Board of DirectorsPresident
Alana Whittaker, Pharm.D., BCPS, BCGP Alana Whittaker, PharmD, BCPS, BCGP, Professor of Pharmacy Practice at Roseman University of Health Sciences, received her Doctor of Pharmacy from Howard University, Washington, DC. She completed her Pharmacy Practice Residency at Sentara Healthcare in Norfolk, VA and her Internal Medicine Specialty Residency at Seton Family of Hospitals/University of Texas at Austin in Austin, TX. She has a practice site at Valley Hospital in Las Vegas, NV where she rounds with an Internal Medicine team. She is actively involved in her community serving at health fairs, screening patients for hypertension, diabetes and lipid abnormalities and also vaccinating patients. She previously served as the Director-at-Large for Education for the Nevada Society of Health-System Pharmacists (NVSHP) for the past ten years in that position. Contact: [email protected] Immediate Past President
Judi R Mattorano, Pharm.D. Dr. Mattorano received her Bachelors of Science degree in Pharmacy in 1993 from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver, Colorado. She went on to receive her Doctor of Pharmacy degree in 2008 from the University of Florida. With her most recent recognition in 2020, Dr. Mattorano is a two-time Pharmacist of the Year recipient in the state of Nevada. Dr. Mattorano began her career as a Director of Pharmacy in 1993 for a long-term acute care hospital. She was also a Medical Science Liaison, specializing in infectious diseases for Merck & Co. After joining St. Rose Dominican hospital in 2000, Dr. Mattorano held various positions in the pharmacy department, including pharmacy technician supervisor and automation supervisor. Dr. Mattorano’s current role as the Clinical Pharmacy Specialist in Internal Medicine has been the most rewarding for her. Her areas of interest are internal medicine, total parenteral nutrition, anticoagulation, and infectious diseases. She currently offers an advanced experiential (APPE) rotation in Internal Medicine for pharmacy students. President-Elect
Zephanye Sistrunk, Pharm.D. Dr. Sistrunk currently serves in the role of Pharmacy Director overseeing the pharmacy operations at Valley Hospital Medical Center, Elite Medical Center, the ER at Desert Springs and the ER at North Las Vegas – all of which are extensions of Valley Hospital. She received her BS in Biology from Tuskegee University in Tuskegee, AL and continued her educational journey at Florida A&M University (FAMU) in Tallahassee, FL where she received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree. She is currently Board Certified in Geriatric Pharmacy and is the recipient of numerous awards including NVSHP Pharmacist of the Year and Valley Hospital Employee of the Year. Outside of pharmacy, she serves as the President of the Henderson graduate chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and an active alumna of the Las Vegas FAMU Alumni Association. In her spare time, she volunteers with Serving our Kids Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides weekend meal bags to children in Southern Nevada who would otherwise go hungry. She is married to her husband Sam, of 16 years, and they are the proud parents of four children. Secretary
Kaylee Putney, PharmD, BCCCP, BCPS, MBA Kaylee Putney, PharmD, BCCCP, BCPS, MBA, Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice at Roseman University of Health Sciences, received her Doctor of Pharmacy from Roseman University of Health Sciences. She completed a PGY-1 Pharmacy Practice residency at Valley Hospital Medical Center, where she currently practices as a clinical pharmacist in the medical and surgical ICUs. In addition to rounding with the critical care teams, she precepts APPE students and PGY-1 pharmacy residents on critical care Contact: [email protected] Treasurer Ragini S. Bhakta, PharmD, BCPS Clinical Pharmacy Specialist in Cardiology; Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice, Roseman University of Health Sciences College of Pharmacy Dr. Bhakta received her Doctor of Pharmacy Degree from University of the Pacific. She completed a pharmacy practice residency at Veterans Affairs hospital in Long Beach, California. Dr. Bhakta is an Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice at Roseman University of Health Sciences and precepts students on their Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPEs). She has more than 10 years of experience as a clinical specialist in cardiology. Her primary practice involves rounding with cardiology, providing formulary management, and coordinating policy and/or procedure updates as related to the Pharmacy and Cardiology departments. Her clinical research interests include antithrombotic medications as related to acute coronary syndromes (ACS) and the cardiac catheterization laboratory. Dr. Bhakta has given professional presentations at California Society of Health-System Pharmacists (CSHP), Nevada Society of Health-System Pharmacist (NVSHP), American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP), and AHA Get with the Guidelines® seminars. She is a member and President for NVSHP, as well as a member of ACCP and ASHP. Contact: [email protected] Directors at Large: Legislation Adam Porath, Pharm.D., BCPS, BCACP Dr. Adam Porath is the