News

 
 Deja Finley, PharmD, assistant clinical professor in the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Pharmacy Department of Pharmacy Practice, has received the 2026 SIU System Faculty Collaboration Award for cross-campus work advancing health equity, interprofessional education and team-based patient care.

Finley was recognized alongside M. Rebecca Hoffman, MD, MSPH, associate professor and associate chair of the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the SIU School of Medicine and program director for the SIU Alton Family Medicine Residency Program. The pair received the award during the SIU Board of Trustees meeting Sept. 17 at the SIU School of Dental Medicine campus in Alton.

“This recognition is especially meaningful because it reflects what can happen when we work across disciplines and campuses toward a shared goal,” said Finley. “Our collaboration has allowed us to create opportunities for our learners while developing programs that make a meaningful difference for the patients and communities we serve.”

Finley’s role is especially visible through Wrapping Obstetric Care for Moms and Babies in St. Clair and surrounding counties (WOMBSS), a grant-funded maternal health initiative that brings pharmacy into prenatal and postpartum care for underserved patients. Through the initiative, Finley has helped advance an interdisciplinary model designed to improve maternal and infant outcomes while giving learners experience working across health professions.

WOMBSS was developed under the leadership of Safiya McNeese Ruffin, MD, FAAFP, former associate program director of the SIU Alton Family Medicine Residency Program and former director of Women’s Health and Obstetric Services in Alton. Ruffin was acknowledged during the award presentation for her foundational role with the initiative, which has served more than 300 patients.

The work is also expanding locally. A collaborative practice model involving pharmacists, physicians and trainees has launched at the BJC HealthCare Alton clinic, extending the team’s interdisciplinary approach into another patient-care setting in the Metro East.

Finley and Hoffman have carried that same approach into other areas of patient care and education. Among those efforts is a longitudinal geriatric deprescribing initiative in which pharmacy trainees work alongside family medicine teams to evaluate medication use among older adults and identify potentially unnecessary medications. The project gives trainees hands-on experience in interdisciplinary care while helping reduce medication-related risks for patients later in life.

Their partnership has created interdisciplinary training opportunities for 30 family medicine residents, four pharmacy residents and 24 pharmacy students, with pharmacy-related instruction spanning 33 educational topics.

Their work has been shared nationally through peer-reviewed publications to organizations including the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, American Pharmacists Association and National Medical Association.

Beyond clinical care, Finley and Hoffman have participated in Juneteenth health events, Boys and Girls Club volunteer efforts, Head Start projects and other community initiatives focused on building trust and improving access to care in historically underserved communities.

“The SIU System Faculty Collaboration Award was created to highlight and encourage faculty collaboration across SIU campuses,” said SIU System President Dan Mahony. “The innovative outreach and demonstrated success of this year’s honorees directly advance the University’s goals related to academic innovation, community impact and partnerships.” 
 
PHOTO: McNeese, Hoffman, Finley minutes after award recognition at SIU Board of Trustees meeting Sept. 17 at the SIU School of Dental Medicine