The GoodPharmacists Podcast

Today, I get to speak to Dr. Mary Ngo who was one of the GoodRx Above and Beyond Pharmacy Award Winners. She won the Breakout Pharmacist which honors pharmacists who propel the profession forward through their early tenure work, community, or advocacy efforts.Dr. Mary Ngo is a new practitioner pharmacist who attended Chapman for both undergraduate and pharmacy graduate programs and completed her Doctor of Pharmacy degree in 2019. Currently, she works as a clinical staff pharmacist at South Coast Mission Pharmacy, an outpatient pharmacy at Mission Hospital Laguna Beach, serving many patients within LA/Orange County communities and those in mental rehabilitation facilities and specializing in treatments for substance abuse and psychiatric disorders. She is also a consultant pharmacist with Imperial Health Plan of California, providing aid to senior patients in medication therapy management and transitions of care services.Throughout her involvements, she has assisted in several events and programs related to student-new practitioner mentorship, supporting students and other providers during health fairs and professional events. Given her passion for breaking the mental health stigma in Asian American culture, she has been working alongside various providers, students, and young advocates in creating various media projects. These projects provide a public space for sharing stories of how advocates and providers have overcome mental health issues and sharing words of empowerment/health information to promote self-care and advocate public health. Mary also just matched at the  VA San Diego for PGY-1 Pharmacy Residency! Join me in this conversation with Dr. Ngo on her accomplishments since graduation, winning this award, and what the future holds for her.This marks the end of Season 2! Stay tuned for Season 3. Please subscribe to the podcast so you can be notified when the next season drops.

Some people have no idea what Pharmacists do. Maybe, that's because pharmacists do so many things. Today's guest, Derek Borkowski, is a pharmacist, software engineer, and the founder and CEO of Cosmas Health.Derek is also the creator of Pyrls - a popular new drug information website used by over 10,000 clinicians and students. He graduated from the University of Minnesota with his PharmD in 2018 and started working in community pharmacy until he fell in love with technology.From pharmacist to software engineer to founder, Derek shares his journey from leaving his community pharmacy job to pursuing entrepreneurship full-time, moving to San Francisco for an accelerator program, and getting VC funding.

Zack is currently serving as a hematology/oncology medical science liaison (MSL) with Kyowa Kirin (primary focus in hematologic malignancies). His previous experience included supporting GSK Oncology in a similar liaison capacity. Prior to these field medical roles, Zack had a brief stint in medical writing with Vaniam Group (oncology-focused scientific communications). Zack's first role after pharmacy school came as a clinical content position where he supported and helped to manage the College of American Pathologists (CAP) Cancer Protocols. He was able to work alongside pathologists and key opinion leaders (KOLs) who were cancer subspecialty experts and the authors of these protocols. The Cancer Protocols are used by pathologists worldwide as guidelines for collecting and reporting information on malignant tumor classification, histology, grading, staging, margins, nodal involvement, metastatic disease, biomarker profiles, etc. The Cancer Protocols serve as the gold standard in reporting for not only accreditation purposes but are also instrumental in driving the direction of care as a patient begins the journey from a cancer diagnosis to treatment and beyond.

Many of us either are familiar with or a member of at least one of the professional pharmacy associations. Some of us were involved in the student chapters, some of us lean on them for continuing education credits, to attend conferences, or serve in some other capacity. Having been involved with a couple of organizations myself, I wondered what it's like to work or have a career in associations as a pharmacist. It dawned on me when my close friend, Marissa, began her Executive Fellowship at the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, or ASHP.Marissa Brooks, Pharm.D., M.B.A., is one of the Executive Fellows in Association Leadership and Management at ASHP. She recently completed both her Doctor of Pharmacy and Masters of Business Administration at Nova Southeastern University (NSU) College of Pharmacy and Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship in Davie, Florida.Marissa shares how she stumbled across this opportunity, what interested her to apply, what lessons she hopes to learn, and what a day in her life looks like.

Burnout. It's a word we've all heard and we have likely experienced, especially in the last 2 years. It's okay to say you're burnt out. It's okay to say you're tired, you don't like your job, or that you're not happy. I've been there and so many others have. Alex Barker is the Founder of The Happy PharmD. After his PharmD, he set out like most of us do to find a decent. After his residency, he worked as an ambulatory care pharmacist where he realized he didn't love his job. That feeling of being stuck allowed him to channel a business on the side. The Happy PharmD was created to help other pharmacists find jobs they love and to be proud of their careers. Alex and his team of coaches help pharmacists find new roles and make pivots in their careers.He's also the author of the Indispensable: The Prescription for a Fulfilling Pharmacy Career and he talks a lot about imposter syndrome, burnout, and the pharmacy profession overall. Join us in a conversation about finding fulfilling work, building and running your own business, and facing imposter syndrome.

