SAVE THE DATE: 
Geriatric Medication Safety Symposium 2026
May 7-8
The Denton A. Cooley, MD and Ralph C. Cooley, DDS University Life Center,
Houston, TX

Thank you to our 2025 GMSS attendees, speakers and Planning Committee members!
Learn more about the 2025 symposium in our News Room.

About the Symposium

Medication-related morbidity and mortality are a significant health concern in older adults, who are highly susceptible to medication-related problems. Safe medication use practices require coordinated efforts by providers and patients in the medication use process. Medication-related problems range from prescribing of high-risk medications to misuse of medications by older adults.

The Geriatric Medication Safety Symposium builds upon a successful collaboration between the University of Houston College of Pharmacy Department of Pharmaceutical Health Outcomes and Policy (PHOP) and the UTHealth McGovern Medical School in establishing and hosting the Houston Medication Safety Symposium in 2017, 2018 and 2019.

The areas of focus for the Geriatric Medication Safety Symposium include:

• Medication safety in long-term care
• Off-label drug use during the pandemic
• Drug burden/safer opioid use
• Adverse drug events/significant drug interactions
• Drug safety during transitions of care
• Medication safety in inpatient care

Support

The Geriatric Medication Safety Symposium is supported by the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health under award number 1R13AG071364.

Who Should Attend

The target audience includes physicians, nurses, pharmacists, students, residents, researchers and others in health care and elder care.

2026 Speaker Lineup Announcement Coming Soon

Contacts

Rajender R. Aparasu, Ph.D., FAPhA (PI)
Mustafa & Sanober Lokhandwala Endowed Professor and Chair,
Department of Pharmaceutical Health Outcomes and Policy,
University of Houston College of Pharmacy

Min Ji Kwak, M.D., M.S., DrPH (Co-PI)
Associate Professor, Joan and Stanford Alexander Division of Geriatric and Palliative Medicine, McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston

2026 Planning Committee

Logan Campbell, RN, GERO-BC
Health Services Director Central, Amazing Place

Vaunette P. Fay, Ph.D., RNC, FNP, GNP
Director, Continuing Education, and Professor of Nursing – Clinical, Cizik School of Nursing at UTHealth Houston

LaDawna Goering, DNP, APRN, ANP-BC, BC-ADM
Assistant Professor of Clinical Nursing and Adult/Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Track Coordinator, Department of Graduate Studies, UTHealth Cizik School of Nursing

Paula D. Johnson, MPH, PMP
Bureau Chief, Harris County Area Agency on Aging

Jack Joseph, D.D.S.
Clinical Associate Professor, UTHealth School of Dentistry

Amy Kelleh, Pharm.D., BCGP, CDCES
Clinical Pharmacist, HarmonyCares

Sadaf Milani, Ph.D., MPH
Assistant Professor, UTMB School of Public and Population Health

Allison Ownby, Ph.D.
Assistant Dean for Faculty and Educational Development, McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston

Jeff T. Sherer, Pharm.D., BCGP, BCPS
Clinical Professor, UH College of Pharmacy