Gardner Named Director of College of Pharmacy’s Evidence-Based Prescription Drug Program
| H.C. “Trey” Gardner III, Pharm.D., joined the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) as director of the College of Pharmacy’s Evidence-Based Prescription Drug Program (EBRx), effective April 24.
“It’s great to have Dr. Gardner rejoin the College of Pharmacy as director of EBRx,” said Dean Cindy Stowe, Pharm.D. “His expertise and diversity of experiences across regulatory, managed care and the pharmaceutical industry are critical for the program at this pivotal time. We look forward to seeing the impact Trey’s leadership will have in advancing EBRx.”
Gardner comes to UAMS from Azurity Pharmaceuticals in Greenwood Village, Colorado, where he was director of managed care from 2014-2021 before serving a year as director of medical affairs and clinical development.
Gardner returns to the UAMS College of Pharmacy in a full capacity for the first time since 2002. He was hired in 1998 as an assistant professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice and served in a variety of roles, including director of continuing education, director of student affairs, director of experiential education and assistant dean for student affairs. Since 2002, he has been an adjunct assistant professor for the college.
“I am so excited to be back at UAMS in the College of Pharmacy and look forward to serving patients throughout the state through the Evidence-Based Prescription Drug Program,” Gardner said. “UAMS is leading the way in providing true evidence-based prescription drug formularies, and I am so pleased to be a part of that work.”
Gardner received his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Central Arkansas in 1995 before completing his Doctor of Pharmacy degree at UAMS in 1998.
EBRx is a service unit within the College of Pharmacy. Established in 2004, it initially helped develop the preferred drug list for Arkansas Medicaid. In 2008, EBRx expanded its consulting services into the private sector through a partnership with Little Rock-based Rx Results, a startup company through BioVentures LLC.
Since its inception, EBRx has expanded its services beyond formulary management to oversight of the entire prescription drug program, including prior authorization and appeals management for both pharmacy benefit and medically administered medications, rebate management through contracting and auditing, and day-to-day support for many of its partners. Among the partners that EBRx works with are state and public school employees through the Employee Benefits Division, Arkansas State University, Arkansas State Police, Arkansas Municipal League, as well as additional state agencies and municipalities. The program maintains a pharmacy and therapeutics committee to conduct all drug reviews, which serves as the basis for drug formulary recommendations.