So if you're interested in learning more about what global health means, the role pharmacists can play, or what a day in the life looks like, this episode is for you.Jeanine Abrons, PharmD, MS is a Clinical Associate Professor and Director of Student Pharmacist International Activities at the University of Iowa, College of Pharmacy. Abrons' work with global underserved care extends to multiple countries, however, her primary work centers around partnerships in Dominica, collaborating with a local eco-based, social entrepreneur, the Ministry of Health, and a private pharmacy.  She also helps students of multiple disciplines to engage in global work through her role as a Fulbright Program Advisor at the University of Iowa. In Iowa, she is actively involved in health promotion/health prevention, addressing health disparities, and vaccine access through as Co-Director of Mobile Clinics, which now serves 15 underserved care sites. She is passionate about individualization while coordinating engagement and leadership, global health, and travel medicine courses. Abrons honors at the University of Iowa include recognition in 2016 with the Academic Teaching Advisory Council's Innovations in Teaching with Technology Award and the College of Pharmacy's 2018 Teacher of the Year Award. Her honors in pharmacy recently include the AACP Global Health Pharmacist of the Year and the APhA Pinnacle Award, recognizing her contributions to global health and underserved care. Additionally, she is the recent runner-up for the Pharmacists' Moms Group Women Pharmacist of the Year for Community Pharmacy.

As Pharmacists, we're all familiar with Medicaid and Medicare services to an extent. We've processed a claim through them before, have told patients about Open Enrollment, and hear about it quite regularly. However, what's it like being a pharmacist for human services and health care programs. Dr. Fatima Ali is the Senior Pharmacy Director of Medicaid Pharmacy Services at Commonwealth of Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services. She graduated from Philadelphia College of Pharmacy in May 2018 with her PharmD. Since then, Fatima has worked in the managed care setting. She completed a one-year residency at Horizon NJ Health in Pennington, NJ. Horizon NJ Health is the largest Medicaid MCO in New Jersey serving over 800,000 members. Thereafter, Fatima worked for RxAdvance, a small PBM based out of Massachusetts. In August 2020, Fatima joined Kentucky DMS as the Associate Pharmacy Director where she managed the pharmacy benefit for MCO and FFS members.

Content. I feel like that's a buzzword we all hear a lot more of lately. Whether it relates to content creators, social media, or we ourselves consume content. We see content on Instagram, we scroll and scroll on Tiktok, and even on LinkedIn now. There's also all of the content that we read in the forms of articles, blog posts, interviews, etc in written form. It goes beyond beauty, fashion, and music. There's a huge need and space for health content specifically. If you've ever wanted to get into health content writing, this episode is for you. Megan Freeland set out on her own to build a health content marketing company. Through StockRose Creative, LLC, Megan supports innovative health organizations to develop culturally-relevant content for digital health companies and health information websites. At the same time, Megan runs the Health Professionals to Health Writers program, which helps pharmacists and other health care providers learn how to replace a portion of their income through freelance health content writing. Earlier this year, Megan also began lending her talents to an in-house communications team for the nation's leading provider of sexual and reproductive health care and education.Megan earned her PharmD from Mercer University and upon graduation, she started working in regulatory affairs. She was then an ORISE Fellow in Health Communications. Shortly after, she started contributing blogs and health content to different organizations. Tune in to listen to how she got to where she is and what it's like working in this industry.

Pharmacists working in tech. You're likely hearing more about pharmacists who no longer work in a clinical or community setting but instead are working from home, have taken on another job title, but are still utilizing their clinical knowledge. What do they do and what does it take to get there?Kelley D. Carlstrom is a board-certified oncology pharmacist that has worked in a variety of traditional and non-traditional settings including at a large academic medical center where she specialized in blood and marrow transplantation, at a small community hospital, as a consultant for a large electronic medical record implementation, and most recently at a healthcare technology startup company committed to building software products for oncology clinicians. Kelley is passionate about oncology and sees a growing need for more pharmacists to be trained in this specialty.Kelley D. Carlstrom received her Doctor of Pharmacy from The University of Colorado and completed post-graduate residency training at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, MA. She has launched KelleyCPharmD, LLC which offers unique oncology training opportunities because she believes every pharmacist deserves access to specialty training that can transform their career.

