Reflecting on The Medication Safety Symposium at Touro University

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