Sarah Osborne Pechnick is an expert in pharmaceutical controlled substance investigations and regulatory compliance. She proudly served with the Drug Enforcement Administration for more than 13 years.
Since joining Guidepost, Ms. Pechnick’s contributions to the DEA Regulatory Compliance practice include risk and gap assessments; developing and implementing robust policies and procedures; training staff on best practices for dispensing, record-keeping, suspicious order monitoring, and diversion prevention; as well as providing support in internal audits and investigations. She is a notable public speaker on all issues pertaining to controlled substance compliance and diversion and is highly experienced in creating and presenting educational material to various pharmaceutical industry, government, and law enforcement audiences. Ms. Pechnick is committed to helping clients build sustainable compliance programs that protect patients, preserve institutional integrity, and minimize legal and financial risk.
Ms. Pechnick began her career with the DEA as a Diversion Investigator. For a period of ten years while stationed in Wisconsin and Florida, respectively, she led and completed regulatory and investigative work resulting in criminal convictions, civil fines, and administrative consequences. She utilized her analytical skills to identify potential targets and to illustrate trends of pharmaceutical diversion. During her tenure as a Diversion Investigator, Ms. Pechnick maintained outstanding ratings throughout and was the recipient of numerous performance and on-the-spot awards related to her contributions.
After her tenure as a field investigator, Ms. Pechnick transitioned to an instructor and course developer role at the DEA Academy located in Quantico, VA. Her main responsibilities included developing and delivering material and coursework related to techniques and skills used in criminal, administrative and civil investigations involving the diversion of controlled substances. She served as class coordinator of Basic and Advanced Tactical Diversion Squad Training and Prosecuting Diversion Cases Courses where she was responsible for implementing instructional itineraries, procuring external and internal instructors, and soliciting feedback for course improvement.
Ms. Pechnick was promoted to DEA headquarters as Staff Coordinator of the Import/Export Section where she was responsible for providing oversight of regulatory matters concerning the import, export and/or retail sale of controlled substances, listed chemicals, and tableting/encapsulation machines in accordance with the Controlled Substances Act and International agreements with the International Narcotics Board. She worked closely with field agents and investigators regarding suspicious import or domestic sales of tableting machines potentially being used for illicit manufacturing.
Immediately prior to joining Guidepost, Ms. Pechnick was serving as Lead Staff Coordinator/CSOS Liaison within the Registration and Program Support Section. She functioned as Diversion Control Division’s subject matter expert on the Controlled Substances Ordering System and as a critical bridge between sections ensuring that CSOS supported regulatory obligations as well as industry expectations. She managed the creation and delivery of a comprehensive web-based CSOS training program that was specifically designed to provide the investigative field with tactical knowledge and skills for navigating the complex system.
