EAH Employees Earn Fellowships, Recognition from National Organizations

OPELIKA, Ala.- Three East Alabama Health employees have been recognized for their exceptional commitment and dedication to providing high-quality, compassionate health care by earning credentials from national organizations and landing prestigious fellowships.

Chuck Beams, Executive Director and Chief Pharmacy Officer, was one of 21 pharmacy leaders who recently received the Certified Pharmacy Executive Leader (CPEL^SM) credential from the American Society of Health System Pharmacists (ASHP).

“It was an absolute honor for me to earn this credential and be able to meet and learn from other pharmacy leaders from around the nation,” Beams said. “This credential and learning experience has allowed me to build connections with other industry executives to find new ways to provide our patients and employees with better experiences.”

The CPELSM recognizes commitment to achieving and maintaining excellence in professionalism, leading people, leading the pharmacy enterprise, and leading within and across complex healthcare systems.

Launched in 2021 and the first of its kind in pharmacy leadership, the CPEL^SM acknowledges the unique expertise of pharmacy executive leaders. To be recognized, pharmacists must have a minimum of five years of progressive and sustained leadership experience, including significant managerial oversight in a healthcare organization resulting in advancing pharmacy practice and positive patient outcomes.

Beams also completed a 4-day capstone at ASHP headquarters in Bethesda, Maryland, to demonstrate achievement of validated CPEL leadership and professional competencies. Participants participated in progressive problem-solving exercise during the capstone.

“I’m very thankful for the support East Alabama Health has given me,” Beams said. “Over the years, EAH has been committed to giving me opportunities to learn and grow in my career; this is another excellence example of that commitment. I am the leader I am today because of their investment in me.”

Chelsea Kroll, social worker at the Spencer Cancer Center, was selected along with five others to make up the 2023 class of Association of Oncology Social Work (AOSW) fellows. Kroll also began her term on the AOSW Board of Directors in January 2023 as the Director at-Large for Special Interest Groups.

“It’s an honor for me to be selected as an AOSW Fellow for 2023,” Kroll said. “AOSW is such a vital organization within the oncology arena, and I look forward to continuing to serve the membership by upholding our values of leadership, education and mentorship.”

The AOSW is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to the enhancement of psychosocial services to people with cancer and their families. The fellowship is awarded to individuals who have made great contributions to the science and practice of psychosocial oncology.

Keith Matthews, a nurse practitioner at Unity Wellness Clinic and graduate student in Auburn University’s College of Nursing, has been awarded the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship for 2023.

Matthews’s work at Unity Wellness, an AIDS Service Organization, is what earned him the prestigious fellowship. He hopes to use the fellowship to develop future projects and student that will have an impact on the treatment and treatment outcomes of patients afflicted with HIV.

“Being selected for the Schweitzer Fellowship is a tremendous honor,” said Matthews. “I’m still wrapping my head around the fact that I was chosen.”

Founded in fall of 2015, the Alabama Fellows Program is one of thirteen active Schweitzer programs across the U.S. dedicated to developing a pipeline of emerging professionals who enter the workforce with skills and commitment necessary to address unmet health needs.

“The thing I am looking forward to is being able to work and connect with some of the best and brightest across various specialties in healthcare,” said Matthews. “All are passionate about serving underserved populations, and our projects will help find ways to improve their overall health while increasing access to care.”

Alabama Schweitzer Fellows are competitively chosen from students enrolled in graduate and professional schools around the state, who demonstrate a passion for cultivating positive change in Alabama communities where the need is greatest.

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About East Alabama Health

East Alabama Health encompasses East Alabama Medical Center in Opelika, EAMC-Lanier in Valley, the Spencer Cancer Center in Opelika, the Auburn Medical Pavilion and a host of other key medical clinic and practices that help provide a continuum of care to patients throughout an 11-county area. EAMC is a 314-bed regional referral hospital with a 26-bed Skilled Nursing Facility, while EAMC-Lanier provides inpatient services as well as a nursing home, an acute rehab unit, senior behavioral health and an ambulatory surgery center. East Alabama Health employs about 3,500 employees and is the second largest employer in the region, trailing only Auburn University. For more information, visit www.eastalabamahealth.org.