Fall Seminar November 9, 2024
Robertson Collaborative Life Sciences Building | 2730 S Moody Ave, Portland, OR 97201

Get to Know This Year's Fall Seminar Speakers!

Alana Ames, PharmD, BCPS
Alana Ames is the faculty pharmacist for the Adult Mental Health ECHO at OHSU and has served in this role since 2018. Alana earned her Bachelors of Science from the University of Oregon, her Doctor of Pharmacy from Oregon State University/OHSU and completed her PGY-1 Pharmacy Practice Residency at the University of Minnesota. Alana is a clinical pharmacist at OHSU specializing in cardiology, solid organ transplant and internal medicine. She serves as Adjunct Faculty for the Oregon State/OHSU College of Pharmacy and precepts pharmacy students, interns and residents. For project ECHO she gives presentations on the pharmacology of mental health disorders including Major Depressive Disorder, Anxiety Disorders, Bipolar Disorder, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and the Pharmacology of Psychosis in addition to consulting on patient cases. In her free time, Alana likes to travel with her husband and young son.

Alexandrea Anerit Mailo
Alexandrea "Kayla" - born and raised in the state of Chuuk, She loves singing. She has an AA Degree in Liberal Arts at College of Micronesia and Post Graduate Certificate in Field Epidemiology at Fiji University.

Ben Vermillion, RPH
Ben is a pharmacist at Legacy Meridian Park Hospital, where he wears many hats in his day-to-day work. He staffs in critical care, med/surg, and the anticoagulation clinic, while also contributing to system work through P&T reviews. One of his greatest privileges is precepting learners in each of these areas. Ben also serves as a clinical reviewer for the hospital’s IRB committee. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his children and keeping up with their activities.

Catherine Chen, PharmD, BCOP
Catherine Chen, PharmD, BCOP is a hematology/bone marrow transplant clinical pharmacist at OHSU. Originally from California, she moved up to the Pacific Northwest about 3 years ago when she completed her PGY1+2 pharmacy residency at UW Medicine in Seattle, Washington prior to moving to Portland, Oregon. In her free time, Catherine enjoys going to trivia nights, hiking, and trying new foods in the area.

Ehsan Seyedhossini, PharmD
Ehsan Seyedhossini has been a pharmacist with Kaiser Permanente for 17 years with his current role as clinical psychiatric and addiction pharmacist for 3 years. Ehsan has patient care services in both depression/anxiety management and addiction to optimize treatment with evidence-based medication options. In addition to his patient care duties, he collaborates closely with providers and other healthcare team members to optimize therapy choices and recommend appropriate medication interventions.

Gregory B. Tallman, PharmD, MS, BCPS, BCIDP
Gregory B. Tallman, PharmD, MS, BCPS, BCIDP, is an infectious diseases clinical pharmacy specialist with Providence Health & Services Oregon, where he co-leads the regional antimicrobial stewardship program that oversees antimicrobial use for eight hospitals in the state. He is also the residency program director for the PGY-2 Infectious Diseases Residency program.

Jessie Dunne, PharmD, BCPS, BCCP
Dr Jessie Dunne is a board-certified cardiac pharmacist working in the OHSU Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Clinic. Her clinical practice includes management of all degrees of heart failure, ranging from early heart failure all the way through post-heart transplant care. She is the Residency Program Coordinator for the OHSU PGY-2 Ambulatory Care Pharmacy Residency, and contributes to education of pharmacy students, residents, and cardiology fellows. Nationally, Jessie is an active member of the ACC CV Team Pharmacist workgroup, ASHP, and is the co-chair of the Professional Education Committee for Pulmonary Hypertension Association.

 Jonathan Betlinski, MD
Jonathan Betlinski, M.D., is the George Saslow Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at OHSU, where he also gets to be the Public Psychiatry Director. Among other projects, he serves as Medical Director for the Oregon Psychiatric Access Line about Adults, as Clinical Advisor to the Oregon ECHO Network, as Program Committee Chair for the Oregon Psychiatric Physicians Association, and as Principal Investigator for the HEAL-OR study. Dr. Betlinski volunteers on the boards for CareOregon, Columbia Pacific CCO, and Big Lake Youth Camp. Dr. Betlinski believes in the power of family, community, relationship, diverse perspectives, multi-disciplinary approaches, theater, being outdoors, a good night's sleep, and leaving the world better for having spent time in it.

