ISMP spokesperson bios

Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) experts are able to address a wide range of medication safety issues. Following are brief biographies for some of ISMP’s senior staff members. To schedule interviews, or information on additional ISMP experts, contact Renee Brehio (public relations) or call 704-831-8822.

Michael R. Cohen, RPh, MS, ScD, FASHP
President
Michael Cohen, RPh, MS, ScD, is president of The Institute for Safe Medication Practices, a non-profit healthcare organization that specializes in understanding the causes of medication errors and providing error-reduction strategies to the healthcare community, policy makers, and the public. He is editor of the textbook, Medication Errors (2007 American Pharmaceutical Association) and serves as co-editor of the ISMP Medication Safety Alert! publications that reach over 2 million health  professionals and consumers in the US, as well as regulatory authorities and others in over 30 foreign countries.  Dr. Cohen is a member of the Sentinel Event Advisory Group for the Joint Commission and served recently as a member of the Committee on Identifying and Preventing Medication Errors, Institute of Medicine. He is also a member of the National Quality Forum’s Voluntary Consensus Standards Maintenance Committee (CSMC) on Safe Practices and served recently on the FDA Drug Safety and Risk Management Committee. Over the past 5 years, Cohen has consistently been recognized by Modern Healthcare as one of the top 100 “Most Powerful People in Healthcare” and in 2005 he was recognized as a MacArthur Fellow by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

Allen J. Vaida, PharmD, FASHP
Executive Vice President
Allen Vaida previously served as director of pharmacy, assistant vice president and director of pharmacy, vice president of clinical operations, and chief operating officer at Mercy Suburban Hospital in Norristown, PA. He has served on the boards of several healthcare organizations, including as a trustee for ISMP from its incorporation as a nonprofit organization in 1994 until his employment at ISMP in 2000. Dr. Vaida served on the United States Pharmacopeia's Safe Medication Use Expert Committee from 2000 through 2005 and is currently a member of the advisory board for the Maryland Patient Safety Center. He also is a clinical assistant professor at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, adjunct assistant professor at Temple University School of Pharmacy, adjunct associate professor for the Centers for Heath Policy and Primary Care and Outcomes Research at Stanford University and Stanford University School of Medicine, and adjunct faculty for the Executive Patient Safety Fellowship offered through Virginia Commonwealth University. Dr. Vaida received a BS in Biology from the University of Scranton, a BS in Pharmacy from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science, and a Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of Minnesota.

Hedy Cohen, RN, BSN, MS
Vice President
Hedy Cohen has more than 18 years of clinical nursing background in critical care and nursing management. She is a frequent speaker on current issues in medication safety and has authored numerous articles on improving the medication use process. She also edits ISMP's monthly newsletter for nurses, Nurse Advise-ERR; has co-authored a handbook on high-alert drugs; and is on the national advisory boards for Nursing Advance and Davis's Drug Guide for Nurses. She is an adjunct assistant professor at Temple University School of Pharmacy, a faculty fellow for the executive patient safety fellowship offered through the Virginia Commonwealth University and a Senior Scholar at the Department of Health Policy at Jefferson Medical College. Ms. Cohen received a BSN from LaSalle University, a MS in Health Systems Administration from the Rochester Institute for Technology, and is presently doing doctoral work in health policy at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia.

Judy Smetzer, RN, BSN
Vice President
Prior to joining ISMP, Judy Smetzer served as associate vice president at St. Luke's Quakertown Hospital in Quakertown, PA. During her 30-year career, Ms. Smetzer has advanced from a staff nurse to various management positions, increasingly focusing on quality improvement and risk management. She has served as a risk management consultant for a long-term and community-based healthcare organizations, published many articles on medication error prevention in peer-reviewed journals, and is a contributing author of the handbook Mosby’s Nursing PDQ for Medication Safety. Ms. Smetzer serves as an author and editor of ISMP’s four newsletters for acute care providers, nurses, ambulatory/community care providers, and consumers. She also is an adjunct assistant professor at Temple University School of Pharmacy, teaching a course on medication error surveillance and control planning. Ms. Smetzer received a BSN from Cedar Crest College.

Matthew Grissinger, RPh, FASCP
Director, Error Reporting Programs
Matthew Grissinger has extensive experience in long-term care, home care, and community pharmacy. Prior to joining ISMP, he served as a home care and long-term care pharmacy surveyor for the Joint Commission. Mr. Grissinger is a frequent speaker on pharmacy topics and current issues in medication safety. He has published numerous articles in the pharmacy literature, including regular columns in P&T , Pharmacy Today, and U.S. Pharmacist. He is also a clinical analyst for the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Reporting System (PA-PSRS). Mr. Grissinger serves on the United States Pharmacopeia’s Safe Medication Use Expert Committee, the National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention (NCC MERP), the Editorial Board for P&T , and the Publications Advisory Board for Davis’s Drug Guide for Nurses . He is also an adjunct assistant professor for Temple University School of Pharmacy and clinical assistant professor for the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia. Mr. Grissinger received a BS in Pharmacy from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science and is a fellow of the Institute for Safe Medication Practices as well as the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists.