Heather Sakely PharmD BCPS BCGP

Heather Sakely, PharmD, BCPS, BCGP, received her doctor of pharmacy degree from the Duquesne University Mylan School of Pharmacy, completed a specialty pharmacy residency in Family Medicine and participated in the Faculty Development Fellowship at UPMC St. Margaret, and is dually board-certified in pharmacotherapy and geriatric pharmacotherapy. Dr. Sakely provides care to older adults across the continuum of their health care at the UPMC St. Margaret Geriatric Care Centers, and affiliated senior living communities.  She is current director of clinical pharmacy services and director of the PGY2 Geriatric Pharmacy Residency at UPMC St. Margaret and co-leads UPMC’s ambulatory care pharmacist group.

She belongs to the national pharmacy and geriatric organizations, currently serving as President of the Board of Directors for the Pennsylvania Geriatrics Society — Western Division, and is a contributing editor for the Allegheny County Medical Society Bulletin. She is the co-course director for the regional Refresher Course in Family Medicine and sits on the planning committee for the regional Clinical Update in Geriatric Medicine conference. 

Dr. Sakely has been the primary investigator for numerous research projects including the PIVOTS (Pharmacist-led Interventions on Transitions of Seniors) research group, which focused on the evaluation of the role of the pharmacist within geriatric health care.  In 2016 she was selected as part of the Practice Change Leaders for Aging and Health, a highly competitive national program aimed at building leadership capacity among professionals who have a leadership role in a healthcare delivery system caring for older adults. Through this program, Dr. Sakely evaluated the role of the pharmacist within the interprofessional geriatric team, as both a direct patient care provider and a change agent for improving care quality through sustainable billing models. Her specific areas of interest within geriatric care include medication management across the care continuum and pharmacist practice development.