Faculty

Preceptors

Jeffrey Hare, PharmD
Coordinator, Pharmacy 
Learning experiences: Institutional Intravenous Hematology/Oncology, Orientation, Longitudinal staffing 
jdhare@geisinger.edu 

Dr. Hare is a graduate of the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia. He earned his Doctor of Pharmacy in 2014. He started working at Geisinger Lewistown Hospital in January of 2015. While in this position, he serves as a preceptor to IPPE, APPE and residents. His professional interests include IV pharmacy, hem/onc and teaching/precepting students and residents.

Benjamin Heikkinen, PharmD, BCIDP
Pharmacy Manager, Geisinger Medical Center Muncy 
Learning experiences: Antimicrobial Stewardship, Management and Leadership longitudinal 
bheikkinen@geisinger.edu 

Dr. Heikkinen is a 2017 graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Pharmacy. After graduation, he completed a PGY1 pharmacy residency at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, Ill. From there, Dr. Heikkinen completed a PGY2 infectious diseases pharmacy residency at the University of Wisconsin Health in Madison, Wisc. Following residency, he stayed on at UW-Health and practiced primarily in adult surgery, emergency medicine, HIV clinic and infectious diseases. In 2020, he transitioned into a new role as a neurology and neurocritical care pharmacist at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. In addition to his clinical responsibilities, he assisted in the roll out of vancomycin AUC/MIC dosing and spearheaded the development and implementation of pharmacy renal dose adjustment guidelines. Dr. Heikkinen joined the Geisinger team in September of 2021 as a pharmacy manager and infectious diseases pharmacist to continue to pursue his passion for transitions of care, antimicrobial stewardship, PK/PD optimization and precepting/teaching students and residents.

Victoria Ireland, PharmD 
Acute Care Clinical Pharmacist 
Learning experiences: Internal Medicine, Critical Care, Advancing Pharmacy Practice and Improving Patient Care
vireland1@geisinger.edu  
 
Dr. Ireland is a graduate of Wilkes University, Nesbitt School of Pharmacy. She earned her Doctor of Pharmacy degree in 2022. Upon graduation, she started an acute care pharmacist position at Geisinger Lewistown Hospital. Her professional interests include internal medicine, critical care and hematology/oncology. 
 
Stephen Kazmer, PharmD  
Acute Care Clinical Pharmacist, Geisinger Western Region Wellness Ambassador  
Learning experiences: Psychiatry, Institutional Intravenous Hematology/Oncology 
skazmer@geisinger.edu  
 
Dr. Kazmer is a 2020 graduate of the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine School of Pharmacy. He completed his Bachelor’s degree majoring in microbiology with a minor in bioethics in 2015, at Michigan State University. After graduating pharmacy school, Dr. Kazmer accepted a position as a staff pharmacist with CVS, later managing a store for a total of two years. In June of 2022, he accepted a role as an inpatient clinical pharmacist at Geisinger Lewistown Hospital to further his clinical knowledge and gain expertise in hospital pharmacy. His interests include psychiatry, oncology, internal medicine and precepting. 

Alysha Lopez, PharmD
Coordinator, Acute Pharmacy Services
Learning experiences: Institutional Intravenous Hematology/Oncology
alopez@geisinger.edu 

Dr. Lopez is a graduate of Wilkes University Nesbitt School of Pharmacy, where she earned her Doctor of Pharmacy in 2015. She also has an honorary undergraduate degree in biological sciences from Wilkes University after completion of credits/course from both Wilkes and the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Lopez is from DuBois, Pa., and now lives in Belleville, Pa. After pharmacy school, she worked as a clinical pharmacist at Geisinger Lewistown Hospital, then transitioned to Geisinger Windmere Pharmacy practicing primarily in hematology and oncology. Dr. Lopez has her certificate in compounded sterile preparations from American Society of Health-System Pharmacists and is working towards also being oncology certified by American College of Clinical Pharmacy. She serves as the coordinator for hem/onc and IV sterile compounding for the Western Region of Acute Care Pharmacy. During her career at Geisinger, Dr. Lopez has served on multiple committees that function to better implement patient care, such as Hem/Onc BEACON, Hem/Onc Education and Knowledge Management, Lewistown LEAN and P&T Order Set. She has a passion for streamlined and direct patient care and helps to spearhead and operationalize patient transitions from clinic infusions to getting infusions in their own homes — a dream coming true in 2022! Dr. Lopez also enjoys her time with other pharmacists serving on the Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association Health System Advocacy Committee and Awards Committee. Her professional interests include medical oncology infusions and oral chemotherapy, pain management, palliative care, diabetes management, sterile IV compounding and pharmacy regulations.