Vice President of Pharmacy Services at Renown Health in Reno, NV. He received his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Idaho State University and completed a Pharmacy Practice Residency at Renown Regional Medical Center. He is a board-certified Pharmacotherapy Specialist and board-certified Ambulatory Care Pharmacist. In his current role, Dr. Porath is responsible for overseeing pharmacy strategy and operations for 3 acute care hospitals, retail, specialty, and outpatient clinical pharmacy services across the continuum of care at Renown Health. Additionally, Dr. Porath serves as the PGY2 Ambulatory Care Residency Director and is an adjunct clinical faculty for several Colleges of Pharmacy. He has been published in several peer- reviewed journals. Dr. Porath has served as a Director at Large on the Board of NVSHP since 2015. He worked on behalf of NVSHP to help pass legislation in 2011, 2017, and 2021 to expand the pharmacy practice act. He has served as a State of Nevada Delegate to the American Society of Health System Pharmacists (ASHP) House of Delegates since 2012. Adam was appointed to the ASHP Council on Public Policy in 2019 and served as the Chair of this Council in 2022. Dr. Porath was awarded the Bowl of Hygeia for the State of Nevada in 2016 for outstanding community service. In 2021, Dr. Porath became a Fellow of ASHP. In 2024, he was appointed by Governor Lombardo as a member of the Nevada State Board of Pharmacy. Director of Public Relations
Roseann Visconti, PharmD Roseann Visconti, PharmD is the Associate Chief of Clinical Pharmacy Programs and PGY1 Pharmacy Residency Program Director at the Southern Nevada Healthcare System, in Las Vegas, NV. She received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Long Island University in Brooklyn, NY and completed a Pharmacy Practice Residency at the Southern Nevada Healthcare System. She went on to be an Assistant Professor at Roseman University before moving on to her management career at the Las Vegas VA. In her current role, Dr. Visconti is responsible for overseeing over 40 Clinical Pharmacy Practitioners, 3 PGY1 Pharmacy Residents and has her own scope of practice within primary care. Dr. Visconti was awarded the Bowl of Hygeia for the State of Nevada in 2018 for outstanding community service. Directors at Large: Education (North) Chayse Bryant, PharmD Chayse Bryant is a Pharmacist Supervisor at Renown Regional Medical Center in Reno, Nevada. He completed his Doctor of Pharmacy at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical Directors at Large: Education (South) Chike Okolo, PharmD Dr. Chike Okolo currently serves as the Division Director of Clinical Pharmacy HCA Ambulatory Surgery Division. In this role, his responsibilities include coordination of system-wide pharmacy initiatives and strategies as well as direct responsibility for 10 surgery centers in California and Nevada. Previously, he worked as an Outpatient Oncology pharmacist at the VA Northern California Healthcare system and at Roseman University as an Ambulatory Care Specialist. He continues to look for new ways to bring his unique background and transferable skills into new professional experiences that will impact and benefit the patient. He also believes that leadership, advocacy, and dedicated volunteers are essential foundations for implementing change in our profession. Pharmacy Technician Representative
Mark Brunton CPHT, MSHE Mark Brunton has worked as a technician in the hospital setting for over 12 years. After many years he began working as an advocate and educator. He served as the President of the Pharmacy Technician Educators Council from 2017-2018. He currently serves as a member of the Certification Council for PTCB. When not working to enhance technician competence and advocate for increased responsibilities, he enjoys swing dancing and tinkering in the garage. Pharmacy Resident Representatives
Jordan Manno, PharmD Jordan Manno was born and raised in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. She completed her Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry at the University of Detroit Mercy in Detroit, Michigan. She then earned her Doctor of Pharmacy degree at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Her clinical areas of interest include infectious diseases and ambulatory care. After completing her PGY-2 residency in infectious diseases, she hopes to obtain an inpatient or clinic based infectious diseases related pharmacist position. In her spare time, Jordan enjoys listening to music and podcasts, running, reading and playing pickleball. Brooke Toller, PharmD Brooke Toller completed a Bachelor of Science in Public Health from Brigham Young University, where she developed a love of both infectious diseases and chronic disease Student Representative:
Kayley Englund, PharmD Candidate Kayley Englund was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada. She completed her biology prerequisites at Dixie State University and UNLV. Her interest in pharmacy began in 2020 when she got her tech license at a Walgreens in St. George, Utah. She plans to pursue drug development beyond graduation, and hopes to get involved in a phase one drug development company. For general questions or inquiries, please e-mail: [email protected] |
