Clinical Research

I graduated from West Virginia University School of Pharmacy in 2001. I completed a PGY-1 Residency at Palmetto Richland Memorial Hospital in Columbia SC in 2002. I completed a PGY-2 Residency in Infectious Diseases at West Virginia Hospitals and Clinics in 2003. I completed a 2-year Antifungal Pharmacology Fellowship at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) in 2005. I accepted my current position at Butler in 2005 and was promoted to Associate Professor with Tenure in 2010. I serve as a co-funded faculty with an active practice site at Community Health Network where I am the pharmacy Infectious Diseases Specialist and Co-Chair of the Antimicrobial Stewardship Committee.

My area of active research is in infectious diseases clinical and epidemiological research. My research is focused in answering clinical questions as well as filling gaps in literature, at the practice and beyond. I have authored independent research papers, review articles and book chapters in the area of infectious diseases (see CV).

I serve on several COPHS, many Community Health Network, and several national committees that focus on or utilize my skills in infectious diseases pharmacy.

I am happily married to my wife Carrie and we have 2 children, Allison and Drew. I enjoy spending time with family and friends, exploring the field of biohacking and personal development. I would love to say I am an avid reader, but I am not. With that I do enjoy audiobooks and podcasts and I regularly participate in web-based seminars/podcasts that promote my personal and professional growth. 

I love my role as a clinician and teacher. Being a clinician keeps me actively involved in patient care and on the cutting edge of clinical practice. As a teacher, I get to bring this practice into the classroom. The end result is that Butler COPHS students receive the most current practice-based knowledge at the time it is delivered. Within my APPE teaching, students and residents get to autonomy to select and follow patients with infectious diseases and/or antimicrobial stewardship problems. The patients we see promote great discussions and provide an active learning environment that builds upon their didactic knowledge, but in a more dynamic and applicable manner. I enjoy my time in both settings and feel the combination makes me a better clinician and teacher. 

Dr. Patricia (Trish) Devine a professor and the Director of Interprofessional Education for the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences at Butler University received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Shenandoah University and her Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy at Butler University.  Dr.Devine has been an active member of several professional organizations nationally and locally throughout her career, including the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP), Indiana Rural Health Association(IRHA) and BarnabasTask.  She served as the AACP Experiential Education Section Chair 2019 to 2020, IRHA Treasurer 2017 to 2018, Secretary 2016 to 2017 and board member from 2012 to 2021 and a BarnabasTask board member 2018 to present. 

Dr. Devine prepares students for health field careers by teaching in and outside of the classroom.  She teaches interprofessional education and professional development, health care systems and policy and global health courses.  She precepts students on interprofessional international experiences and has taken students on medical service trips to the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, and Guatemala. She is a research adviser on Doctor of Pharmacy  and Bachelor Science Health Science Honor projects.  Dr. Devine is the faculty adviser for Butler University’s Christian Healthcare Provider and Indiana Rural Healthcare student organizations. 

 Dr. Trish Devine’s teaching and scholarly interests are in the areas of rural and global health, opioids and substance misuse, experiential education and medication safety.  She has published and presented on these topics regionally and nationally. 

Pharmacy Practice Professor

Jane Gervasio is the Butler University Pharmacy Practice Professor of the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.  She is Board Certified Nutrition Support Pharmacist and a Fellow in the American Colleges of Clinical Pharmacy.  She completed a Specialty Residency in Critical Care and Nutrition Support and a Research Fellowship in Metabolic Support at the University of Tennessee in Memphis.  Dr. Gervasio is nationally recognized for her expertise in the area of Nutrition Support. She speaks both locally and nationally and has published numerous peer-reviewed manuscripts and book chapters on various nutritional and gastrointestinal related topics. Dr. Gervasio continues to serve on various committees for several nationally recognized organizations, including the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition, the Society of Critical Care Medicine, the American College of Clinical Pharmacy and the Specialty Council on Nutrition Support Pharmacy Practice for the Board of Pharmaceutical Specialties.  

John B. Hertig, PharmD, MS, CPPS is an Associate Professor in the Butler University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.  He received his Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences and Doctor of Pharmacy degrees from Purdue University. He completed a PGY1 pharmacy practice and PGY2 health-system pharmacy administration residency at The Ohio State University Medical Center while also obtaining a Masters degree in Health-System Pharmacy Administration from The Ohio State University.  Dr. Hertig has lectured and published on a variety of leadership, administration, patient safety, and health policy topics, and is a member of the Editorial Advisory Board for The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety.  He holds various national and international appointments, including advisory roles with the US Food and Drug Administration and the Patient Safety Workgroup of the International Pharmaceutical Federation.  Dr. Hertig is a member of the Board of Directors for the Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies – Global, where he leads efforts to reduce the patient safety impact of illegal and counterfeit online drug distribution worldwide.  He has served as President of the Indiana Society of Health-System Pharmacists and is Immediate-Past Chair of the Legislative and Regulatory Council for the Indiana Pharmacist Alliance.  Dr. Hertig received the Glen J. Sperandio award, honoring the Indiana Health-System Pharmacist of the year, the“Excellence in Innovation” Award, and the Medication Safety Pharmacist of the Year award in the State of Indiana.

