Dr. K. Ashley Garling
Pharmacist,
Educator & Advocate
Hi, I'm Dr. Garling
Dr. Ashley Garling graduated Rho Chi with honors from the MCV/Virginia Commonwealth University School of Pharmacy. Her career path went from community pharmacy management to inpatient pharmacy with an oncology focus, corporate clinical coordinator, and media spokeswoman. She is now a clinical assistant professor at The University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy, serving as communication, media, and patient engagement specialist.
Dr. Garling is the principal investigator (PI) and Co-PI for research projects in community pharmacy settings spanning telehealth, HIV PrEP, mental health, patient counseling, and medication adherence. She currently serves as president of the Capital Area Pharmacist Association, Affairs Public Policy Council Member, and Public Policy Council Member of the Texas Pharmacist Association. Her career pillars are focused on public activation, empowerment of underheard voices, and health education. In 2020-21, Dr. Garling was awarded the Dr. Carolyn Brown DEAI Champion Award and the 2021 Teaching Excellency Award in recognition of her outstanding contributions to diversity, inclusion, and pharmacy education.
Pharmacy Expertise and Leadership
Dr. Garling has sixteen years of pharmacy experience in academia, media, inpatient, oncology, community, and corporate pharmacy. For the last six years, she has served as the communications liaison and an Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy. At the university and in her prior role as a clinical coordinator, she has participated in over forty local and national media events, including podcasts, radio, television, and news interviews. Dr. Garling has also testified twice for the United States Congress House Ways and Means Committee on medical access and telehealth bills by invitation from Texas Congressman Lloyd Doggett.
Beyond her university classes, Dr. Garling teaches regularly on various pharmacy topics, including substance use, opiates, communications, trauma-informed care, mandated reporting, pharmacy advocacy, professional development, HIV, mental health, and patient counseling. Her area of specialty is sensitive and stigmatized health conditions in the community. She has taught 48 platform, workshop, and continuing education sessions in the last six years.
Since 2018, Dr. Garling has been a primary and co-primary investigator in community-based research and holds over $40,000 in funding for research ranging from pharmacy practice to health promotion and disease prevention. She is a peer reviewer for four peer-reviewed journals and has been newly invited to be a resident assistant for the JAPhA editorial board. Dr. Garling publishes regularly with over 14 trade publications with regular contributions to Pharmacy Times, U.S. Pharmacist, and AARP. She has five peer-reviewed articles published, with eight more in progress to be published in 2024.
In leadership positions, Dr. Garling is a past president of the Capital Area Pharmacy Association and currently serves on the board of directors for the Texas Pharmacist Association. She holds two additional chair positions for the HIV Planning Council of Austin and the International Fast-track Cities HIV program. Dr. Garling is a mental health first aid trainer and a NASPA point-of-care testing trainer. She also holds APhA certifications in patient-centered diabetes care, medication therapy management, immunization, and anticoagulation.