Meet the President

Dr. Teresa Isichei Pounds is an internationally recognized leader in clinical pharmacy and nutrition support, dedicated to advancing patient care, strengthening healthcare systems, and developing the next generation of healthcare professionals. As Founder and President of the West African Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (WASPEN), she leads a multidisciplinary organization committed to improving the quality, accessibility, and safety of clinical nutrition across West Africa.

With more than 20 years of experience in clinical pharmacy practice, metabolic support, residency education, and healthcare innovation, Dr. Pounds has built an accomplished career spanning the United States and Africa. Her work integrates clinical excellence, education, research, and health systems development, with a strong focus on expanding access to evidence-based nutrition support and pharmaceutical care in resource-limited settings.

She earned both her Bachelor of Pharmacy and Doctor of Pharmacy degrees from Mercer University, Atlanta, Georgia, and completed her postgraduate residency at Georgia Baptist Hospital. During her more than two decades at Atlanta Medical Center (Wellstar Health System), she served as Clinical Pharmacy Manager and Residency Program Director, where she established innovative clinical pharmacy services, multidisciplinary nutrition support programs, antimicrobial stewardship initiatives, and residency training programs that improved patient outcomes while optimizing healthcare resources.

An accomplished educator and mentor, Dr. Pounds has trained hundreds of pharmacists, physicians, residents, and pharmacy students throughout her career. She has held academic appointments with Mercer University, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM), South University, and several universities in Nigeria, contributing significantly to clinical pharmacy education, experiential training, and international preceptor development.

Recognizing the growing burden of malnutrition and chronic disease across Africa, Dr. Pounds founded WASPEN to promote excellence in nutrition support through education, research, advocacy, professional development, and multidisciplinary collaboration. Under her leadership, the Society has become a leading regional platform for advancing evidence-based enteral and parenteral nutrition through scientific conferences, clinical training, guideline development, and strategic partnerships.

Dr. Pounds also led the development of the first internationally aligned Pharmacy Practice Residency Program in West Africa in collaboration with the West African Postgraduate College of Pharmacists (WAPCP), designed to meet the standards of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP). This pioneering initiative has strengthened clinical pharmacy education and advanced patient-centered pharmacy practice throughout the region.

Her areas of expertise include clinical pharmacy, nutrition and metabolic support, HIV pharmacotherapy, medication therapy management, antimicrobial stewardship, anticoagulation, residency program development, managed care, and chronic disease management. She has also spearheaded numerous capacity-building initiatives, including vaccination training, pharmacotherapy workshops, nutrition support education, and healthcare workforce development across Africa.

Beyond her professional leadership, Dr. Pounds is deeply committed to improving global health equity. Through Clinipharm Global Health USA, community outreach initiatives, and international medical missions, she continues to champion innovative models of care that integrate clinical pharmacy, nutrition, education, and public health to improve outcomes for underserved populations.

Driven by a vision of equitable access to quality nutrition care, Dr. Teresa Isichei Pounds continues to inspire healthcare professionals across West Africa through leadership, collaboration, education, and innovation in clinical nutrition.