Terri L. Warholak, PhD, RPh
Clinical Assistant Professor
Pharmacy Practice & Science
Terri Warholak is all about quality improvement in pharmacy. In fact, the Pharmacy Quality Alliance recently accepted recommendations from a committee she chaired that could change the face of pharmacy education.
Warholak, whose research includes medication error reduction and underserved populations, chaired the academia sub-group of the Pharmacy Quality Alliance’s communication and education workgroup. Under Warholak’s leadership, the 10-member group developed a proposal for educating the nation’s pharmacy students and educators on pharmacy quality improvement.
The alliance accepted the group’s six-point proposal, which included aims like recruiting two faculty members from each U.S. pharmacy school to attend a train-the-trainer program about quality improvement and the alliance, creating a mini-curriculum of quality improvement, content from which schools can pick and choose elements to use in their existing curriculum, and attaining a high level of curriculum implementation at U.S. pharmacy schools.
“This is an exciting development for pharmacy education,” the Pennsylvania native says. “Only a few people have ever taught a dedicated course in pharmacy quality improvement. Making this knowledge widely available will go a long way to deliver patient-centered care, emphasizing, among other things, quality improvement approaches. Our goal is to eventually expand this education to all health sciences.”
Warholak, who received BS Pharm, master’s and doctor of philosophy degrees from Purdue University, spent time working with the Indian Health Service and Food and Drug Administration, and gained teaching experience at Midwestern University in the Phoenix area. She taught at the Midwestern University campus in Chicago for three years before moving back to Arizona.
When she’s not working, Warholak enjoys reading, growing African violets and “digging in the dirt.” She likes digging so much that everything from gardening to making ditches brings her pleasure.
Another thing that makes Warholak happy is working with students. She says they are her favorite part of working at UA.
She currently teaches a research methods class and precepts pharmacy students on their experiential rotations. She says, “I’ve really been impressed with their drive and determination.”
When asked about her future, Warholak smiles and says, “This is where I plan to stay.”