Local pharmacist to preside over state pharmacy organization

Kentucky Society of Health-System Pharmacists (KSHP) works on behalf of pharmacists who work in healthcare systems across Kentucky.

ELIZABETHTOWN (Jan. 7, 2023) – Baptist Health Hardin clinical pharmacist Kortney Brown, PharmD, has taken the helm of the Kentucky Society of Health-System Pharmacists (KSHP), an organization that works on behalf of pharmacists who work in healthcare systems across Kentucky.

The KSHP presidential office is structured into three distinct roles - president-elect, president, and immediate past-president. Each role is a one-year duration. Brown has now begun the second year of her three-year term, officially taking over the presidency for 2023.

Brown originally joined KSHP as a director for a two-year term in 2015. The experience fueled her passion for her career. “Anytime I attended a KSHP meeting, I left reinvigorated to drive back to my job and make an impact for the organization and our profession,” said Brown.

As she was about to transition off the board, the office of secretary was vacated, giving Brown the opportunity to vie for a leadership role. She served as secretary for three years and chaired the Communications Committee for a year before running for the presidency. She was not elected the first time, but with encouragement from her fellow officers and past officers, she ran again. Her second bid at the highest office was successful.

Her year as president-elect has helped prepare her to take over as president in 2023. As president, she will preside over the board of directors and lead organizational initiatives and advocacy efforts statewide. She says she is eager to begin her work with legislative sessions, and with the in-person spring meeting, where she will have the opportunity to meet with vendors and engage with other members. “I enjoy networking with everyone, learning new and different things.”

As a young student with a passion for math and science, Brown had a childhood dream of becoming a physician. But after participating in a high school volunteer project at her hometown community hospital, things changed. What should have been a time for her to float between departments to get a well-rounded picture of healthcare, never made it past the pharmacy. “My love and passion for health-system pharmacy started that day, and they haven’t left me yet,” she said in her president’s message in KSHP’s November 2022 newsletter.

Brown received her bachelor’s degree in human nutrition from the University of Kentucky. She remained in Lexington to complete her Doctor of Pharmacy degree at the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy. Brown completed her PGY1, or post-graduate year one residency, at Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center in Danville.

Following her residency, Brown worked for Pikeville Medical Center. At a time in her life when she was ready to make some changes, she saw a social media post that sparked her interest. It was from her former manager at Ephraim McDowell, who now worked at Baptist Health Hardin. The hospital was seeking a pharmacist. After visiting Elizabethtown and Baptist Health Hardin, she said she fell in love with the city and the people, and decided it was the change she had been seeking. Brown will celebrate her one-year anniversary of employment with Baptist Health Hardin on January 17. 

“Kortney joined Baptist Health Hardin in January of 2022 and quickly became another integral asset to our pharmacy team,” stated Jamie Lane, PharmD, and the director of pharmacy at Baptist Health Hardin. “She’s a smart, talented, and highly capable professional who, as KSHP President, will help advance the level of pharmacy practice for both pharmacists and pharmacy technicians across the Commonwealth of Kentucky to the benefit of the patients we serve. We are blessed to have her as a leader of KSHP and very proud to call her our own from within the Baptist Health System family.”

Ten years into her pharmacy career, Brown remains passionate about her work and enjoys her daily duties. “I work in the Intensive Care Unit a lot. I love the camaraderie with being on the interdisciplinary rounds and helping patients.”

What drives Brown each day is striving to be the best at what she is doing and “…putting the effort into bettering myself to more effectively help others.”