Mary Lynn McPherson, PharmD, MA, MDE, BCPS, CPE, is professor and executive director, Advanced Post-Graduate Education in Palliative Care, in the Department of Pharmacy Practice and Science at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy.

McPherson has master’s degrees in instructional systems development and distance education and e-learning. She has maintained a practice in hospice (local and national) and ambulatory care for her entire career. McPherson also is the executive director of the online Master of Science and graduate certificates in palliative care at the University of Maryland, Baltimore. She is particularly interested in the safe and effective use of medications in patients with a life-limiting illness, ranging from drug selection, deprescribing, and risk mitigation.

McPherson developed one of the first and few palliative care pharmacy residencies in the United States and has won numerous awards for teaching and her innovative practice in end-of-life care. She has published numerous articles, chapters, and four books ,including the second edition of the best-selling “Demystifying Opioid Conversion Calculations: A Guide for Effective Dosing.”