Dancing to Success: How Dr. Alyssa Utz Harmonizes Her Career and Passion

By day, Dr. Alyssa Utz masters the art of anticoagulation—caring for patients on warfarin and direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC) regimens while shaping health system-wide order sets and support tools. By night, she trades scrubs for sequins, gliding across the ballroom floor with precision and grace. The same instinct for timing and control fuels both her professional and dance pursuits, embodying the balance essential for well-being.

Dr. Utz’s passion for pharmacy and ballroom dance began during her undergraduate years at the University of Georgia, where she earned a B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in 2013. Later, she received a Doctor of Pharmacy degree in 2017. She never expected her freshman hip-hop class to lead her to ballroom, but an invitation from her instructor changed everything. In 2011, she officially became a member of the UGA Ballroom Performance Group, dazzling audiences at their annual Ballroom Magic showcase. However, her second year of pharmacy school required her attention, and she was no longer able to contribute time with the UGA dance program. She did perform with CONTACT Dance Company of DanceFX in Athens.

Determined to pursue a residency, Dr. Utz strategically built her resume throughout pharmacy school—serving as Student College of Clinical Pharmacy President, joining Lambda Kappa Sigma, and taking a residency elective with her greatest mentor, Dr. Beth Phillips, Clinical and Administrative Pharmacy Rite Aid Professor and Assistant Director for Residency Programs. “Dr. Phillips’ guidance was unparalleled, as she coached me through my pursuit of residency by providing a supportive role throughout the entire process,” she commented. With Dr. Phillips’ guidance, she navigated the rigorous residency application process, landing a PGY1 at Atlanta Medical Center, followed by a PGY2 in ambulatory care at Kaiser Permanente in Atlanta. “UGA’s College of Pharmacy provided countless opportunities for me to explore residency, and the unwavering support from the dedicated faculty and staff helped shape my career into what it is today,” expressed Dr. Utz.

In 2019, Dr. Utz joined Grady Health System as an Anticoagulation Ambulatory Care Clinical Pharmacist. “My job has a fun 50/50 aspect—half the time, I manage patients in clinic on warfarin and DOACs; the other half, I work as an anticoagulation stewardship pharmacist, collaborating with medical directors and inpatient teams to develop order sets and clinical decision support tools; in addition, I analyze anticoagulation trends.” Beyond her clinical work, Dr. Utz has contributed to numerous projects, presentations, and publications, including a notable article in the Journal of Viral Hepatitis on safely co-administering antivirals and DOACs in hepatitis C patients.

Yet, through all her career achievements, her love for dance never faded. Even during residency, she took hip-hop classes in Atlanta. Once she received her position at Grady, she knew she wanted to get back into the ballroom. “I went to watch a friend perform at a Pro-Am ballroom competition and was captivated. I wanted to try it for myself. My friend danced with Christjohn Batters, a professional dancer and former UGA Ballroom Performance Group member. When I asked Christjohn if he knew of a potential partner for me, he offered himself—and the rest is history.”

Now, after six years and multiple competitions, Dr. Utz and Batters have earned the 2023 United States Dance Championships Pro-Am Closed Bronze Ten-Dance Title in Orlando, FL, became a 2023 Ohio Star Ball Pro-Am Best of the Best finalists, and placed third in Pro-Am Closed Bronze Rhythm and Smooth at the 2024 Ohio Star Ball.

Dr. Utz emphasized the importance of having passions beyond your career for overall well-being. “Maintaining a healthy work-life balance keeps you grounded. Having an outlet outside of work or school helps you decompress after tough days, which we all face. I recommend finding something that brings you joy, gets your body moving, and helps you relax—dance is that for me; but it’s different for everyone. Even when time feels scarce, always make room for yourself.”

From the clinic to the dance floor, Dr. Utz proves that passion, self-care, and discipline can lead to extraordinary achievements—both in medicine and in motion.

Dr. Alyssa Utz performs competitively with her partner, Christjohn Batters. (Photo: Kailie Sanders | Instagram: @kailiesanders)

Dr. Utz made a cameo appearance at this year’s Ballroom Magic. She is pictured with Dr. Mike Fulford, an Assistant Dean at the College and the co-director of UGA’s Ballroom Performance Group.