Dr. Yekaterina Opsha Appointed as Interim Vice Chancellor for Interprofessional Programs

January 16, 2026

Dear Rutgers Health community,

We are pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Yekaterina (Kate) Opsha, PharmD, AACC, FHFSA, HF-Cert, Clinical Associate Professor at the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy (EMSOP), as Interim Vice Chancellor for Interprofessional Programs (IPE) at Rutgers Health.

Dr. Opsha earned her Doctor of Pharmacy degree with honors from Long Island University and completed PGY-1 and PGY-2 residencies in pharmacotherapy and cardiology at The Brooklyn Hospital Center and UMass Memorial Medical Center. In addition to her role at EMSOP, she is a Clinical Associate Professor and a cardiovascular clinical pharmacy specialist at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center, where she trains pharmacy students, residents, and learners from other health professions.

A nationally recognized leader in interprofessional education and cardiovascular care, Dr. Opsha is active in several interprofessional organizations, including the American College of Cardiology and the Heart Failure Society of America, where she is a Fellow and served on the Heart Failure Certification Council. She has also been recognized as New Jersey Society of Health-System Pharmacists’ Preceptor of the Year.

At Rutgers, Dr. Opsha has played a central role in advancing interprofessional education. She has served as co-chair of the EMSOP IPE Committee since 2016 and became EMSOP Director of IPE in 2024, overseeing interprofessional programming across the pharmacy curriculum. She has facilitated more than 30 interprofessional education initiatives across Rutgers Health and works closely with discipline leads to create meaningful opportunities for students to learn with, from, and about one another. She has also been a long-standing member of the PharmD/MD integration committee, supporting the innovative dual-degree program with Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

As Interim Vice Chancellor, Dr. Opsha will report directly to the Senior Vice Chancellor for Clinical and Health Affairs. This will allow her to lead the development of a cohesive, university-wide framework for interprofessional education, expand collaborative learning opportunities across disciplines, and represent Rutgers Health nationally as a champion for IPE.

Please join us in welcoming Dr. Opsha to this new role.

Sincerely,

Joseph A. Barone, PharmD, FCCP
Dean and Distinguished Professor
Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy

Vicente Gracias, MD 
Senior Vice Chancellor for Clinical Affairs, Rutgers Health
Vice President for Health Affairs, Rutgers University  

Robert L. Johnson, MD, FAAP 
Interim Chancellor, Rutgers Health 
Dean, New Jersey Medical School 
Professor of Pediatrics