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The week before last, I had the privilege of spending a few days in New York City to speak at a truly impactful Medication Safety Symposium hosted by Touro University’s College of Pharmacy. The following day, I was honored to join my friend Dr. Emily Messing, PharmD, BCPS, CPPS, a Touro alum and Medication Safety Officer at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, for a Dean’s Hour lecture with a remarkable group of pharmacy students pursuing their doctorates.

It was also a very special moment to finally meet Azhar Hussain in person, one of the Emily Jerry Foundation’s five distinguished Medication Safety Scholars. Azhar attended the session and will graduate our program in June at the ASHP Pharmacy Futures Meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina.

When I founded the Emily Jerry Foundation more than 16 years ago, I never wanted to be someone who simply told a heartbreaking story about my daughter and then walked away. Especially not when it comes to the clinician caregivers, I deeply respect…those who always lead with empathy, compassion, and a relentless commitment to improving the quality of life for patients facing chronic disease. Over the years, I’ve learned that many of these professionals entered healthcare out of a genuine love for science and a sincere desire to save lives and improve the outcomes for the patients they are so dedicated to serving.

That’s why, from the very beginning, the Foundation’s mission and my advocacy have been rooted in being part of the solution, working to prevent the kinds of tragic, preventable medication errors that took Emily’s life. My goal has always been to help stop these errors before they happen…ultimately saving countless lives in the process.

Opportunities like the recent one’s at Touro University continue to inspire me. These students aren’t just mastering the complexities of lifesaving medications, they’re stepping into their roles as the next generation of healthcare leaders. They’re the ones who will carry the torch forward, with a deep and unwavering commitment to patient safety and error prevention across every area of care.

A heartfelt thank you to my friend Dr. Batoul Senhaji-Tomza, PharmD, MPH for making all this possible and for organizing such meaningful events. I’m truly excited to continue growing the partnership between Touro University College of Pharmacy and the Emily Jerry Foundation.

Photo credit; Rebecca L. Rosen

After returning from an incredibly meaningful and productive trip last week to Touro University College of Pharmacy’s Times Square Campus, I’m feeling deeply grateful and inspired. The Medication Safety Symposium that Touro organized and hosted was truly outstanding, yet another event that perfectly aligns with the Emily Jerry Foundation’s core mission: preventing devastating medication errors and ultimately saving countless lives.

I’m profoundly thankful for opportunities like this to share my daughter Emily’s story and the invaluable lessons learned since her tragic passing in 2006. These lessons have guided what I now consider to be my life’s work for the past 16 years, striving every day to drive improvements in the design and implementation of core systems, clinical practices, and the overall safety culture in healthcare. It’s been one of the greatest honors of my life to be able to collaborate and be mentored by so many exceptional clinician experts in all modalities across the country…professionals who share the same exact passion and commitment for improving medication safety that I have always had.

A heartfelt thank you to Dr. Batoul Senhaji-Tomza, PharmD, MPH, for organizing such a powerful and important symposium, and for inviting me to join a panel of leaders dedicated to advancing patient safety. The shared knowledge, energy, and sense of purpose throughout the event left a lasting impression on all of us.

Another highlight of my visit was the opportunity to return the following day and deliver an additional lecture to the amazing PharmD students at Touro, alongside Dr. Emily Messing, PharmD, BCPS, CPPS, a Touro alumni, who is now the Medication Safety Officer at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.

Thanks again to the Touro University College of Pharmacy team, for the warm welcome and for all you do to elevate the vital importance of patient safety and medication error prevention. Together, we’ll continue to lead the charge toward a healthcare system where zero preventable harm isn’t just a goal…it’s a reality!

Photo credit: Rebecca L. Rosen

On behalf of the Emily Jerry Foundation, I am truly honored and privileged to be presenting at the Medication Safety Symposium at Touro University College of Pharmacy’s Times Square Campus next week, on April 2nd, 2025.

