OCPhA Leadership and Board

Dr. Laressa Bethishou, PharmD, APh, BCPS is Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice and Director of Professional Education at Chapman University School of Pharmacy. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Sciences from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and her Doctor of Pharmacy Degree from the University of Southern California School of Pharmacy (USC). She completed a pharmacy practice residency at Stanford Health Care and continued on as a Transitions of Care Pharmacist until joining Chapman University School of Pharmacy. She is faculty in residence at Hoag Hospital where she supports safe and effective transitions of care for patients at high risk for readmission. Dr. Bethishou is actively involved in professional pharmacy organizations at the state and national level, with a commitment to improving patient safety during healthcare transitions.  Her research interests include evaluating the impact of pharmacist interventions on high risk patient populations, innovations in pharmacy education, and development of student personal and professional growth.

Dr. Linh Lee is the Director of Pharmacy for Ralphs, a division of The Kroger Co. She received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from USC Mann School of Pharmacy and completed a PGY1 Community Pharmacy Residency Program at USC. Linh has held several positions with Ralphs Pharmacy, including Pharmacy Manager, Pharmacy Human Resources Manager, Division Clinical Care Coordinator, and Division Pharmacy Sales Manager/Assistant Director of Pharmacy. She has also the Pharmacy Development Manager at Kroger Specialty Pharmacy and was responsible for the operations and business development for the West Coast, successfully achieving licensure to offer services across 9 states. Some of her professional affiliations include the APhA, CPhA, Phi Delta Chi Pharmacy Fraternity, and Phi Lambda Sigma Leadership Society. Linh was a Past-President for the Orange County Pharmacists Association and is active in several committees within the industry and profession, including UCI School of Pharmacy Dean’s Leadership Council, UCI Preceptor Advisory Committee, Chapman University Dean’s Professional Advisory Group, and CDPH/CIC Pharmacy-Based Immunization Workgroup. She was designated as a Fellow of CPhA, received the USC Distinguished Alumni of the Year Award and honored as a Rising Star with Progressive Grocer Top Women in Grocery.

Tony received his Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of Southern California, School of Pharmacy in 2012. After graduating, Tony worked on the build and implementation of the pharmacy module for the new electronic health record at the Ventura County Healthcare Agency (VCHCA). After several years of maintaining and implementing new projects at VCHCA, he moved back home to Orange County where he continues to work as an informatics pharmacist in new initiatives at Children’s Hospital Orange County (CHOC) . He also works as an inpatient pharmacist for Kindred Healthcare and volunteers his time precepting health fairs, providing guest lectures on clinical informatics, and participating in multiple professional organizations and section advisory groups. He is also the founder and host of the Pharmacy, IT, & Me podcast that focuses on the subject of pharmacy informatics.

Paul received his B.A. in Economics from UC Irvine and Pharm. D. from Creighton University. With more than 27 years of experience at Walgreens, Paul has held pharmacist, pharmacy manager, pharmacy human relations specialist, and district pharmacy supervisor positions.  Currently, Paul is an Area Healthcare Supervisor and is based out of Walgreens Regional Office in Orange County.

Paul is involved with CPhA through serving his second term on the Education Advisory Committee.  With SCAN Health Plan, Paul has been involved as a P&T Committee member for numerous years. 

For Western University of Health Sciences, Paul serves on the Deans Advisory Council and on the DEI Committee.  Paul also serves on the Experiential Education Advisory Committee for Chapman University and on Walgreens’s Dean Advisory Council, where a consortium of 17 deans from 17 pharmacy schools across the nation are represented.

Paul is an Adjunct Assistant Professor for KGI, Western, and UCI.

Dr. Bach is currently an Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice at Chapman University’s School of Pharmacy (CUSP). He also practices at Providence Medical Foundation, where he works with PCPs to provide chronic disease state management. Dr. Bach earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Sciences from the California State University, Fullerton followed by a Doctor of Pharmacy from Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, CA. He completed his postgraduate residency training in Community Pharmacy Practice at the University of Southern California (USC). His residency training included providing clinical pharmacy services within a community pharmacy-based physician clinic and in an independent community pharmacy. During his residency at USC, Dr. Bach also served as an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice for the USC School of Pharmacy, where he earned a teaching certificate. Upon completing his residency and before joining CUSP, Dr. Bach practiced as a clinical pharmacist at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center (RR-UCLA). At RR-UCLA, he was responsible for the medication reconciliation process to maintain and ensure the accurate communication of patient medication information and prevent medication errors during the patient’s transition of care.

