Carla Davis
PharmD - Board Member
Northside Hospital
1000 Johnson Ferry Rd.
Atlanta, GA 30342
Carla Davis is a Pharmacy Supervisor at Northside Hospital at the Atlanta campus. Dr. Davis received her degree in Pharmacy in 1989 and her Doctor of Pharmacy in 2009 from the University of Georgia. She is a native of Atlanta and began her career as a technician at Piedmont Hospital. Automating pharmacy processes has always been an integral part of her role, promoting efficiency and increasing medication safety. Dr. Davis is Board Certified in Sterile Compounding and works with USP 797/800 leadership team. Dr. Davis is a preceptor for 4th-year students. Also, she works with the Pharmacy Technician program at Atlanta Area Technical School. Dr. Davis is active in her community and has been a member of AAIP for many years. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family, sports, and crocheting.
Blessing Etuk
PharmD - President-Elect
Northside Hospital Duluth 3620 Howell Ferry Rd NW Duluth, GA 30096
Blessing Etuk, PharmD, is an accomplished Clinical pharmacist with over two decades of diverse experience in hospital pharmacy practice. She earned her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Massachusetts College of Pharmacy (MCP), Boston, in 2004 and completed a PGY1 residency at Northside Hospital in Atlanta in 2005.
Since then, Blessing has held a wide range of clinical and operational roles at Northside Hospital, including Staff Pharmacist, Medical-Surgical Pharmacist, Cardiology Pharmacist, Internal Medicine Pharmacist, and NICU Pharmacist. In 2020, she transitioned to the Northside Duluth campus, where she served as the clinical pharmacist for the entire campus for three years, then transitioned to Leadership.
In her current leadership role, Blessing oversees unit-based pharmacists, supports the training of new pharmacists, precepts pharmacy students and residents, and assists the pharmacy manager with critical operational initiatives. She has been instrumental in transitioning the pharmacy model at Northside Duluth from a centralized to a decentralized system, improving patient care and clinical efficiency across the campus. She is actively involved in more than 10 pharmacy-related committees and plays a vital role in departmental leadership.
Blessing is a dedicated and long-standing member of the AAIP and GHSP. Her commitment to excellence and impactful contributions to the profession were recognized when she was awarded Pharmacist of the Year for 2023–2024, a testament to her outstanding service, leadership, and clinical expertise.
Outside of her professional accomplishments, Blessing is a proud mother of two teenagers and enjoys spending quality time with her family and close friends. Her passion for mentorship, dedication to patient care, and strong leadership continue to make her a respected and inspiring figure in the pharmacy community.
Omeka Sanders
PharmD - Board Chairman
Emory University Hospital Midtown
550 Peachtree Street
Atlanta, GA 30308
Dr. Omeka Sanders received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Mercer University in Atlanta, Georgia. After completing a PGY1 Pharmacy Practice Residency at the Atlanta VA Medical Center, she began her career at Northside Hospital where she practiced as a Staff Pharmacist, Unit-Based Pharmacist and Lead Pharmacist. While at Northside, she was chosen as the 2021-2022 APPE Preceptor of the Year at Mercer University. In 2023, Dr. Sanders joined Emory Healthcare and is currently an Ambulatory Pharmacy Supervisor for Non-Oncology Infusion.
Heather Lindell Tally
PharmD, BSPh, DICVP - CPE Secretary
Northside Hospital Forsyth 1200 Northside Forsyth Drive Cumming, GA 30041
Heather Lindell Tally, PharmD, BSHP, FSVHP, DICVP keeps current on human medicine by working at Northside Hospital Forsyth. When she is not there you can likely find her at Atlanta Vet Inc. practicing veterinary pharmacy. She specializes in Veterinary pharmacy and is a Diplomate of ICVP (International College of Veterinary Pharmacy). Dr. Tally received the Distinguished Alumnus Award presented by the UGA College of Pharmacy in 2016, the Honorary Achievements Award presented by SVHP in 2019, and the Research Innovation Award presented by SVHP in 2022.
Dr. Lindell Tally is the founder of the Harold B “Doc” Hodgson Award Fund that supports pharmacy students at the University of Georgia College of Pharmacy. This fund was set up in memory of her mentor “Doc” Hodgson of Athens, Georgia. She teaches classes at the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine, the University of Georgia College of Pharmacy and has guest lectured at Mercer University in Atlanta. She is a preceptor to pharmacy students from Presbyterian College and Duquesne University. She also gives lectures in the community on drug safety and continuing education classes to veterinarians, veterinary technicians, pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. Dr. Tally co-developed an online CE Certificate training for pharmacists to introduce them to Veterinary Pharmacy. She is a pharmacology and regulatory consultant for VIN (Veterinary Information Network), served as a content reviewer for Plumb’s Veterinary Drug Handbook, served on the UGA College of Pharmacy (UGA COP) Diversity and Multiculturalism Committee, served on the UGA COP Admissions Committee, and is an article reviewer for professional journals. In her spare time she continues her PhD studies at the University of Georgia.
Kelly (Ellie) Gottsman
PharmD- Secretary
Northside Hospital Forsyth 1200 Northside Forsyth Drive Cumming, GA 30041
Dr. Ellie Gottsman is an inpatient pharmacist at Northside Hospital Forsyth in Cumming, Georgia. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from St. Andrews University, her Doctor of Pharmacy Degree from the University of Kentucky and her Authorized Nuclear Pharmacist Status Certification from the University of Arkansas College of Medical Sciences. Ellie considers herself lucky to have worked in many realms of pharmacy over the course of her twenty-year career; including community, institutional, nuclear, leadership, and academia. She is a board certified pharmacotherapy specialist, an authorized nuclear pharmacist and has held active state licensures to practice pharmacy in 19 states. Throughout her career, Ellie has been a passionate advocate for medically underserved communities. She volunteered for many years as the pharmacist-incharge at the free medical clinic in her county of residence and continuously seeks opportunities to increase health literacy in her community. Ellie has been a LGBTQ+ advocate, ally and educator for over a decade.