A huge thank you to Dr. Batoul Senhaji-Tomza, PharmD, MPH, for organizing this incredible event and for the opportunity to join a distinguished panel of medication safety leaders to share insights, experiences, and solutions aimed at preventing medication errors and improving patient safety overall.

Over the past 16 years, my life’s work has been dedicated to honoring my beautiful daughter Emily’s legacy by advocating for improvements in systems design, protocols, and best practices that are proven to reduce the risk of human error in healthcare. With preventable medication errors accounting for nearly half of all medical mistakes, this remains a critical issue. I am committed to driving meaningful discussions and actionable solutions that prioritize patient safety with the goal of zero preventable harm.

If you’re passionate about medication safety, be sure to register and please join us! Free ACPE-approved CE credits are available for pharmacists. This is an amazing opportunity for all of us to continue to collaborate, learn, and drive change together that will ultimately help save countless lives going forward!!

🔗 Register here: https://lnkd.in/eFrCsxhM

I want to take a moment to recognize an extraordinary group of PharmD students from the University of Utah and Roseman University of Health Sciences Colleges of Pharmacy who made a lasting impact at Utah’s Legislative Day on February 12 at their state Capitol. These future pharmacy leaders took the initiative to advocate for improved medication safety, presenting a compelling poster to state legislators that underscored the importance of pharmacy technician certification and training.

Their advocacy aimed to help Utah achieve an A-rating on the Emily Jerry Foundation’s National Pharmacy Technician Initiative Scorecard by pushing for stronger pharmacy technician certification standards. They highlighted the critical role that well-educated, career-oriented pharmacy technicians play in preventing errors and ensuring patient safety.

Last November, I had the honor of speaking to P1-P4 students at the University of Utah College of Pharmacy. As I do in nearly all my lectures to future healthcare leaders, I reminded them that the guardian angel logo of the Emily Jerry Foundation…featuring the likeness of my beautiful daughter, Emily…isn’t there just because I believe she’s my guardian angel (though I know she is!). She is their guardian angel too, representing the human side of their future careers in healthcare. We are all patients at some point in our lives, as are our loved ones. Keeping that perspective at the center of their work will make all the difference.

That’s why it was truly humbling to see Emily’s story included in their advocacy efforts. I am deeply grateful for their passion and dedication. Engaging directly with legislators and healthcare leaders is how real change happens, and I have no doubt that their efforts will shape the future of medication safety in Utah and beyond.

A special thank you to Senator Evan Vickers, a pharmacist himself, Dr. Krystal Moorman-Bishir, PharmD, BCPS, FASHP for her mentorship, the Utah Pharmacy Association (UPhA) and the Utah Society of Health-System Pharmacists (USHP) for supporting these remarkable students in their mission to advance patient care.

To all the students involved, your commitment to improving medication safety and saving lives from preventable errors is truly inspiring. I can’t wait to see the incredible impact you will continue to make in pharmacy and healthcare!

Thank you so much Germfree, for this incredibly kind tribute to my beautiful daughter, Emily. Your unwavering commitment to improving medication safety means more than words can express. It is through innovative solutions like the high-performance medication preparation technology systems, and tools, you develop that we can truly reduce the probability of human error in the pharmacy workflow…preventing tragedies before they happen and ultimately saving countless lives. Please continue forge ahead with this vital work, as these proven technology solutions will undoubtedly become the standard of care. Together, we honor Emily’s legacy by ensuring a safer future for all patients.

*****

Today, we remember and honor Emily Jerry on what would have been her 21st birthday. Emily’s life was tragically cut short at just 2 years old due to a preventable IV compounding error—an unimaginable loss that no parent should ever have to endure.

From this heartbreak, her father, Christopher Jerry, turned his grief into a mission: to ensure no other family experiences the same tragedy. Through the Emily Jerry Foundation, he has dedicated his life to patient safety advocacy, fighting for better pharmacy standards, and raising awareness about the critical importance of precision in medication preparation. Over the summer, we had the privilege of speaking with Chris about Emily’s story and the foundation’s impact. His strength, resilience, and unwavering dedication are truly inspiring.