As pharmacists, we continuously read up on clinical updates, pharmacy news & stories, and we need to take a certain number of continuing education credits. Pharmacists also happen to create, implement, write, or publish those resources we love to read and learn from.Not only is Janan Sarwar a friend and mentor to me personally, but Janan is a medical writer, pharmacy career coach, and advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion. She is currently a Medical Program Manager for Knowfully Learning Group, serves as the Chief Content Officer at The Happy PharmD, and is a Pharmacy Initiative Leaders Ambassador. Janan graduated with her PharmD from the University of North Carolina Eshelman School of Pharmacy and also completed a fellowship in Educational Technology, Research, and Development.Aside from all of those things, she also has her own non-profit and she helps her daughters with their podcast on books. -----The Above and Beyond Pharmacy Awards by GoodRx are still accepting nominations until November 19th, 2021. Recognize and celebrate your favorite pharmacist, pharmacy technician, or intern by nominating them for one of our 8 awards. Recipients will receive credits towards professional development and an opportunity to meet other winners and the GoodRx team in Santa Monica, California.

This podcast is brought to you by GoodRx. GoodRx is committed to partnering with pharmacists in the shared goal of helping patients get the medications they need.We're back in time for American Pharmacists Month. I love this month. We get to celebrate ourselves and our incredible colleagues in the profession. At GoodRx, we love to recognize pharmacists, too. This year, we're introducing the Above and Beyond Pharmacy Awards to appreciate pharmacists and what they do. You can now nominate your favorite pharmacist, pharmacy technician, or intern so they can win an award. Sixteen pharmacy professionals will win an award and have the opportunity to receive it in person at our headquarters in Santa Monica, California. Nominate them at www.goodrx.com/pharmacy-awards.Today, our host, Nabila Ismail, chats with Nancy Alvarez on the meaning of this special month. They discuss the sense of belonging, finding your place in pharmacy, and how to celebrate your colleagues and yourself during this month.Nancy A. Alvarez, PharmD, BCPS, CPCC, FAPhA is Associate Dean for Academic and Professional Affairs at The University of Arizona College of Pharmacy (UA COP) – Phoenix Campus and Associate Professor, Pharmacy Practice and Science.  She is also the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the UA COP. Previously, she was part of the founding leadership team and faculty at Chapman University School of Pharmacy; and held a variety of roles at Endo Pharmaceuticals in the Medical Affairs Department; hospice Pharmacia, and Walgreens.  She is a graduate of the University of Arizona College of Pharmacy and a board-certified pharmacotherapy specialist.  She is a former president of the American Pharmacists Association and Phi Lambda Sigma Leadership Society.  She is a fellow of the American Pharmacists Association and received its Gloria Niemeyer Franke Leadership Mentor Award in 2020 and Linwood F. Tice Friend of APhA-Academy of Student Pharmacists in 2021.  She is a board member of the Pharmacy Leadership and Education Institute, co-director for CPhA's Leader Development Institute, and is a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach.     

Pharmacists, imagine working from home, making your own schedule, while offering clinical pharmacy services to your patients. That's what Aspen RxHealth is all about. Dr. David Medvedeff, PharmD, is the founder and CEO of Aspen RxHealth, a company disrupting the pharmacy profession. His team is dedicated to crowdsourcing passionate pharmacists to deliver patient care services on behalf of payers and providers. Prior to starting Aspen RxHealth, David served as president and CEO of several successful healthcare companies including Gold Standard Avatar International and VUCA Health, where he currently serves as an Executive Chairperson. David's professional accomplishments have been recognized with numerous industry accolades including the National Prescott Award for his exemplary leadership, the Next-Generation Pharmacist Technology Innovator, and he is the only two-time winner of the American Pharmacists Association Foundation's Pinnacle Award.David and I had a chance to talk about his career journey, the reason why he started Aspen RxHealth, and what he hopes to accomplish with this new platform.

Throughout this first season of the Good Pharmacists podcast, I've been fortunate enough to chat with incredible pharmacists and pharmacy students who are challenging the status quo, innovating while trailblazing, and chasing after their passions.Camille Schrier or Miss America 2020 as you may know her, is one of those amazing pharmacy students. With a year of pharmacy school under her belt, she competed for Miss Virginia and then, Miss America. For the onstage talent competition she performed a live science demonstration, the catalytic decomposition of hydrogen peroxide, making her the only woman to win the title of Miss America with the help of science. Throughout her term as Miss America, Camille has advocated for medication safety, abuse prevention and the safe opioid use. Today, she shares with us why she pursued this competition, what she learned from it, and what's up next!

