Linda Wastila, BSPharm, MSPH, PhD, a nationally recognized expert in prescription drug policy and aging at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy (UMSOP), delivered her final lecture on Dec. 1 in Pharmacy Hall before embarking on retirement. She reflected on a career that has shaped research, teaching, and policy for more than two decades. A professor in UMSOP’s Department of Practice, Sciences, and Health Outcomes Research (P-SHOR) and director of research for the Peter Lamy Center on Drug Therapy and Aging, Wastila has spent her scholarly life examining how prescription drug policies affect real-world outcomes – particularly for older adults and vulnerable populations.
Her journey in public health began at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and continued with a PhD in Health Policy at Brandeis University as a Pew Health Policy Fellow. Before joining the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy in 2001, she held positions at the Schneider Institute for Health Policy and Harvard Medical School. Her research has influenced state and federal policy, and improved medication safety in long-term care.
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