Serving as a mental health pharmacist for aging patients is a passion for Jennifer Bean, PharmD, a 2004 graduate of the UT Health Science Center College of Pharmacy.
“My grandparents helped raise me, which gives me insight into what healthy aging can look like, as well as what aging without good health can represent,” Dr. Bean says.
Today, she continues her commitment to improving health in aging patients as a clinical pharmacist practitioner with the VISN 9 Clinical Resource Hub, where she works with an interprofessional Geriatric Mental Health team providing services across VA facilities in Tennessee and Kentucky. This spring, she was appointed to the inaugural class of the American Association of Psychiatric Pharmacists (AAPP) Fellows Program.
To be eligible, applicants must have maintained membership in AAPP for 10 or more years; provided significant service to AAPP; provided evidence of knowledge, experience, and expertise; and demonstrated their leadership in the specialty by contributing to education, research, and/or advocacy.
Psychiatric pharmacists are advanced practice clinicians who specialize in mental health care. With extensive knowledge of medication management, they excel at treating the whole patient. They enhance the mental health team by working directly with patients, improving outcomes, and saving lives. “What the psychiatric pharmacists can bring to a team is incredibly significant. I genuinely feel we can make a real difference,” Dr. Bean says.
Dr. Bean’s experience with psychiatric pharmacy began during her time at VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System, working on a long-term care mental health unit. Opportunities for growth in her career continued at the health care system, where she was asked to round out the acute psychiatric unit by the chief mental health officer at the time.
“I discussed the opportunity with my supervisor and decided to take the time to really see what possibilities and opportunities were available for a pharmacist on an acute psychiatry unit, and then that led, honestly, to the rest of my career,” Dr. Bean says.
She seized the opportunity, expanding the program to incorporate more than 10 clinical pharmacist practitioners working in mental health services with prescribing privileges within the health care system, before her departure from the facility.
In her current role at the VISN 9 Clinical Resource Hub, Dr. Bean dedicates her time to treating older adults with mental health conditions, including dementia patients with behavioral disturbances, and improving the quality of life for both the patients and their families.
“I think early on in my career, having had a walking dementia unit as one of my first jobs, I really realized the kind of impact we can have and the numerous medication risks in geriatrics in general. When you add in that mental health component, that dementia element, the risks are just so high,” Dr. Bean says. “It is still very important that we focus on quality of life and care. What does that look like? That’s kind of how this all started, and it’s a blast to do it. There are tough days, days when you feel like, no matter what you’ve tried, you just can’t help that patient and their loved ones as you’d like to, but then there are those days when you meet a patient and their wife who literally tear up and say, ‘We never thought we’d get to this point. I can enjoy my day again.’ Those are the days you hold onto and cherish as you navigate through those challenging times, asking yourself, ‘Is nothing working? What else can we do?’”
Her experience at the UT Health Science Center College of Pharmacy still influences her today. “They gave me opportunities, mentors, and experiences. They challenged us to not accept the status quo,” Dr. Bean says. She recalls her first day of pharmacy school when a faculty member told her, “No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care.’ That has been my North Star throughout my career. It’s not just about knowledge; it’s about how we interact with and care for our patients as individuals. That truly helps us make an impact on their lives.”
Today, as a PGY2 instructor, the lessons she learned from the college guide her teaching philosophy, passing on the commitment to exemplary pharmacy care to the next generation, encouraging them to follow their passion and keep dreaming as they look toward their future career.
The AAPP Fellows Program recognizes members who have demonstrated excellence in advancing the practice of psychiatric pharmacy and have distinguished themselves in advancing the mission and goals of AAPP, thereby promoting public awareness of the profession.