University News

Western New England University College of Pharmacy to Host Patient Safety Expert Dr. Donna Horn

Published: March 03, 2017 | Categories: All News, Pharmacy and Health Sciences
Dr. Donna Horn PhD

College of Pharmacy will host Dr. Donna Horn, RPh, DPh on Monday, March 6 in Rivers Memorial Hall from 4:30 -5:30 p.m. The presentation will focus on the current standards and best practices for medication safety.

Donna Horn headshot

The Western New England University College of Pharmacy will host Dr. Donna Horn, RPh, DPh on Monday, March 6 in Rivers Memorial Hall from 4:30 -5:30 p.m. Dr. Horn is the Director of Patient Safety and Community Pharmacy at the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP). The presentation will focus on the current standards and best practices for medication safety. The event is free and open to the public.

The number of medications available to American consumers continues to increase, with more than 11,000 prescription drugs and 350,000 over-the-counter medications on the market. Half of the prescriptions taken each year in the United States are used improperly. At least 1.5 million preventable adverse drug events occur in the U.S. each year. These costly and sometimes fatal incidents include cases of unintentional drug mix-ups and accidental overdoses.

Dr. Horn directs ISMP’s patient safety activities in community and ambulatory practice. Horn serves as an author and editor of ISMP’s four newsletters for acute care providers, nurses, care providers, and consumers. She has more than 25 years of experience in retail community pharmacy practice.

Prior to joining ISMP, she served as president and chairman of the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy where her focus was in patient safety. Dr. Horn also served 11 years on the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Pharmacy, and recently was elected President of the American Society for Pharmacy Law.

For more information contact Matthew Dintzner, assistant dean of assessment and accreditation at 413-796-2437, or matthew.dintzner@wne.edu.

Launched in 2011, the Dean’s Seminar Speaker Series brings leading pharmacy professionals to campus each semester. These practitioners and academics provide insights into the pharmacy profession and share with our students important historic and medicolegal developments in technology, research, medicine, and patient interaction.