Welcoming Dr. Fern Kaufman to the ALS United Mid-Atlantic Board

We are proud and excited to welcome Dr. Fern Kaufman to the ALS United Mid-Atlantic Board. Fern brings with her a lifetime of dedication to healthcare, leadership, and service to others, grounded in both professional excellence and deeply personal commitment. Her passion for advocacy, community, and meaningful service aligns powerfully with our mission, and we are honored to have her join our board and our ALS United Mid-Atlantic family.

Fern Kaufman is a Philadelphia native, growing up in Northeast Philadelphia. Just weeks out of high school, Fern departed for Israel for her first year of college at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem as part of the United Synagogue Youth Nativ Program. After completing her first year of college in five months at the Rothberg School for Overseas Students, the program moved on to a kibbutz (a self-supportive collective community) next to the Gaza Strip in the desert. Throughout her nine months in Israel, Fern traveled all over the country, becoming immersed in the local culture, volunteering with children, learning about the Middle East, and witnessing firsthand the history of many peoples and faiths. She even picked up a good bit of the Hebrew language, although not many people come into a room asking for a Hebrew-speaking pharmacist often.

Once back home, Fern earned a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy degree from Temple University School of Pharmacy, a Master of Business Administration in Healthcare Administration degree from Wilmington University, and a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia. Fern has served as President and Board Member of the Pennsylvania Society of Health-System Pharmacists (PSHP), the only Pennsylvania pharmacy organization dedicated to the profession of pharmacy as practiced in the hospital setting.

Dr. Kaufman has spent her life dedicated to healthcare across varied areas of pharmacy, including the corner pharmacy, acute care hospitals, healthcare system administration, pharmaceutical companies, and her own consulting company. While her second chapter is yet to be written, service to others in a meaningful way is a keystone of her foundation. Serving on the ALS United Mid-Atlantic Board is an endeavor near and dear to her heart. Fern dedicates her service to her paternal grandmother, Bertha Kaufman, and her maternal uncle, Steve Nemchek, both of whom were lost to ALS. While she never knew her grandmother, her legacy lives on. Fern was very close to her Uncle Steve and misses him every day.

Fern resides in West Caln Township, Chester County, with her wife Cheryl, her brother Andy, their three rescue dogs, and Fern’s adorable ferret.