As we remember Emily today on her birthday, we commit to continuing the work she inspired—to ensure every patient is treated with the care and safety they deserve. We invite you to watch Chris’s interview and join us in remembering a beautiful life taken too soon, but never forgotten. 💛

Click on the image below to watch the video.

Happy Heavenly Birthday, my sweet baby girl, Emily. Even though today you would be a 21-year-old young woman, you will forever be my “baby girl.” This time of year has always been incredibly bittersweet for me. Over the years, I’ve searched for another word to capture my feelings, but “bittersweet” remains the only one that truly expresses the deep mix of love, longing, and gratitude in my heart. I miss you more than words can ever convey, but I find immense peace knowing that you are with our Lord…and that one day, we will be reunited for all of eternity.

I remember that Friday morning in 2006 so vividly. Your mother and I made the difficult decision to admit you to the hospital for what was supposed to be your final round of chemotherapy. By God’s grace, we had received the miraculous news we had prayed for…the tumor had completely disappeared. This last treatment was meant to ensure that no residual cancer cells remained, so you could be discharged and come home, cancer-free. But instead of celebrating your recovery as a family that Sunday, you went home to be with the Lord just three days later, the victim of a tragic and preventable medication error.

In my devastation, I remember crying out, Why, God? I don’t understand. You just cured her, and now You’re taking her? But now, with time and faith, I see what I couldn’t comprehend back then…God always has the perfect plan, even when we can’t even begin to see it. As He promises in Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a future and a hope.”

From the deepest sorrow, God has brought so much purpose. Emily, your short time on this earth was not in vain. I am humbled and grateful that so many incredible caregivers and clinicians now refer to you as the “Gerber Baby” of patient and medication safety. Your story…the simple, human side of healthcare that we can all relate to…has touched hearts around the world, helping to prevent errors and save countless lives. Your legacy continues to live on in the hearts and minds of people around the world, truly making an impact, reminding us that we all receive healthcare at some point, as do our loved ones, and that safety in medicine is not just a goal, but a responsibility.

As your daddy, I am eternally grateful for the two beautiful years God gave me with you.

Happy Birthday, sweetheart. I love you always.
Daddy

I was truly honored to be invited back to Campbell University in Buies Creek, North Carolina, last Tuesday to speak on behalf of the Emily Jerry Foundation for an Interprofessional Education Event. Throughout the day, I had the privilege of delivering three consecutive 90-minute lectures on patient and medication safety. Attendance was required for students from Campbell’s nursing, pharmacy, and medical schools, with an estimated 200 students per session. However, I later learned that the actual attendance was closer to 250 students per session…meaning I had the opportunity to speak with approximately 750 future healthcare leaders!

A heartfelt thank you to Madison Bunting, a third-year pharmacy student pursuing her doctorate, for initially reaching out to see if I’d be interested in returning to Campbell. I’m also deeply grateful to my friend Pamela Edwards, Chair & Director of Nursing at Campbell’s College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences, for organizing this hugely successful event. Their dedication to fostering interprofessional collaboration is truly inspiring.

One of my favorite aspects of these presentations is the Q&A session at the end, which always leads to insightful conversations. As I often do, I made it clear from the start that no questions were off-limits or too personal. Over the years, I’ve found that being open and transparent about every aspect of my journey creates a space for meaningful dialogue…and this event was no exception. Though it was a long day, it was also incredibly fulfilling, knowing that the Emily Jerry Foundation’s core mission was being advanced by engaging with so many passionate students.

What makes days like this so gratifying is my firm belief that these future pharmacists, nurses, and physicians will go on to play a critical role in preventing medication errors and improving patient safety. Their leadership and dedication will be instrumental in driving meaningful change in healthcare.

To cap off an already incredible and productive day, I was treated to a fantastic dinner at Heath’s Steakhouse with the outstanding executive leadership team and faculty from Campbell. I’m beyond grateful for this opportunity and look forward to staying connected with these bright and passionate students as they continue their journey toward becoming our leaders in patient safety.