Joe Jordan currently serves as an associate professor of pharmacy practice at Butler University and drug information specialist at Indiana University Health. Before his appointment at Butler, he completed two ASHP-accredited residency programs: a pharmacy practice residency at St. Vincent Indianapolis Hospital and a drug information specialty residency with Clarian Health (now Indiana University Health) and Purdue University. At Butler, he teaches drug literature evaluation and formulary management, in addition to precepting students on a drug information rotation at his practice site. In his role at IU Health, he supplies formulary reviews and drug information services to a system of hospitals and clinics throughout the state of Indiana, in addition to precepting PGY1 rotations in drug information. Dr. Jordan has published on drug information practices and has presented many ACPE-accredited CE programs

 Dr.Julie M. Koehler was born and raised in Madison, Indiana.  Valedictorian of her high school class, she graduated from Madison Consolidated High School in 1991.  She attended college at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana.  A student-athlete, she was a member of the Purdue University Women’s Golf Team in 1991 and 1992 while majoring in pre-pharmacy. Following acceptance into the pharmacy program at Purdue, she consistently earned Dean’s List honors and was inducted into the Rho Chi Pharmaceutical Honor Society.  Dr. Koehler earned her Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree from Purdue University in 1997.  Following graduation from Purdue, she completed an American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP)-accredited Pharmacy Practice Residency at the Indiana University Medical Center (IUMC) in Indianapolis.  Upon completion of her residency training at IUMC in 1998, Dr. Koehler accepted a co-funded position in Indianapolis with Clarian Health Partners as a Clinical Pharmacist and with Butler University as an Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice in the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (COPHS).  

During her career as a clinician-educator, Dr. Koehler served at Clarian (now Indiana University Health) as both an inpatient clinical pharmacist at Methodist Hospital from 1998 to 2009 and as an ambulatory care clinical pharmacist at the IU-Methodist Family Medicine Center from 1998 to 2004 and with the IU Health Transition Clinic from 2012 to 2017.  For the Department of Family Medicine, she served an instructor for both medical residents specializing in Family Medicine, as well as medical students from IU.  Throughout her time as a clinical pharmacy specialist at Clarian, Dr. Koehler helped to establish and oversee numerous pharmacist-run clinical services, including an anticoagulation clinic, a dyslipidemia clinic, a pulmonary education program, a smoking cessation program, and a patient assistance program, for the IU-Methodist Family Medicine Center.  In 1999, she also established a post-graduate year 2 (PGY-2) pharmacy residency program with a dual focus in Family Medicine and Academia, and she served as the director of that program until 2008.  While working with the Department of Family Medicine, Dr. Koehler was an active participant in clinical research, and she served as a member of the ALLHAT (Antihypertensive and Lipid-Lowering Treatment to Prevent Heart Attack Trial) Collaborative Research Group, which was responsible for conducting one of the largest and longest-running antihypertensive studies ever sponsored by the National Institute for Health (NIH) and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). 

Throughout her career with Butler University, Dr. Koehler has received numerous awards as an instructor in the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, including the Outstanding Pharmacy Practice Professor Award (2001, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2009), the Board of Visitors Award of Excellence (2003), and the Mortar Board Teacher of the Year Award (2005).  In addition to teaching pharmacy students, pharmacy residents, medical students, and medical residents, Dr. Koehler served as a volunteer instructor for the Indiana University School of Dentistry from1998 until 2008. Dr. Koehler has given numerous invited presentations at local, state and national levels. She has also presented internationally. She has served as a volunteer instructor for both the American Lung Association of Indiana and the American Lung Association of Ohio and as well as a member of the Indiana Asthma Alliance and the Indiana Joint Asthma Coalition (InJAC) for the Indiana State Department of Health. She has been an active member of several professional organizations throughout her career, including ASHP, the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP), the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP), and the Indiana College of Clinical Pharmacy (ICCP), and in recent years, she has established membership within the Physician Assistant Education Association (PAEA).  Dr. Koehler served as President of ICCP in 2003-2004, and she was the first person to hold the title of Recruitment Chair for that organization in 2002.  As a result of Dr. Koehler’s recruitment efforts during that year, ICCP was awarded national recognition by ACCP as the State chapter with the most significant growth in membership.  Dr. Koehler served as the national Network Facilitator for the Section of Primary Care within ASHP’s Section of Clinical Specialists and Scientists from 2003 to 2005.  In 2006 and 2007, Dr. Koehler was invited to be one of ten national experts in the field of Ambulatory Care to serve on the national Ambulatory/Primary Care Pharmacy Role Delineation Study Task Force for the Board of Pharmaceutical Specialties (BPS).  The work of that task force ultimately resulted in the establishment of a national board certification exam and credential for ambulatory care pharmacy specialists (i.e., the Board Certified Ambulatory Care Pharmacist, or BCACP). Dr. Koehler also served two consecutive terms as a non-specialist memberof the Psychiatric Specialty Council for BPS from 2006 through 2012.

