmother informed me that my Great Aunt was diagnosed with schizophrenia. She was living alone in a big city, and had done so for many years. Sometimes she would write the family, call my Grandmother, but sometimes she would go for years without contact. From that point forward, I was captivated by psychiatry and the processes in the brain that could create these fascinating letters. I knew I wanted to be a clinical pharmacist, but was unsure of what specialty until receiving the first letter (and many letters thereafter).  Upon gaining entrance to pharmacy school, I was able to meet Dr. Rex Lott.  His passion for psychiatric pharmacy was both inspiring and contagious!  He has supported me through my entire pharmacy career and I am so grateful for his mentorship.”

Why do you donate to the CPNP Foundation?

Donating to the CPNP Foundation was a natural choice, and one I will continue to support. One of the beautiful details of the Foundation’s strategic plan includes the continued search for projects to enhance care for individuals with mental health conditions. By donating to the Foundation, I am able to help support efforts to create meaningful and effective initiatives reflective of the changing horizon of healthcare needs, resulting in increased quality of care and improved patient outcomes. The mission and vision of the Foundation epitomize the ideals I would like to see in a mental health pharmacy organization. By focusing on connecting compassionate services and providers with patients, as well as supporting future innovation and involvement through grants and scholarships, the Foundation is able to use my donation to accomplish goals beyond what I could imagine doing alone, or within another pharmacy organization.

"Donating to the CPNP Foundation was a natural choice, and one I will continue to support."

Dr. Winterswyk mentioned The Defining the Future grant program is the most personally motivating initiative within the Foundation at this time. She said, “Support from the Foundation grant allows for project growth where implementation may have been restricted financially, cultivating new research data into the body of literature for psychiatric and neurologic pharmacy practice. It is great to see the outcomes presented by the innovative trainees at the CPNP meeting each year.”

The CPNP Foundation Board of Directors sincerely thanks Dr. Andrea Winterswyk for her ongoing commitment to the Foundation’s mission. To join Dr. Winterswyk as a CPNP Foundation donor, visit cpnpf.org/pledge.

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