Micah Hata received his Pharm.D. from Western University of Health Sciences, College of Pharmacy. He also completed his residency in community pharmacy practice at Western University of Health Sciences, College of Pharmacy. Dr. Hata has been actively involved in educating seniors on the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit.​ In addition to currently holding a position as an associate professor to Western University of Health Sciences, he is also an active member of the Orange County Pharmacists Association and served a number of terms as the chapter’s president in the previous years.

Dr. Transon Nguyen earned his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Midwestern University, and his BS in Physics with a minor in Psychology from the University of California, Irvine. Dr. Transon is an assistant clinical professor and the Director of Experiential Education at the American University of Health Sciences, School of Pharmacy. He has continued to serve as an ambulatory pharmacist for Lestonnac Free Clinic in Orange over the last two decades.
Besides his passion for serving as an educator and a healthcare provider, Dr. Transon has also authored several books. Although the majority of his time is devoted to teaching healthcare students and serving patients at AUHS and Lestonnac Free Clinic, he also volunteers with the American Red Cross and the Community Emergency Response Team of the City of Irvine.

Cynthia Bennett, CPhT, CSPT is the Executive Assistant to the Vice President of Medication Management and Laboratory Services at PIH Health. Her career within the pharmacy profession spans over 20 years in various specialties. More than 20 years was dedicated to the in-patient hospital pharmacies within the Memorial Healthcare System, starting as a staff Pharmacy Technician and eventually moving into the role of an In-Patient Pharmacy Technician Supervisor. Home Infusion and Oncology Pharmacy were specialties she also worked in for over 20 years. She was the inaugural Director of Experiential Education at MBKU, College of Pharmacy, where she still teaches Sterile Compounding. She has many years of pharmacy experience to share with the students. She also teaches a Pharmacy Technician course to better prepare the Pharmacy Technician Students for a successful career in Pharmacy. As the first Pharmacy Technician on the Board of Directors for OCPhA, Cynthia can expand our organization to Pharmacy Technicians. In her free time, she enjoys everything and anything Star Wars and spending time with her husband, children, and grandchildren.

Lisa Kipper, PharmD, serves as the Director of Experiential Education and Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice at Marshall B. Ketchum University in Fullerton, California. Dr. Kipper is dedicated to managing and enhancing the quality of Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences (IPPEs) and Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPEs). Her work focuses on assessing experiential education with an emphasis on competencies, outcomes, and continuous quality improvement to ensure student success and support preceptor engagement. Dr. Kipper is also strongly committed to student mentorship and professional development.

Dr. Kipper earned her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of the Pacific. She began her career as a community pharmacist with Target Corporation before transitioning into ambulatory care practice. She later joined Saddleback Medical Center as a certified Transitions of Care Pharmacist, where she developed a successful Meds-to-Beds program designed to improve medication adherence following hospital discharge and reduce readmissions. Her areas of expertise include disease state management, physician engagement, patient education, medication adherence, quality assurance, and process improvement.

Dr. Kipper has been actively involved in numerous professional organizations throughout her career. She currently serves as a faculty advisor for both the California Pharmacists Association Academy of Student Pharmacists (CPhA-ASP) and the American Pharmacists Association Academy of Student Pharmacists (APhA-ASP) chapters at MBKU. Her involvement extends to numerous professional committees, where she advocates for legislative advancement, promotes professional education, and mentors future pharmacists.
Her dedication to the profession is reflected in her extensive teaching, experiential education leadership, community outreach, professional event coordination, and scholarly contributions. Dr. Kipper is passionate about improving patient outcomes, educating future pharmacists, and advancing the profession of pharmacy through leadership, service, and innovation.

Bio: Coming soon

Bio: Coming soon