In 2003, Dr. Koehler was promoted to Associate Professor and appointed as Chair of the Department of Pharmacy Practice.  In 2004 and 2005, she completed a Fellowship in Academic Leadership through the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP).  As Chair of the Department ofPharmacy Practice from 2003 to 2011, Dr. Koehler built and led one of the largest academic departments (including more than 50 full-time faculty, staff, residents, and fellows) on Butler University’s campus.  In 2007, Dr. Koehler was recognized locally for her accomplishments by the Indianapolis Business Journal (IBJ) as one of the Forty Under 40.  In 2010, Dr. Koehler was promoted to the rank of Professor at Butler University.  That same year, Dr. Koehler appeared as an expert panelist alongside two physicians on the Discovery Channel for the Discovery Health Continuing Medical Education (CME) segment, “Hormonal Therapy Options for Contraception and Menopause.” Notably, she was the first non-physician panelist to appear on the nationally televised continuing medical education series.  During a celebration of national Women’s History Month in 2010, Dr. Koehler was honored with a Professional Woman’s Achievement Award by the U.S. Department of Defense, Accounting, and Finance Services (DFAS).   Also in 2010, Dr. Koehler was awarded Fellow status by the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (the highest honor that the College can bestow upon its members) in recognition of her demonstration of a sustained level of excellence in clinical pharmacy practice and research.  In 2011, Dr. Koehler was promoted to a newly created administrative role within the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences at Butler.  As Associate Dean for External Affiliations, Dr. Koehler handles external affiliations on behalf of the college as they relate to clinical practice and experiential education, and she is focused on establishing, developing, and maintaining experiential learning sites for both the pharmacy and physician assistant programs within COPHS.  In 2014, Dr. Koehler was honored as the recipient of the Indiana College of Clinical Pharmacy Tisdale Pharmacy Professionalism Award.  In 2019, Dr. Koehler was honored by Butler University with the Provost’s Award for Excellence in Academic Achievement for Community Partnerships.

In addition to her administrative duties at the college, Dr.Koehler remains an active teacher, clinician, and scholar.  Since the time of her hire in 1998, Dr. Koehler has continued her clinical work at IU Health as the pharmacist for the Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program at Methodist Hospital.  As a member of the pulmonary rehabilitation team, she continues to provide medication education on a monthly basis to patients with obstructive and restrictive lung diseases, as well as patients with cystic fibrosis and pulmonary hypertension who have been enrolled in the Pulmonary Rehab Program.  She has published numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals and chapters in books, and she has served as co-editor and author for the seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth, and eleventh editions of the Pharmacotherapy Casebook:A Patient-Focused Approach, a companion casebook to the textbook, Pharmacotherapy: A Pathophysiologic Approach (DiPiro et al; published by McGraw-Hill Medical), that is widely used by pharmacy and nursing schools throughout the country as well as internationally. 

Dr. Koehler is married to Brad Bowman (originally of Jacksonville,Florida), Principal of Core Finance Team, and the couple resides in Fishers, Indiana with their two daughters, Lauren (age 12), and Allison (age 9). 

Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice

Interim Director of Experiential Education

Drug Information Specialist

Faculty Advisor for the BU Health journal

Darin C. Ramsey, PharmD, BCPS, BCACP is an Associate Professor and Director of Assessment for the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences at Butler University. He completed his Bachelor of Science in Biology and Chemistry from Western Kentucky University followed by his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Butler University. He completed a PGY1 Pharmacy Practice Residency at the R.L. Roudebush VA Medical Center and a PGY2 Specialty Residency at IU-Methodist Family Practice Center. For 13 years, his clinical practice site was at the Richard. L. Roudebush VA Medical Center where he served as a clinical pharmacist in primary care and served as a preceptor to students completing their ambulatory care rotation. On campus, he teaches in the Therapeutics sequence in both the Pharmacy and Physician Assistant programs and in Self-Care and Health Promotion. Areas of interest include: pain management, substance use disorders, diabetes, tobacco cessation, and COPD. Dr. Ramsey is a co-director for the Indiana Pharmacy Teaching Certificate Program (IPTeC) and is an Associate Editor for the Journal of the American Pharmacists Association (JAPhA).

