Chair

Athena is an ambulatory care pharmacist and sports pharmacy consultant working in Minneapolis, MN. The USSPG was founded in 2022 by Athena’s curiosity surrounding the pharmacist’s role in sports medicine and passion for the anti-doping initiative. She has had unique experiences working with and learning from various sports medicine organizations including the U.S. Anti-doping Agency, university athletics, Partnership for Clean Competition, Minnesota Athletic Trainer’s Association, and sports medicine clinics within the Twin Cities. She has served as an expert in the field of sports pharmacy through lecturing, consulting, and committee work nationally and internationally. Her overarching passion lies in identifying ways to optimize medication-related needs among the sports medicine community and advocate for the health and safety of athletes through clean sport. In her free time, Athena enjoys, traveling, back packing, and supporting local arts with her husband.

Vice Chair

Mitch is a clinical assistant professor, ambulatory care & community pharmacist in Toledo, OH. He has completed the International Olympic Committee’s Certificate in Drugs in Sport. Mitch has provided lectures on over-the-counter medications to athletic training students at The University of Toledo.
His sports pharmacy research includes: the perspectives of athletes and pharmacists on pharmacist-provided sports supplement counseling; and the medication-related needs of sports medicine organizations. He looks forward to exploring ways to further enhance the interprofessional care of patient-athletes. As an Ironman triathlete, Mitch still pursues his own athletic endeavors as well!

Treasurer

Fay is a pharmacist at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Syracuse NY. She received her Bachelor’s degree of Science from the Schreyer’s Honors College at Penn State Harrisburg in May 2016. Following graduation, she attended and obtained her PharmD degree from the Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy at East Tennessee State University in May 2022. After graduation she completed a post graduate fellowship with NCODA, inc where she was the Oncology Association Managment fellow Currently as a fellow, she uses her passion for helping others by
working on various initiatives to develop educational resources for medical integrated oncology practices, oncology stakeholders, and healthcare students to innovate the continuity of cancer care so that every patient receives the maximum benefit from their cancer treatment. Additionally, Fay is an Assistant Women’s Soccer Coach at Cazenovia College. She specializes in student-centered initiatives and is a former DIII athlete at the Pennsylvania State University-Harrisburg where she competed as a two-sport athlete in women’s soccer and tennis. Fay is tying her experiences of being a pharmacist, former athlete, and coach to teach others on ways to be healthy and happy.

Secretary

Amanda W. is passionate about pharmacists finding unique ways to impact patients. Since graduating from West Virginia University School of Pharmacy in 2008, Dr. Ward has held several non-traditional pharmacist roles. She has worked as a long term care pharmacist where she obtained her board certification in geriatric pharmacy, community pharmacist, regulatory consultant pharmacist, managed care pharmacist, and an ambulatory care pharmacist. In 2021, Dr. Ward obtained her MS Pharmacy degree in Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy from the University of Florida, in the pharmaceutical regulation specialty track.

Dr. Ward played collegiate basketball at Concord College (now Concord University), and has been a volunteer coach for various youth league teams over the years. She has found that sports pharmacy is a place where her passions of sports, regulation, and non-traditional pharmacy roles impacting patient care intersect. Dr. Ward is a participant in the September 2023 cohort in the International Olympic Committee's Drugs in Sport certificate course.

Dr. Ward was recently elected to serve the American Pharmacists Association Academy of Pharmacy Practice and Management (APhA-APPM) as Member at Large, from 2024-2026. Dr. Ward is thrilled to serve as secretary for the US Sports Pharmacy Group Board of Directors. In her free time, Dr. Ward enjoys reading, watching collegiate sports in person or on television, traveling, and supporting her three children in their numerous after school activities.

