Faculty

Keith Graham, RPh
Acute Care Clinical Pharmacist
Learning experiences: Longitudinal staffing, orientation
ksgraham2@geisinger.edu

Mr. Graham graduated from Temple University School of Pharmacy in Philadelphia in 1996. He precepts the orientation learning experience. Keith has worked for Geisinger since 2003. From 2020 to 2023, he worked from home as a pharmacist informaticist building order sets and training new pharmacists. Mr. Graham works in the main pharmacy where he sends and receives narcotics, triages phone calls and checks technician preparations. In his spare time, he enjoys hiking, kayaking, playing trivia and attending cultural events in the region.

Jeffrey Hare, PharmD
Pharmacy Manager, Sterile Compounding and Hematology/Oncology Pharmacist
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 degree in 2014. He started working at Geisinger Lewistown Hospital in 2015. In 2022, became a leader in Geisinger when accepting the position of pharmacy coordinator and then pharmacy manager in 2025. In 2025, Dr. Hare was appointed an assistant professor, Department of Pharmacy, Geisinger College of Health Sciences. He serves as a preceptor and mentor to interns, IPPEs, APPEs and residents. His professional interests include sterile compounding, leadership and precepting learners.

Benjamin Heikkinen, PharmD, BCIDP
Pharmacy Manager, Geisinger Medical Center Muncy 
Learning experiences: Antimicrobial stewardship, management and  longitudinal leadership
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. From there, he completed a PGY2 infectious diseases pharmacy residency at the University of Wisconsin Health. 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 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 
Assistant Director, PGY1 Pharmacy Residency Program
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 where she found her passion for internal medicine and diabetes management. Dr. Ireland assumed the role of assistant residency director in the Geisinger Lewistown Hospital PGY1 residency program in 2025.

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. In June 2022, he accepted a role as an inpatient clinical pharmacist at Geisinger Lewistown Hospital. He serves as a preceptor for the inpatient psychiatric pharmacy rotation and a supporting preceptor for the IV Heme/Onc rotation. His interests include psychiatry, oncology, internal medicine and precepting. Outside of work, Dr. Kazmer enjoys hiking and gravel biking in the small amount of time he isn't chasing his toddler son around the greater State College area.

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 received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree 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 originates from DuBois, Pa., and currently resides 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 (ASHP) and is working toward being oncology certified by the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP). 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. Dr. Lopez also serves on the Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association (PPA) 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.

Anna McDermott, PharmD, BCOP
Ambulatory Clinical Pharmacist
Learning experiences: Elective Ambulatory Hematology/Oncology 
akmcdermott@geisinger.edu

Dr. McDermott is a 2011 graduate of Duquesne University where she earned her Doctor of Pharmacy degree. After graduation, she worked as a clinical pharmacist at Mount Nittany Medical Center in State College, Pa., where she worked in the inpatient setting helping with IV verification, antimicrobial monitoring and medication review as well as the out-patient anticoagulation and hematology/oncology clinics. Dr. McDermott then worked as a community pharmacist at Boalsburg Apothecary from 2018 to August 2019. She joined Geisinger’s hematology/oncology MTDM team in 2019 and helps with the oral oncolytic monitoring and management in Geisinger’s Western Region. Dr. McDermott is a preceptor for the PGY1 hem/onc elective and the PGY2 hem/onc MTDM rotation. Her professional interests include hematology/oncology, diabetes and anticoagulation.

Autumn Peck, PharmD, MBA
Acute Care Clinical Pharmacist
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's Nesbitt School of Pharmacy. She earned her Doctor of Pharmacy in 2019 and later received her MBA from Lamar University in 2022. Dr. Peck joined the Geisinger Lewistown Hospital acute care team in 2019 to assist in piloting the overnight pharmacy service. She took on the role of assistant residency program director in 2022 and advanced to residency program director in 2024. Dr. Peck also serves as an assistant professor of pharmacy in the Department of Pharmacy at Geisinger College of Health Sciences. She is a preceptor for Emergency Medicine and Critical Care learning experiences for residents and APPE students. Her professional interests include emergency medicine, rural medicine, process improvement and teaching. Outside of her professional life, she enjoys traveling and attending Dave Matthews Band concerts.

Brian Simpkins, PharmD
Director of Acute Pharmacy Services
Western & North-Central regions
Learning experiences: Management and leadership longitudinal, advancing pharmacy practice and improving patient care
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 PGY1 pharmacy residency at the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin. 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 PGY1 pharmacy residency at LECOM Health and co-led the development of a PGY2 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 professional interests include critical care, infectious diseases, improving medication reconciliation and growing training opportunities for learners.

Blake Remensnyder, PharmD
Acute Care Clinical Pharmacist
Learning Experiences: Infectious Diseases 
bremensnyder1@geisinger.edu 

Dr. Remensnyder earned his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2022. He then completed a PGY1 Pharmacy Residency at Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center in 2023 followed by a PGY2 Infectious Disease Pharmacy Residency at the St. Louis VA Medical Center in 2024. He then moved back to Pennsylvania to be closer to family, friends and the mountains. He now serves as the infectious disease pharmacist and preceptor for Geisinger Lewistown Hospital, where he enjoys teaching and being an antimicrobial steward. Dr. Remensnyder enjoys adventuring through the forests, watching the moon, trying new food and spending quality time with friends and family.

Lauren McCabe, PharmD
Cardiology MTDM Clinical Pharmacist
Learning Experiences: Ambulatory MTDM Cardiology
lmccabe1@geisinger.edu 

Dr. McCabe earned her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy in 2023 and completed a PGY1 Pharmacy Practice Residency at Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center in 2024. She ultimately fell in love with providing direct patient care in the ambulatory care setting and now serves as a preceptor for the Ambulatory MTDM Cardiology rotation at Geisinger Lewistown Hospital, where she has enjoyed the tight-knit community environment. Dr. McCabe enjoys buffalo chicken dip, beaching, and wearing Pitt gear around State College.

Devynn Ireland, PharmD
Acute Care Clinical Pharmacist
Learning Experiences: Critical Care 
direland2@geisinger.edu

Dr. Ireland is a 2024 graduate of the Wilkes University Nesbitt School of Pharmacy. She completed her bachelor’s degree in biology in 2020 at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Since graduation, Dr. Ireland has worked at Geisinger Lewistown Hospital, where she is a critical care pharmacist. This year, she is going through the Geisinger Preceptor Development Program to become a residency preceptor and is a critical care preceptor for APPE students. Her pharmacy interests include critical care, emergency medicine and pain management. In her personal time, she enjoys reading, crocheting and listening to vinyl records.