Saturday
June 29, 2024 
Christine Roussel, Doylestown Health’s senior executive director of pharmacy, laboratory and medical research, has been named the chairperson for the Pennsylvania State Pharmacy Board.
Roussel, who was appointed to the board in 2020, represents acute care institutions. She is serving her first term as chairperson on the commonwealth’s regulatory review board.
The Pharmacy Board is part of the commonwealth’s Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs. Pharmacy is one of 29 licensing boards and commissions, each with their own statute governing their powers and functions. The boards and commissions provide administrative, logistical and legal support services to professional and occupational licensing boards and commissions, and promulgate regulations to further govern their respective professions.
“Dr. Roussel continues to distinguish herself as a leader in her profession and among her peers. Incredibly passionate about her work, she works tirelessly to bring dynamic and innovative programs and capabilities to Doylestown Hospital, and is a steadfast champion of patient safety benefiting our associates and the communities we serve,” said Dr. Scott Levy, Doylestown Health vice president and chief medical officer for Doylestown Health. “I have no doubt that she will bring the same compassion and dedication to this honored role.”
The boards and commissions each comprise between seven and 17 members, including professionals in those fields and public members who represent the public at-large. Members are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Senate.
“My goal in joining this board was to help improve care by contributing to meaningful and practical regulations, but the true role and responsibility of health care licensing boards is to protect the public,” Roussel explained.
“Being on this board makes you want to practice to the highest standards you possibly can, sharing information liberally in an effort to help pharmacists provide excellent care and allow for improved patient access to medications,” she added.
In speaking to the board’s judicial responsibilities, Roussel noted how humbling it can be. “I want to be worthy of the responsibility I am being entrusted with,” she said. “While I try to approach cases with deep compassion considering the impact decisions have on the lives and livelihood of our colleagues across the commonwealth, we must always consider public safety first.”
Roussel is a board-certified oncology pharmacist and board-certified sterile compounding pharmacist with a bachelor’s in toxicology and doctorate in pharmacy from Philadelphia College of Pharmacy. Roussel focuses on occupational exposure to hazardous drugs, sterile/non-sterile compounding, medical cannabis, and clinical and legislative topics, such as opioid stewardship, drug diversion prevention, pharmaceutical waste and contamination. She is a consultant for cleanroom facility design, and has authored articles on occupational exposure to hazardous drugs. In 2018 she was nationally recognized as “40 Under 40 in Oncology.”
She is active in many professional organizations including: delegate, American Society of Health-Systems; pharmacy president, Pennsylvania Society of Health-Systems Pharmacists; board of directors and chair of the Education Committee, International Society of Cannabis Pharmacists; American Industrial Hygiene Association; International Association of Compounding Pharmacy.
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