Member at Large

Jessica is the Founder of The Athlete’s Pharmacist, a consultant sports pharmacy practice that combines her passions of athletics and pharmacy together. Dr. Beal-Stahl received her Doctorate of Pharmacy from Mercer University in 2009 and has been practicing as a Director of Clinical Services at a local independent community pharmacy in Merritt Island, Florida, since graduation. She also serves as a functional health coach for Island Direct Primary Care. Her focus is on bringing wellness and health to her patients and community. She holds additional certifications and training in female hormones, integrative medicine, Olympic weightlifting coaching, sports nutrition, and nutrigenomics. She also holds certifications for immunization and test and treat in the state of Florida. Jess’s work is devoted primarily to supporting female athletes in all aspects of their performance goals and transitions through life by helping them work with their unique physiology to train and perform their best. That means helping athletes learn about their bodies and how their training, nutrition, sleep, and recovery might change, feel different, and need additional focus throughout the month. Her passion lies in being the voice for athletes to help bridge the gap between conventional medicine and integrative/functional medicine. She loves supporting organizations/teams to provide education on these often overlooked and under-discussed topics. Jess also knows what it’s like to be a high-level athlete, having played D1 volleyball, medaled nationally and internationally in Olympic weightlifting, and recently set a world record in Olympic Weighting for snatch in her age/weight class. She lives in Florida with her husband and dog. She loves the outdoors, traveling to hike, and crafts in her spare time.

Member at Large

Steve is a pharmacist and board-certified clinical toxicologist. As a toxicologist, he spends most of his time at the bedside treating poisoned patients and providing clinical consultation to nurses, physicians, and pharmacists in the ED and ICU settings. He also uses these same skill sets to provide consultation to athletes and athletic departments on various aspects of medication and supplement use such as assessing health risks and benefits or avoiding banned substances.
Steve obtained the International Olympic Committee’s Certificate in Drugs in Sport and plans to use his passion for athletics, pharmacy, and teaching to provide an optimal future balancing performance and safety for every athlete he encounters. He hopes the efforts of the USSPG will demonstrate the value of pharmacists in the sports medicine community and inspire other pharmacists to join him in this journey.

Member at Large

Hoai-An is Professor and Director of Public Health, School of Pharmacy and Health Professions, University of Maryland Eastern Shore. He earned his Doctor of Pharmacy and Master of Public Health from the University of Maryland Schools of Pharmacy and Medicine, respectively. He also completed an International Olympic Committee (IOC) Drugs in Sport Certificate. As a pharmacist and educator over 18 years, Dr. Truong has taught, presented and published more than thirty peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on public health pharmacy and coordinated more than ten global health service trips to Haiti, South Africa, and Vietnam. He is a co-author of two books: “The Pharmacist in Public Health: Education, Applications, and Opportunities” and “Disasters and Emergencies: A Planning and Response Guide for Pharmacy Professionals” published by the American Pharmacists Association. He is a volunteer pharmacist with the United States Federal Emergency Management Agency and was deployed for COVID-19 mission vaccine clinics. He is a member of the Maryland Board of Pharmacy Emergency Preparedness Task Force. He is past Chair of Pharmacy Section of the American Public Health Association, past Chair of the Continuing Professional Development and past chair of the Public Health Special Interest Group of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, and past president of Maryland Pharmacists Association and Maryland Public Health Association. He received the Faculty Excellence in Public Service Award from the University System of
Maryland.

Student Member at Large

Peyton, a fourth-year PharmD student at the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy, is deeply passionate about lifestyle medicine and health coaching. Her interest in these areas led her to connect with USSPG members and sparked her involvement in sports pharmacy. Peyton holds certifications as a Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) and nutritionist, which she intends to integrate into her future practice.

Recently, Peyton played a key role in founding the student organization "Health & Wellness in Pharmacy" at the University of Iowa. The organization aims to promote alternative pharmacy pathways, including a focus on sports pharmacy.

Upon graduation, Peyton plans to pursue a residency program with aspirations to specialize in either ambulatory care or psychiatric pharmacy, while also continuing her involvement in sports pharmacy and working with athletes on the side.

Student Member at Large (2023-2024)

Amanda S. completed her PharmD at Rutgers, The State University of NJ. She holds a B.A. in Biological Sciences and worked for two years in a Flow Cytometry Facility, performing research in toxicology studies. Amanda S. became involved in sports pharmacy during her P1 year of pharmacy school, where she completed a 3-month apprenticeship with sports pharmacist, Ashley Anderson. During her free time, she volunteers at a 5K every other weekend and enjoys hiking.

Amanda S. contributed to the growth of the USSPG by serving as the first Education Committee Liaison and Student Member at Large for the Board of Directors. During her time, she brought students together by creating a platform for students to discuss interesting topics and initiatives in sports pharmacy.

Amanda is excited to continue to stay involved within the USSPG as she moves on to the next phase of her career as a resident at Princeton Medical Center.