Kate Marshall, MD, FASAM
Dr. Marshall (she/her) obtained her doctorate at OHSU and completed residency and a chief residency in internal medicine at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center in Portland, Oregon, followed by fellowship training in addiction medicine at OHSU. She is currently the immediate past president of the Oregon chapter of the American Society of Addiction Medicine and serves as chief of the department of addiction medicine at Kaiser Permanente Northwest.

Kelli Johnson, CPhT-Adv, PMP, CTDP
Kelli Johnson is an Advanced Certified Pharmacy Technician with over 20 years of experience in a diverse range of settings. She has a deep understanding of pharmacy practice to meet the needs of both patients and providers. Kelli’s core competencies include pharmacy operations, patient-centered care, pharmacy benefit management, project and program management, servant leadership, quality assurance, and process improvement. She has a proven track record of building and motivating teams, fostering a collaborative and empowering work culture, and delivering high-quality results. Her mission is to advance the pharmacy technician profession and enhance the value and quality of care provided to patients and communities.

Melissa Anne Hanks, MA, OPMA, CPM
Melissa Hanks is a policy analyst for the Oregon Health Authority with 16 years of experience at ODHS/OHA improving public health and human services for communities across Oregon.

Mercedes Edwards Post, CPhT
Mercedes Edwards has been a pharmacy technician since the age of 18. With a decade of experience, she has worked in a variety of pharmacy settings, including call centers, specialty, clinical, retail, and veterinary medicine. She holds certifications in Immunization and Medication Therapy Management (MTM) and has earned three college diplomas in Science, Art, and General Studies, demonstrating her passion for learning across diverse subjects. Currently, Mercedes works at Credena Health Clinic, a public vaccination clinic connected to the pharmacy, where she enjoys meeting people and learning new skills daily. A wife and mother, her family motivates her to strive for continuous improvement. Mercedes is excited for the future of the pharmacy industry and firmly believes that with courage and ambition, anything is possible.

Michael Yu, DC 
Michael Mon Fai Yu has been serving with the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) since 2021. He began as the state's Mobile Vaccine Coordinator during the pandemic and later supported the OHA Ombuds program before moving to the Pharmacy section. Michael has worked with Micronesian community members and partners to help organize culturally sensitive events in Marion and Polk counties, with the goal of improving equitable vaccine access.

Rebecca Knight-Alvarez, MPH, BA
Rebecca Knight-Alvarez (she/hers) is a member of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde. She holds a master’s degree in public health, specializing in Health Policy and Management. Rebecca currently works at the Oregon Health Authority in the Office of Data Strategy and Operations, within the Data Strategy and Partnerships team. For her presentation, she collaborated with Micronesian community members and partners to organize a culturally appropriate event in Marion and Polk counties aimed at increasing vaccine access.

Tony Montes de Oca, CPhT
Tony has 20 years of pharmacy experience and developed the Mediciation Benefits Access Team at Credena Health.

Trevor Douglass, DC, MPH
Trevor has over 26 years of experience in the clinical and policy settings within Oregon. He maintained a chiropractic practice for 12 years in Central Oregon before moving into state Medicaid and pharmacy policy work more than 14 years ago. His interest in health disparities and equity work arise out of personal and professional experiences. For over 8 years he was a foster parent providing care to some of Oregon's most vulnerable children and has been impacted greatly by his work with the COFA community in Oregon. 

Viet Nguyen, Pharm, BCPS, BCACP, MAD-ID
Viet Nguyen received his PharmD degree from OSU|OHSU College of Pharmacy. He is the Director of Pharmacy and PGY-2 Ambulatory Care RPD at Northwest Medical Homes. He is passionate about providing high-quality care to patients in collaboration with other healthcare providers, promoting antimicrobial stewardship in the outpatient setting, and precepting students/residents.