Holly Maples, Pharm.D., Named Fellow of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society
| Holly Maples, Pharm.D., a national expert on pediatric infectious diseases and antimicrobial stewardship, was recently named a fellow of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society (PIDS).
PIDS is the world’s largest organization of professionals dedicated to the treatment, control and eradication of diseases affecting children. Fellows are those who have achieved professional excellence and provided significant service to the profession. Applicants must be nominated by their peers and meet specified criteria, including continuing identification with the field of pediatric infectious diseases, national or local recognition, and publication of their work in strong biomedical journals. Nominees are reviewed and elected by the PIDS Board of Directors.
Maples was one of 24 PIDS fellows named from the United States and around the world. She is an associate professor in the UAMS College of Pharmacy’s Department of Pharmacy Practice and is a board-certified pharmacist in infectious diseases. She is a clinical pharmacist at Arkansas Children’s and directs the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program there, which she established in 2007. In 2011, she was named the inaugural holder of the Jeff and Kathy Lewis Sanders Distinguished Chair in Pediatric Pharmacy.
“PIDS fellows are national and international leaders in pediatric infectious diseases. Their expertise affects children not only globally, but also at the local level in their research teams, clinics, hospitals and communities,” said PIDS President C. Buddy Creech, M.D., MPH. “Fellowship in PIDS is one way of recognizing these accomplished physicians, educators, policymakers and scientists for their important contributions to our field.”
Maples also helped establish a foundation in the state for antimicrobial stewardship, which teaches responsible use of antimicrobial medicines to effectively treat infections, reduce overuse and combat resistance. Antimicrobials are medicines used to prevent and treat infections in humans, animals and plants. However, antimicrobial resistance occurs when viruses and bacteria no longer respond to medication, making infections harder to treat. It is a growing global threat to human health, according to the World Health Organization.
“Antimicrobial stewardship is about ensuring that we are selecting the right antibiotic at the right dose for the right duration to optimize efficacy, prevent toxicity and minimize resistance,” Maples said. “I was initially drawn to this work early in my career through some amazing pediatric infectious diseases physicians. That was my foundation when I began the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program at Arkansas Children’s. I am truly honored to be one of the first pharmacists selected as a PIDS fellow.”
“The PIDS fellow designation truly highlights Dr. Maples’ national prominence in the area of pediatric antimicrobial stewardship,” said Amy Franks, Pharm.D., professor and chair of the Department of Pharmacy Practice. “She is one of only two pharmacists in the country to obtain this national recognition, and it is a well-deserved honor.”
“We are so fortunate to have Dr. Maples as a part of our team here and I’m really looking forward to all that we will continue to build together in antimicrobial stewardship,” said Jessica Snowden, M.D., professor and division chief of the Pediatric Infectious Disease Division and vice dean for research at Arkansas Children’s. “This well-deserved honor speaks to her tremendous national reputation as a leader in pediatric antimicrobial stewardship.”
Maples joined the College of Pharmacy in 2003 and established a clinical pharmacy practice at Arkansas Children’s. In 2006, she developed a program between both organizations training pediatric pharmacy practitioners in the care and management of pediatric patients with infectious diseases. In 2010, she established a pediatric infectious disease and antimicrobial stewardship residency program, which became a fellowship program in 2015.
Maples earned her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Ohio Northern University in Ada, Ohio, in 2000 and completed a residency in pediatric pharmacy practice at Spectrum Health Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 2001. She completed a pediatric pharmacology fellowship at UAMS and Arkansas Children’s in 2003.