Women make up the majority of the pharmacy profession but aren't proportionally represented in senior leadership positions. While there's still much work to do, this imbalance is being recognized and there are efforts on every level of the profession to give women more opportunity to lead.The American Pharmacist Association is the largest organization for pharmacists with over 62,000 pharmacists. Though she may need no introduction, I'm thrilled to be speaking with the APhA's newest president today, Sandra Leal. She is also the Executive Vice President of SinfoniaRx, a TRHC solution, where she was previously the CEO and COO for the company. Dr. Leal's journey to executive leadership starts with her passion for public health, advocating for the pharmacy profession, and demanding that her voice is heard. She's a champion for all pharmacists and is passionate about pharmacists becoming eligible providers.

Vaccine inequity and deserts around the world continue to be an obstacle on the top of many pharmacists' minds. How do we ensure that communities in every part of the world have access to the COVID-19 vaccine? You may have heard of the all-female team that delivered COVID-19 vaccines to their patients by sled in Alaska in temperatures below zero.Meredith Dean, a pharmacy residency currently completing her residency at the Maniilaq Association, was amongst those women. From bush plane to sled, she went to her patients in their respective villages to administer vaccines. She says this is normal and a part of her job. Based out of Kotzebue, Alaska, she's completing her  PGY-1 with the Indian Health Service where she thoroughly enjoys every minute of her life below zero. She lives by this quote “life begins at the end of your comfort zone” and her passion for helping the underserved and traveling led her to where she is now.

It's no surprise that provider status has been on the radar for the pharmacy profession for quite some time. As roles and responsibilities of pharmacists expand, especially during the pandemic where workload and expectations are even higher, pharmacists are asking for the reimbursement they deserve on the clinical care that they provide.While we don't have national provider status quite yet, several pharmacists and companies use their clinical expertise and get paid for it.  One such pharmacist is Dr. Dipal Soni, who is a board-certified ambulatory care pharmacist and co-founder of Core Care Rx. Her company offers an array of different concierge clinical pharmacy services.After completing her PharmD at Rutgers, Dr. Dipal Soni went on to pursue one year of pharmacy practice residency at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in NJ. During this time she worked alongside physicians in ambulatory clinics such as the Heart Failure Clinic, Transitions Of Care, and Pulmonary Clinic where she managed complex medications. While studying for her board certification, she realized how quickly the landscape of healthcare was changing from fee-for-service reimbursement to the value-based care model. She wanted to be a part of this movement and help patients improve their quality of life and reduce physician burnout simultaneously, and that's why she co-founded Core Care Rx.

We know pharmacists' skill sets provide the opportunity to wear many hats and the potential to work in several different industries and roles. Outside of our traditional roles, pharmacists provide value in a wide range of different industries and organizations — including federal agencies. The government employs pharmacists in several different agencies including Indian Health Services, Food and Drug Administration, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But if you're a pharmacist who has historically worked in a traditional setting, you might be wondering how one finds a role at one of these agencies. One pharmacist decided to step away from community pharmacy to pursue a different career path after 3 years in retail.  CDR  Jennifer N. Lind is a Pharmacist and Epidemiologist in Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Medication Safety Program and a Commander in the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. CDR Lind received her PharmD from Florida A&M University in 2007 and Master of Public Health from Georgia State University in 2012. After receiving her MPH, she completed a two-year fellowship as an Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) officer in CDC's National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, making her the 7th pharmacist overall and 2nd female pharmacist to complete this program.Following EIS, she worked in CDC's Birth Defects Branch and eventually became the Lead Scientist for CDC's Treating for Two initiative. CDR Lind's current work in CDC's Medication Safety Program focuses on reducing harms from the use of medications by tracking adverse drug events nationally and using these data to improve medication safety through targeted, collaborative interventions.

The pharmacy profession is one of the few professions dominated by women. More than ⅔ of pharmacists today are female. Despite the majority, there are still pay gaps, limitations in leadership, and obstacles that women face in the profession.  What's it truly like being a woman in pharmacy? March is Women's History Month, so we're speaking with one of the biggest champions for women pharmacists in the profession to share her story, the challenges she faced, and how non-female pharmacists can better support their colleagues.Dr. Suzanne Soliman started the Pharmacist Mom Group, the largest organization of women pharmacists in the United States, in 2017. Today, there are 35,000 members and 85,000 followers across social media. Suzanne, a mother of 5, was searching for a community to discuss mom-related topics after she missed one of her son's sports games because of work.  When she couldn't find one, she decided to create her own. Suzanne has worked in clinical pharmacy, industry, and academia. She's actively supporting and advocating for women and the pharmacy profession.

