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James C Coons

PharmD
Professor
Headshot of James C Coons
James C Coons

Email:

jccoons@pitt.edu

Phone:

412-648-3088

Office:

9058 Salk Hall
3501 Terrace St
Pittsburgh, PA 15261
Accepting MS Students
Learn about Dr. Coons's Research

Biography

Jim Coons is a cardiology pharmacotherapy specialist and clinical researcher who manages the care of patients with cardiovascular diseases and conducts clinical outcomes and translational research related to this patient population. He has been recognized as a Fellow of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy and the American College of Cardiology, and is a Board-Certified Cardiology Pharmacist. He is also a past Chair of the ACCP Cardiology Practice and Research Network.

He has been active in clinical practice for 20 years having managed patients in multiple settings including cardiac intensive care, general cardiology, advanced heart failure, and pulmonary hypertension. He is core part of the PreCISE-Rx and Test2Learn teams which implement clinical pharmacogenomics, research, and educational initiatives. He has authored more than 75 manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals and book chapters and served as principal investigator or co-investigator on several grants.

He is a Professor in the Department of Pharmacy and Therapeutics and the Center for Clinical Pharmaceutical Sciences. He also serves as the PGY2 Cardiology Pharmacy Residency Program Director at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital and Fellowship Director for the Implementation Science and PharmacoAnalytics Program at UPMC and Pitt. Additionally, he serves as Co-Director for the Pharmacotherapy Scholars Program Area of Concentration, an advanced clinical training program for P4 students. He serves as an expert advisor and helps to lead cardiovascular medication-related initiatives and policies for UPMC, an integrated delivery network of 45 hospitals.

Coons completed his PharmD from the University of Pittsburgh followed by residency training at the University of Virginia (PGY1) and UPMC (PGY2 cardiology). After completion of his training he served as a clinical specialist and PGY-1 Residency Director at Allegheny General Hospital before joining Pitt Pharmacy and UPMC in 2012.

Honors / Awards

  • 2023 Chancellor's Distinguished Teaching Award, University of Pittsburgh
  • 2022 Cohen Teacher of the Year Award, University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy
  • 2022 Phi Lambda Sigma Honorary Member of the Year, University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy
  • 2021 ASHP Foundation Pharmacy Residency Excellence Preceptor Award
  • 2021 Rho Chi Society Outstanding Scholarly Contribution Faculty Award, University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy
  • 2016 Rho Chi Society Innovations in Teaching Award, University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy

Presentations

  • Selected invited presentations:
  • “Anticoagulation Controversies in the Setting of Obesity and/or Liver Disease.” Antiplatelets, Anticoagulants, and Adverse Effects, Oh My! Antithrombotic Therapy Controversies in Clinical Practice. American College of Clinical Pharmacy Annual Meeting. Presented to pharmacists, Dallas, TX, November 11, 2023.
  • “Something New: Sotatercept and Novel Small Molecules.” Session 32: Medical Management of PH: Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue. International Society of Heart and Lung Transplantation. Presented to multidisciplinary audience, Denver, CO, April 20, 2023.
  • “Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics of Various Prostanoids.” 16th International Conference on Neonatal and Childhood Pulmonary Vascular Disease. Presented to multidisciplinary audience, San Francisco, CA, March 18, 2023.
  • “A Health System’s Standardized Approach to Identifying Barriers and Solutions to Providing Guideline-Concordant NVAF Care. American Medical Group Association (AMGA) Webinar. Virtual presentation to multidisciplinary audience, October 25, 2022.
  • “Mavacamten Overview.” Pennsylvania Chapter, American College of Cardiology. Virtual presentation to multidisciplinary audience, September 21, 2022.
  • “How to Promote Residency Growth and Advance Clinical Pharmacy Practice.” ASHP Research and Education Foundation Pharmacy Residency Excellence Awards. Virtual education conference. Presented to pharmacists, May 25, 2022.
  • “Towards Personalized Prescribing: How to Implement Pharmacogenomics in Your Patient Population.” Presented as part of the virtual course, “The Evolving Practice of Cardiovascular Precision Medicine.” American College of Cardiology. Presented to multidisciplinary audience, May 13, 2022.
  • “Making the Transition: How to Switch Between Treatments.” Presented as part of session, “Progression of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Pharmacotherapy: Plainly Played-out in a Patient Case.” American College of Cardiology 70th Annual Scientific Sessions and Expo. Virtual presentation due to COVID-19, OnDemand Pathway Session. March 2021.
  • “Clinical Pipeline Updates in Cardiology.” Presented as part of session, “Clinical Pipeline Updates.” ASHP Summer Meetings and Exhibition 2020. Planned for Seattle, WA, June 7, 2020. Virtual presentation due to COVID-19.
  • “Cangrelor: Friend or Foe - Not the CHAMPION We Hoped For.” Presenter as part of symposium, “Cardiovascular Professionals Symposium: Antithrombotic Pharmacology.” The Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) Scientific Sessions. Planned for Atlanta, GA, May 14, 2020.
  • Virtual presentation due to COVID-19
  • “Updates from the 6th World Symposium on Pulmonary Hypertension.” Presenter as part of symposium, “Updates in Pulmonary Hypertension Management Across the Continuum of Care.” American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) Annual Meeting. Pulmonary Practice and Research Network Focus Session. Presented to pharmacy audience, New York, NY, October 29, 2019.
  • “Cardiovascular Critical Care.” Presenter as part of Critical Care Pharmacy Preparatory Review and Recertification Course. American College of Clinical Pharmacy Updates in Therapeutics. Presented to pharmacists, St. Louis, MO, April 28, 2019.
  • “State of the Art Case Based Lecture: WHO Should Get What? A WHO PAH Group-Based Approach to Treatment.” Presenter as part of Session: “Clearing the Air on Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: Pharmacology Session I.” American College of Cardiology 68th Annual Scientific Sessions and Expo. Presented to multidisciplinary audience, New Orleans, LA, March 17, 2019.
  • “Who, What and Why of Cardiovascular Simulation: From Learning Outcomes to Return on Investment.” Presented as part of Session: Personalized Skills & Simulation Center.” American College of Cardiology 68th Annual Scientific Sessions and Expo. Presented to multidisciplinary audience, New Orleans, LA, March 16, 2019.
  • “DOACS in 2019: Overview, Updates, and Considerations in Special Patient Populations.” 46th Refresher Course in Family Medicine – UPMC. Presented to family medicine physicians, Pittsburgh, PA, March 14, 2019. American Council on Pharmaceutical Education (ACPE) universal program number: 0481-9999-19-006-L05-P.
  • “Management and Trends in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension.” Presenter. American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) 53rd Midyear Clinical Meeting and Exhibition. Presented to pharmacists and nurses, Anaheim, CA, December 5, 2018. American Council on Pharmaceutical Education (ACPE) universal program number: 0221‐0000‐18‐395‐L01‐P.
  • “Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension and Specialized Topics in Cardiovascular Disease.” Presenter as part of American College of Clinical Pharmacy Updates in Therapeutics 2018 Cardiology Pharmacy Board Preparatory Review Course. Presented to pharmacists, Pomona, CA, April 22, 2018.

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