Dec. 10, 2024

Gov. Whitmer appoints Ferris State professor, alumna Katie Axford to extend service on Michigan Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee

Katie Axford, a faculty member in Ferris State University’s Pharmacy Practice department, will carry on with contributions to support the needs of the Medicaid-insured community through an appointment by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to the Michigan Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee.  

The committee has five physicians and five pharmacists who meet quarterly to review Medicaid prescription drug coverage. 

“While other groups are responsible for controlling costs, our job is to consider medications’ clinical efficacy and safety and ensure that Michigan Medicaid patients have access to the same quality of pharmaceutical care as commercially insured patients,” Axford said.

Their perspectives are valued. 

“Our input is relayed to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, and I appreciate the opportunity to collaborate in these efforts,” Axford said. “Our current state administration is very supportive of providing quality healthcare to all residents.”  

Axford, of Rockford, has a Doctor of Pharmacy and Master of Public Health degrees from Ferris State, with practice and involvement at Trinity Health Grand Rapids and the Kent County Health Department.  

Her latest committee term, extending to October 2026, acknowledges her role as a pharmacist whose work includes prescriptions for Medicaid-eligible individuals. 

Axford said these appointments have provided value to her instruction in Ferris State’s College of Pharmacy and her work with individual students.  

“It has been insightful to understand the larger process, appreciating the roles of clinician experts, utilization analysts, and payers who all influence medication access for a significant portion of our state population,” Axford said. “It also impacts my involvement with students on clinical rotations to help them find greater awareness of these nuances related to Medicaid prescription drug coverage.”  

Ferris State’s College of Pharmacy strives to provide students with a scientific foundation combined with ample hands-on experience necessary to support careers at the cutting edge of healthcare, aiming to improve patients’ therapeutic outcomes.