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Mason Named Director of Pharmacy at UT Medical Center

Published: Wednesday, June 4, 2008

The University of Tennessee Medical Center recently named Dr. Kim Currie-Mason as director of Pharmacy. Mason becomes just the fifth person to hold that title since the inception of the medical center in 1956. Now responsible for oversight of the department that includes about 40 pharmacists, 60 pharmacy technicians and several other staff members, Mason replaces Sherri Ramsey, who is retiring.

“Kim Mason has been with UT Medical Center for a decade now and began proving herself as a leader from day one,” said Steve Ross, senior vice president for Strategic Development at UT Medical Center. “Kim has always remained committed to the medical center and strongly supports the academic medical center concept. Her ability to adapt to new technology, new information and the changes in her field help assure us that with Kim as director our Pharmacy Department will always remain at the foreground of the industry.”

Mason joined UT Medical Center in 1998 as drug information specialist at later became the first medication safety specialist. In that role, she helped create the Medication Safety Office at the medical center, which is responsible for coordinating adverse drug event reporting, pharmacy performance improvement and medication standards compliance. In addition to her position at the medical center, Mason serves as assistant professor in the Department of Clinical Pharmacy Practice at UT College of Pharmacy and teaches courses related to drug information and medication safety to pharmacy students and residents.

“I am truly honored to accept this new role within the Pharmacy Department at UT Medical Center,” Mason said. “I have always felt a strong sense of commitment to the organization and to our patients to ensure the provision of safe and effective drug therapy.”

Mason earned her doctorate in pharmacy from the University of Mississippi. She completed both a pharmacy practice residency and a critical care and nutrition residency at UT Medical Center, where she served as the first chief pharmacy resident.

With a strong focus on community education and patient safety, Mason gives presentations throughout the region to discuss new drugs, adverse drug events and other aspects of medication safety. She has worked with physicians, nurses and other health professionals on numerous initiatives involving patient safety. Mason serves on the UT Graduate School of Medicine Institutional Review Board and previously served as Human Protections Administrator for UT Medical Center.

Mason and her husband, Rob, live in Powell with their sons, Will and Noah. Rob and Kim both serve on the music praise team at Powell Church and are actively involved in Christian outreach in their community.

The University of Tennessee Medical Center is a 581-bed, not-for-profit academic medical center, which serves as a referral center for Eastern Tennessee, Southeast Kentucky and Western North Carolina. The Medical Center, the region’s only Level I Trauma Center, is one of the largest employers in Knoxville. For more information about the University of Tennessee Medical Center, visit online at www.utmedicalcenter.org.