Michael is a graduate of Xavier University of Louisiana (XULA) and completed his PGY1 Pharmacy Residency at XULA/LSUHSC with a focus on institutional practice and education. His career spans clinical research, acute care, pharmacy operations, leadership, and home infusion pharmacy, giving him a broad perspective on the evolving needs of hospital and health‑system pharmacy.

Throughout his career, Michael has advanced evidence‑based practice, strengthened operational efficiency, and supported patient‑centered care across multiple settings. His experience includes clinical research protocol development, acute care practice, operational oversight, and leading teams through service transitions. He has also built strong relationships with providers and industry partners, collaborating to expand access, enhance care delivery, and support the adoption of innovative therapies. In his current role in home infusion pharmacy, he continues to promote safe and efficient medication management beyond the hospital setting.

As President‑Elect of the Atlanta Academy of Institutional Pharmacy, Michael is committed to advancing clinical excellence, strengthening professional development opportunities, and supporting the next generation of institutional pharmacy leaders across the Atlanta region.

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.

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.

Brooke Jacobs, PharmD earned her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from South University School of Pharmacy in her hometown of Savannah, Georgia. She currently serves as a Transition of Care Clinical Pharmacist at Northside Hospital Cherokee, where she collaborates with multidisciplinary healthcare teams to optimize medication therapy, improve care transitions, and enhance patient outcomes through individualized, patient-centered care.

Brooke is passionate about integrating Age-Friendly Health System principles into clinical practice, ensuring care aligns with what matters most to older adults while promoting safe medication use, mobility, mentation, and overall quality of life. Her work focuses on reducing preventable hospital readmissions, improving medication adherence, and supporting seamless transitions across care settings. She strives to deliver high-quality healthcare services and an exceptional patient experience.

Since joining the Atlanta Academy of Institutional Pharmacy (AAIP) in 2023, Brooke has been actively involved in advancing the profession through collaboration and professional development. She currently serves as AAIP Continuing Pharmacy Education (CPE) Secretary and is dedicated to promoting pharmacy practice excellence through education, leadership, and quality improvement initiatives.

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 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.

Sam is a graduate of the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, Philadelphia College of Pharmacy & Science and completed his postgraduate year-1 (PGY-1) residency training at Temple University Health-System in Philadelphia, PA. Upon completion of his residency training, Sam accepted 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 teaching service and created an Acute Care-Internal Medicine learning experience precepting 4th year PharmD students and PGY-1 pharmacy residents. During his academic tenure with PCOM, Sam served as the PGY-1 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. He currently serves as the Supervisor of Clinical Pharmacy Services at Northside Hospital Gwinnett, serving on various committees focusing on cardiology and anticoagulation.

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.

Paradis Ansari is a senior Key Account Manager with more than 20 years of experience in sales, marketing and strategic account management. Throughout her career with Johnson & Johnson, she has partnered with major healthcare systems across Georgia to advance collaboration, improve patient access, and support healthcare initiatives. A long-time supporter of AAIP, she is now excited to serve as their first industry liaison.  She is based in Atlanta and in her spare time enjoys playing with legos even more than her 7-year old daughter does. 

Past Board Members