AdventHealth Heart of Florida
Chris Boutari, PharmD, BCPS
The student had this to say about Dr. Boutari:
I would like to nominate both my preceptor and the rotation site for their exceptional commitment to student learning and professional development. Throughout my experience, I was given meaningful opportunities to engage in clinical pharmacist responsibilities—from making interventions and recommendations to participating in daily ICU and multidisciplinary rounds. The team dynamic at this site was incredibly encouraging; the nurses, physicians, and hospitalists I worked with were welcoming and truly valued student input. It was empowering to be part of a healthcare team that fostered mutual respect and active collaboration. A distinctive strength of this site is that all pharmacists share the same clinical responsibilities, which allowed me to gain exposure to a broad range of topics, including total parenteral nutrition (TPN), vancomycin and heparin monitoring, and antimicrobial stewardship. My preceptor provided me the opportunity to run daily reports and work through clinical cases related to glycemic management, IV to PO conversions, and renal dose adjustments. I was invited to attend team meetings and quality control discussions, including root cause analysis sessions, which broadened my understanding of systems-based practice and interdisciplinary problem-solving. Dr. Boutari went above and beyond in fostering a supportive and educational environment. He consistently encouraged thoughtful discussion, took time to explain complex therapeutic decisions, and provided structured learning opportunities such as pharmacist-led lectures provided by himself and the pharmacy director, Dr. Bichachi. Their mentorship greatly contributed to my growth as an APPE student. This rotation was an impactful part of my pharmacy education, and I recommend both this site and my preceptor for recognition.
Brief bio or Site description
AdventHealth Heart of Florida is a 200-bed regional medical center, which sets up a great balance between having intimate staff connections and interesting patient cases. My focus here is roughly split between caring for ICU patients and pharmacy clinical quality. My educational background is largely international, having grown up in Bahrain under a British curriculum, completing undergraduate studies in Canada and rounding out with pharmacy school in Massachusetts.
What is your or your sites philosophy on educating students and/or providing pharmacy services?
We aim to keep students as immersed and engaged as possible with all aspects of our clinical pharmacist’s routine. This often includes running reports, evaluating IV to PO conversions and vancomycin dosing, performing deep topic research and contributing their thoughts during meetings, where appropriate. Many topics in pharmacotherapy are complex, evolving and possibly controversial. Hence, our ultimate goal is to enable students to think independently and critically, and to develop sound judgement of medical literature. The science is never truly settled.
What is a fun fact about you or the site?
I thought I hated pickles my whole life until I recently learned that dill was the true culprit. I’m now compensating by pickling everything (without that offensive herb).