Autumn Peck, PharmD, MBA
Acute Care Clinical Pharmacist
Assistant Director, PGY1 Pharmacy Residency Program 
Learning experiences: Emergency Medicine, Transition of Care elective, Self-Assessment and Professional Advancement
apeck@geisinger.edu

Dr. Peck is a graduate of Wilkes University, Nesbitt School of Pharmacy. She earned her Doctor of Pharmacy in 2019 and later received her MBA-HA from Lamar University in 2022. Dr. Peck joined the Geisinger Lewistown acute care team in November 2019 to assist in piloting the overnight pharmacy program. She took on the role of assistant residency program director in June 2022. She is currently the preceptor for Emergency Medicine and Transition of Care. Her professional interests include internal medicine, emergency medicine, process improvement, mentorship and teaching.

Heather Pully, PharmD
Clinical MTDM Pharmacist
Learning experiences: Anticoagulation and Chronic Disease Management Family Medicine (ambulatory care)
hapully@geisinger.edu

Dr. Pully is a graduate of Wilkes University, Nesbitt School of Pharmacy. She earned her Doctor of Pharmacy in 2009. After graduation, she accepted a position as a community pharmacist at Geisinger Pharmacy in Lewistown, Pa., where she served as a manager for several years. Seven years ago, she transitioned to an ambulatory clinical role in the Medication Therapy Disease Management department at Geisinger Medical Group in Lewistown. She appreciates and values the relationship she has built with her patients who live in the same community in which she grew up. Her professional interests include chronic disease state management, particularly diabetes, dyslipidemia, and hypertension, comprehensive medication reviews and teaching/precepting students and residents.

Dominic Rascona, PharmD
Acute Care Clinical Pharmacist
Learning experiences: Internal Medicine, Critical Care
drascona@geisinger.edu

Dr. Rascona is a graduate of Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine School of Pharmacy. He completed his bachelor's degrees in biology at Lock Haven University in 2018 and went on to earn his Doctor of Pharmacy degree in 2021. After graduation, he worked as a staff pharmacist in retail before he accepted an acute care clinical pharmacist position with Geisinger Lewistown Hospital. His professional interests include infectious diseases/antimicrobial stewardship, critical care medicine and internal medicine.

Brian Simpkins, PharmD, BCPS
Director of Acute Pharmacy Services
Western & North-Central regions
Learning experiences: Antimicrobial Stewardship, Management and Leadership longitudinal
bdsimpkins@geisinger.edu 

Dr. Simpkins is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy. He earned his PharmD in 2004. After graduation, he completed a PGY-1 pharmacy residency at the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, Wisc. Following residency, he practiced at UPMC-Presbyterian hospital in the medical intensive care unit. While in this position, he also served as an adjunct clinical professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy. In 2011, Dr. Simpkins accepted a position as an associate professor of pharmacy at the Erie campus of Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM), where his teaching and research interests included pharmacotherapeutics, clinical pharmacokinetics and improving the clinical skills of pharmacy students. He also served as the director of residency education while at LECOM, where he stewarded the academia-focused PGY-1 pharmacy residency at LECOM Health and co-led the development of a PGY-2 geriatric pharmacy residency at LECOM Health. In 2015, Dr. Simpkins joined the Geisinger family as a clinical pharmacist in the ICU at Geisinger Lewistown Hospital, and he has been the director of pharmacy for the hospital since 2018. His current professional interests include critical care, infectious diseases, improving medication reconciliation and growing training opportunities for learners.

Keturah Weaver, PharmD, BCPS
Clinical MTDM Pharmacist, Cardiology
Director, PGY1 Pharmacy Residency Program
Learning experiences: Ambulatory MTDM Cardiology, Major Project, Advancing Pharmacy Practice and Improving Patient Care, Self-Assessment and Professional Advancement
kweaver1@geisinger.edu 

Dr. Weaver is a graduate of Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine School of Pharmacy. She completed her pre-pharmacy studies at the University of Pittsburgh and went on to earn her Doctor of Pharmacy in 2018. After graduation, she completed a PGY1 pharmacy practice residency at Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center in Johnstown, Pa. Dr. Weaver accepted a position as a cardiology clinical pharmacist with Geisinger after her residency. Her professional interests include preventive medicine, diabetes, hypertension, heart failure, dyslipidemia, smoking cessation, teaching and transitions of care.