I’m incredibly grateful for having had the opportunity to represent the Emily Jerry Foundation during my recent visit to the University of Utah College of Pharmacy and University of Utah Health Hospital. Over two full days, I had the privilege of delivering four presentations centered on patient and medication safety to a remarkable audience of PharmD students (P1-P4), faculty, clinicians, and healthcare leaders.

The experience began Thursday morning with an inspiring discussion alongside clinician leaders and stakeholders from various modalities at the University of Utah Health Hospital. I was deeply impressed by their unwavering commitment to patient safety and their forward-thinking approach to implementing systems that effectively mitigate the risk of human error in clinical and pharmacy workflows. Our in-depth conversations explored collaborative strategies that I am confident will drive lasting improvements in safety across healthcare settings. We finished up a very productive and wonderful day at the college, in their L.S Skaggs Auditorium, where I was given the opportunity to provide a CE accredited presentation titled, “From Tragedy to Triumph – Mitigating the Risk of Human Error to Save Lives.”

On Friday, I had the honor of addressing two large groups of PharmD students. These future healthcare leaders embody the passion, dedication, and resolve needed to make medication safety their top priority throughout their careers. Their enthusiasm and proactive engagement were truly inspiring. I have no doubt their leadership will save countless lives by advancing medication safety practices and fostering a strong culture of safety in healthcare.

A heartfelt thank you to my friend, Dr. Krystal Moorman-Bishir, PharmD, BCPS, FASHP and her entire team for making this visit possible. I also want to express my gratitude to everyone I met from the University of Utah campus community for your warm welcome and for making this experience so impactful. It was truly an honor to work alongside such incredible individuals who all share the exact same vision for of a safer, brighter future in healthcare!

On behalf of the Emily Jerry Foundation, I had the incredible privilege of spending a few days at Banner Health in Phoenix last week, where I had the opportunity to share insights on High Reliability Organization (HRO) principles and the collective pursuit of zero preventable harm. The experience was truly inspiring!

The in-depth conversations I had with the pharmacy, nursing, and CMO teams before and after my presentations were both thought-provoking and very meaningful. It was evident in every discussion, just how deeply committed Banner Health’s entire team is to patient and medication safety. Their passion and unwavering dedication to driving significant, safety-focused change across their vast network of hospitals left a profound impression on me.

Reflecting on my own journey and the loss of my daughter Emily in 2006, I am reminded of the crucial impact proactive organizations like Banner Health have. By prioritizing the modification of core systems, processes, and protocols, they are setting a remarkable standard in preventing tragedies and improving patient outcomes. Though we may never be able to quantify the full extent of errors averted, the difference their vital work is making is significant and is ultimately saving countless lives!

Again, a heartfelt thank you to Mary Manning, PharmD, MBA, BCPS and Kristine S. for making this very productive and wonderful visit possible. I look forward to seeing the lasting impact of Banner Health’s commitment to cultivating a true Culture of Safety at all their facilities and supporting them on this important journey.

I’m excited to head to Arizona tomorrow morning for a series of speaking engagements for the Emily Jerry Foundation at Banner Health, a leading healthcare system with 30 hospitals across six states. The incredible caregivers at Banner are making remarkable progress in their journey to becoming a High Reliability Organization (HRO), implementing strategies designed to reduce the likelihood of human error and prevent tragic incidents—like the one that affected my daughter Emily in 2006. Their unwavering commitment to patient and medication safety is truly inspiring!

This week, I have the honor of addressing leaders at the Banner Health Pharmacy Services Medication Safety Event on Wednesday. In addition, I’ll also be presenting to their nursing staff during the “Start with Heart: Medication Safety Program.” Then on Thursday, I’ll conclude with a presentation to all Banner Health CMOs at a system-wide meeting, focusing on HRO principles and their path toward Zero Harm.

I’m deeply grateful for the opportunity to contribute to these important conversations and want to sincerely thank Mary Manning, PharmD, MBA, BCPS, and Kristine S. at Banner for making this all possible!