You made it! After all of the hard work over the last 4 years in pharmacy school, residency applications, and interviews, you've made it. You're just months away from graduating with your Doctorate. I hope you know that that is a huge milestone in itself. Now, you're ready to start your post-graduate training, hoping to match with your first choice. But through this process and throughout your career, you'll be presented with different opportunities - they may be for what you've envisioned for yourself professionally, or for something entirely different, new, and exciting. Perhaps you've matched with your first choice in Phase 1, a new opportunity in Phase 2, or you didn't match at all. And it may seem like this first step in your career is make it or break it, but rest assured, that is not the case.For one pharmacist, this process gave her a chance to pursue a path that was different from what she originally envisioned, but has resulted in an amazing opportunity that she never would have encountered.Dr. Madeline Acquilano was a top student at her school of pharmacy. She felt she did everything she needed to land her top residency program. When she didn't match in Phase 1, she was surprised and upset. She's now a Clinical Pharmacist at Hartford Hospital where she truly enjoys her job.Whether you're a pharmacy student or pharmacist know that rejection is redirection! It may lead you to a residency you didn't apply to before, a job you didn't know existed, or down a career path you hadn't fully explored. Dr. Madeline Acquilano  from The Luxe Pharmacist reminds you that there isn't a single path to success and through it all, you'll find what's meant for you!

Kaiser Family Foundation found that 4 in 10 adults in the U.S. today have symptoms of anxiety or depressive disorder. This is an increase since 2019 when it was 1 in 10.  The impact of the pandemic is increasingly affecting mental health negatively. COVID-19 has created new barriers for those already suffering and has impacted many more people.Pharmacists are one of the few healthcare professionals who have remained in person or “in-office” and given that accessibility, we're uniquely positioned to recognize or help firsthand.  As pharmacists, how can we identify and talk to those patients? How can we support and help our patients who are suffering, and how do we also help ourselves?In this episode, I'm joined by Dr. Monica Krishnan, PharmD. She is a community pharmacist at Walmart Pharmacy, serving her fourth year there. She completed her residency training at  UPenn Medical Center and is the host of the Pharmacists Focused on Mental Health Podcast.Disclaimer: All views expressed  on the show are solely those of the individuals involved and do not necessarily represent those of GoodRx, its employees, or any other employers.

There's no doubt that COVID-19 has burdened the healthcare industry, brought to light how fragmented and broken the system is, and that all hands are on deck here. Pharmacists have been called to action by the federal government to administer COVID-19 vaccines across the nation. While exciting to get recognition and to be leading such an important task, how has this changed how we practice or what we do now, but also moving forward? Pharmacists in all industries have had to make changes, adapt, and pivot. In this episode, Nabila chats with digital health subject matter expert, Dr. Tim Aungst, who shares his view on virtual services, changes to brick and mortar pharmacies, and more.Dr. Ronny Rahman is a community pharmacist in Los Angeles sharing his views on what it's like to have technicians vaccinating, the role of a pharmacist from patients' point of view, and what he sees changing in the next coming years.Lastly, Dr. Maurice Shaw was featured in the New York Times  recently for being inundated with job offers. His hopes are that the changes brought on by the pandemic accelerate provider status for pharmacists and move the profession forward.Disclaimer: All views expressed on the show are solely those of the individuals involved and do not necessarily represent those of GoodRx, its employees, or any other employers.

We have the vaccine, yet not enough people want it. How do we reassure our patients that no shortcuts were taken in the making of the vaccine? Pharmacists, as we know, are uniquely positioned for the rollout of the vaccine and will be a large part of this initiative. How can pharmacists answer concerns from patients and ensure that they're able to get through the patients they see every day? Public health expert and pharmacist, Dr. Christina Madison, shares how to confront misconceptions and get through to your patients.Dr. Madison shares her techniques and experience at several vaccination clinics across Las Vegas, Nevada, and what she's learned from chatting with hundreds of patients about the COVID-19 vaccine. How do you answer your patient's question about long-term side effects? How do you break down the medical jargon and explain the intricacies of the technology in the vaccine? She herself has gotten the vaccine and uses her own anecdotes to get through to her patients.Dr. Ismail asks Dr. Madison the questions that every pharmacist is grappling with at the vaccine rollout. Don't miss this informative episode on how to address your patient's concerns about the COVID-19 vaccine in your pharmacy.Disclaimer: All views expressed on the show are solely those of the individuals involved and do not necessarily represent those of GoodRx, its employees, or any other employers.