Ann Means
PharmD, MBA, MHA - Treasurer
Emory University Hospital Midtown
550 Peachtree Street
Atlanta, GA 30308
O: (404) 686-1267
F: (404) 686-4350
Ann Means is the manager of the OR pharmacy at Emory University Hospital Midtown. She received her BS in Pharmacy from University of Georgia, Pharm D from University of Florida , and MBA and MHA degrees from Georgia State University. Ann is a long-time member of AAIP, serving as a past-president. She now serves as treasurer of AAIP. Ann has twice been awarded Pharmacist of the Year by AAIP membership.
Samuel John
PharmD, BCPS - President
Northside Hospital Forsyth
1200 Northside Forsyth Drive
Cumming, GA 30041
Sam John was born and raised in New Jersey and comes from a family of pharmacists. Sam is a graduate of the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, Philadelphia College of Pharmacy & Science and he completed his postgraduate year-1 (PGY-1) residency training at Temple University Health-System in Philadelphia in 2010. He then went on to accept an academic position with the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine’s School of Pharmacy as an Assistant Professor and later Associate Professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice. As a faculty member, Sam developed a clinical practice site with Gwinnett Medical Center’s (later Northside Gwinnett) Graduate Medical Education’s Internal Medicine inpatient teaching service and created an Acute Care-Internal Medicine learning experience in which he helped precept 4th year PharmD students and PGY-1 pharmacy residents.
During his academic tenure, Sam was designated as the Residency Program Director and oversaw the development of two ASHP accredited PGY-1 residency programs (Gwinnett Medical Center and Wellstar North Fulton). Sam is board certified as a Pharmacotherapy Specialist and his therapeutic interests include cardiology, anticoagulation and infectious diseases.
In 2023, Sam joined Northside Forsyth Hospital in Cumming, GA where he currently serves as the Clinical Pharmacy Coordinator, overseeing all student programs (i.e., high school health care explorers, high school internships and 4th year Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences), staff development, and other clinical initiatives. Since 2010, Sam has been an active member of AAIP and also served as a faculty representative on GSHP’s Board of Directors from 2011-2017. In his spare time, Sam loves to travel and spend time outdoors with his family and friends.
Kimberly Barefield
PharmD- Assistant CPE Administrator
PCOM School of Pharmacy 625 Old Peachtree Rd NW Suwanee, GA 30024
Dr. Barefield received her Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Pharmacy degrees from the University of Kentucky, College of Pharmacy. She completed her Post-Graduate Residency Training at Richland Memorial Hospital in Columbia, SC. She is Board-Certified as a Pharmacotherapy Specialist by the Board of Pharmacy Specialties. In addition, she earned a Master’s in Healthcare Administration from South University in Savannah, GA.
With extensive experience in both community and hospital settings, Dr. Barefield served as a faculty member at South University, where she created a PGY-1/PGY-2 Academic Administration & Pharmacy Practice residency program for postgraduate students. Currently, she is an Associate Professor and Director of Interprofessional Education in the Department of Pharmacy Practice at PCOM School of Pharmacy. She also precepts 4th year PharmD students during their Internal Medicine learning experience. Beyond teaching and precepting, Dr. Barefield remains active in scholarly work and has authored multiple peer-reviewed publications.
Eartha King
Technician Board Member
Emory University Hospital Midtown
550 Peachtree Street Atlanta, GA 30308
Eartha King, CPhT, RPhT, is a certified and registered pharmacy technician. She is the lead pharmacy technician at Emory University Hospital Midtown O.R. department. She has been a certified pharmacy technician since 1995. Eartha received her Associate in Applied Science Degree from Delgado College in New Orleans,Louisiana. In her free time she enjoys spending time with family and friends. Traveling and exploring new restaurants.
Phu Nguyen
PharmD Candidate - Student Board Member
Mercer University College Of Pharmacy
Phu Nguyen is a second-year pharmacy student at Mercer University College of Pharmacy. Originally from Vietnam, he moved to the U.S. in 2014 and earned his bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Georgia State University. He currently serves as Class President and Director of Professional Programming for Mercer’s IPhO chapter, where he helps coordinate educational events and student engagement. Phu is also gaining hands-on experience as a pharmacy intern at Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy. His professional interests include oncology, cardiology, and neurology. Outside of school, he enjoys working out, traveling, learning new languages, and watching football with friends.
Jaelyn Benyard
MHA, PharmD Candidate - Student Board Member
PCOM School Of Pharmacy
Jaelyn Benyard is a second-year pharmacy student at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) in Suwanee, GA. She is originally from Jacksonville, Florida and completed her undergraduate studies at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University and obtained her Master’s degree from Florida Atlantic University. She works as a pharmacy intern at CVS and her hobbies include traveling, playing the piano, shopping, working out, and spending time with family.
Kiley Merritt
PharmD Candidate - Student Board Member
University of Georgia
Kiley Merritt earned her bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry, with a minor in Marketing from the University of North Georgia in 2023. She is currently working towards her Doctorate in Pharmacy at the University of Georgia. Outside of the classroom, she works as a pharmacy technician at CVS, where she is gaining practical experience in the field of pharmacy. She is also involved in student organizations like the Industry Pharmacists Organization (IPhO) and has the honor of serving as a student ambassador for the university. When she is not focused on school or work, she enjoys exploring caves, being outside, and spending time with her horse. It’s the perfect way for her to balance her curiosity for science with her love for adventure and the outdoors!