Continuing in the effort to provide the highest quality medical care for the Southern Ute tribal membership, the Southern Ute Health Center would like to introduce you to Dr. Kristen Anderson, PharmD, BS Pharm, BCGS. Dr. Anderson joined our team in September of 2022 as our Ambulatory Care Clinical Pharmacist, bringing 30 years of pharmacist experience, and is currently seeing patients in the Southern Ute Health Clinic.
Kristen is a pharmacist and medication expert specializing in diabetes and the healthcare of elders. Clinic providers refer patients to Kristen who have been diagnosed with a medical issue that requires more frequent medication management and follow-up. Through a collaborative practice agreement with medical doctors and nurse practitioners in the clinic, she helps patients access some of the most state-of-the-art medications and diabetes care available today. She also educates patients on insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitors, enabling them to manage their blood sugars on a whole new level.
Dr. Anderson received her Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver in 1996 and completed her ASHP Residency in Hospital Pharmacy Practice at the Detroit Medical Center in Detroit, Mich. in 1997. She has held Clinical Pharmacist positions at several large teaching hospitals around the country, developing Clinical Pharmacy Services, working in adult, pediatric, and neonatal ICUs, general medicine floors, and emergency rooms. In 2013, after 20 years of practice, she went back to school to get her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Florida and then became Board Certified in Geriatrics.
In 2016, she joined the Northern Navajo Medical Center in Shiprock, N.M., working in outpatient clinic settings, in-patient hospital floors, and the emergency room. While there, she trained and became a Pharmacist Clinician through UNM Med School and 500 hours of patient contact at NNMC. Eventually, she began seeing patients independently in various areas of specialty. This role was very helpful in preparing her for her current position at the Southern Ute Health Center.
Anderson has called Durango home since she was three years old and has had the fortune of enjoying all the area has to offer for many years. She enjoys skiing, cycling, spending time with friends, enjoying the outdoors in the Colorado mountains, and traveling. She currently lives in Durango and will be welcoming a new puppy into her home this month!
Kristen has enjoyed getting to know people in the Southern Ute community and being able to serve as a member of the healthcare team at the Southern Ute Health Clinic. Her favorite thing about her job is the time she gets to spend listening to her patients and helping them meet their health care goals.