Dr. Jessica Núñez de Ybarra of the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) will address the graduating class at the 2017 USC School of Pharmacy Commencement on Friday, May 12.
In California alone, about $98 billion — or 42.4% of all healthcare expenditures — is spent on chronic conditions such as arthritis, asthma, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer and depression.
Those most at risk for poor healthcare outcomes include the underserved, the rapidly growing elderly population and the mentally ill. Yet pharmacists — who have the skills, training and expertise to ensure that patients receive the best treatments possible — are highly underutilized by health systems.
A co-author of the California Wellness Plan, the state’s 10-year approach to addressing the enormous chronic disease burden, Dr. Núñez de Ybarra has advocated for comprehensive medication management by pharmacists an important component in reaching the so-called “triple aim” of health care reform: improving care, improving health, reducing costs.
Dr. Núñez de Ybarra will speak about the future of pharmacy in California and across the country, and the opportunities and challenges for pharmacists to improve the healthcare outcomes of patients in the most economic, efficient and value-based manner.
The 134th USC Commencement will take place on Friday, May 12, 2017. The USC School of Pharmacy ceremony begins at 3 pm at Pappas Quad, USC Health Sciences Campus. For more information: https://commencement.usc.edu/