Honors/Awards

Dr. Ramsey was presented with the Outstanding Pharmacy Practice Professor Award in 2006 and 2013. In 2010 he received the Distinguished Young Pharmacist Award from the Indiana Pharmacists Alliance and in 2012, he was the recipient of the ICCP Tisdale Pharmacy Professionalism Award. In 2015, he was honored with the Hageboeck Award for his devotion to the profession of pharmacy and a compassion for students, not only in the classroom but also their personal lives.

Doctor of Pharmacy: Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Wayne State University, Detroit Michigan

PGY1 Residency: William Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak Michigan

PGY2 Oncology Residency: Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Center, Detroit Michigan

Board certifications: Board Certified Oncology Pharmacist (BCOP)

Practice site: Franciscan Health Indianapolis

Research interests: Oncology supportive care, infection in the imunocompromised host/febrile neutropenia, cancer treatment outcomes, quality improvement

Dr. Schmelz is an Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice at Butler University and practices as an ambulatory care pharmacist at Eskenazi Health. Dr. Schmelz graduated with his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Purdue University and subsequently completed two years of fellowship training in ambulatory care and academia. He has previously practiced as a community pharmacist with Walgreens and as an ambulatory care pharmacist at IU Health and Community Health Network. 

In his current role, Dr. Schmelz is the course director for Diversity and Inclusivity in Healthcare, a required course in Butler’s Doctor of Pharmacy program. He has a deep interest in social justice and health equity issues, particularly as they apply to the patients he serves in his clinical practice, and in 2021 he was selected to serve on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Taskforce for the American College of Clinical Pharmacists (ACCP).

Dr. Schmelz also continues his ambulatory care practice at Eskenazi Health Center Westside, a Federally Qualified Health Center, where he cares for patients in a cardiovascular risk reduction and diabetes management service. Eskenazi Health is the safety-net health system serving the residents of Indianapolis in Marion County with an emphasis on the most vulnerable populations unable to obtain care elsewhere.

Jessica S. Triboletti, PharmD, BCACP, BC-ADM, CDCES

Jessica Triboletti is an Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice at Butler University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. She graduated from Purdue University with her Doctor of Pharmacy degree in 2010 and subsequently completed her PGY1 residency and PGY2 residency in ambulatory care at Veteran Health Indiana. Following residencies, she worked as a Clinical Pharmacy Specialist in Primary Care at Veteran Health Indiana before transitioning into a faculty role in 2014. Currently, she serves as a Clinical Pharmacy Specialist in Endocrinology and Primary Care at Eskenazi Health in Indianapolis, Indiana. She also serves as the Residency Program Director for the PGY2 Ambulatory Care program at Eskenazi Health and Butler University.  

In addition to being Board Certified in Ambulatory Care Pharmacy (BCACP) since 2012, she is also Board Certified in Advanced Diabetes Management (BC-ADM) and a Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist (CDCES). She provides care to people living with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes in both the primary care and endocrine specialty settings under a collaborative practice agreement. Her research interests include diabetes medication management, digital health through continuous glucose monitoring, and social determinants of health.  

Dr. Vernon is an Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice. She graduated from Purdue University with her Doctor of Pharmacy degree in 2011 and subsequently completed her PGY1 residency and PGY2 residency in ambulatory care at Veteran Health Indiana. During her PGY2 residency, she created the role of a women’s health pharmacist at the VA. She served in this role after residency before joining the faculty at Butler in 2017. Dr. Vernon was initially co-funded between Butler and Veteran Health Indiana, where she served as a clinical pharmacy specialist for the Indiana University School of Medicine internal medicine residency clinic and Residency Program Director for the PGY2 ambulatory care pharmacy residency between Butler and the VA. She also has experience working in the community pharmacy setting. Dr. Vernon now is campus-based faculty, teaching pharmacy law, diversity and inclusivity in healthcare, and reproductive and sexual health topics.

Dr. Vernon is a North American Menopause Society Certified Menopause Practitioner and certified in ambulatory care and pharmacotherapy by the Board of Pharmacy Specialties. In 2019, she was named the Outstanding Pharmacy Practice Faculty by the graduating class, the Indiana Pharmacist Association’s Distinguished Young Pharmacist, and she also received the inaugural American College of Clinical Pharmacy Ambulatory Care Practice Research Network Advocacy Award. She served as chair of the Indiana Legislative and Regulatory Council for four years and continued to advance legislation related to healthcare and pharmacy practice in Indiana. She is the 2022-2023 President of the Indiana Pharmacists Association. Dr. Vernon was named the 2021 American Pharmacists Association Good Government Pharmacist of the Year Award. She also is a faculty member for the Federal Health Partners Pharmacy Board Certification Course and Veterans Health Administration Women’s Health Mini-Residency. Her research interests include advocacy initiatives, pharmacy practice advancement, regulatory affairs, pharmacist prescriptive authority, and women’s and gender-diverse health.

Office hours are also available by an appointment.