Pharmacy Angle didn't have to take a trip to the North Pole to visit with this jolly fellow. Instead, the Angle's Greg Herring visited with Dana Darger, Director of Pharmacy for Monument Health Rapid City Hospital (Rapid City, South Dakota) at the Health Connect Partner's Conference. 

With a career that spans over four decades, Dana shares his insights on not only his professional journey but also his obsersations when it comes to the evolution of the role of a pharmacy director, the pharmacy's shift from a cost to a profit center, staff shortages and technician training, and much more. 

Recently, Ken Perez, Healthcare IT, marketing & policy consultant and former Vice President of Healthcare Policy and Government Affairs for Omnicell, Inc. moderated a round table conversation with three pharmacy leaders - including interestingly two sisters - who have pursued different paths during their pharmacy career journeys. 

The panel included:

Nicolle Rychlick, Director of Advisory Services at Premier, Inc.

Janelle Rychlick, Medical Science Liaison Oncology at Novartis Oncology 

Nilesh Desai, Chief Pharmacy Officer for Baptist Health System

Its our hope that their experiences and insight might provide you with valuable information when determining what is the right path for your career. 

While at the Health Connect Partner's Pharmacy Conference in Indianapolis, Pharmacy Angle had the opportunity to sit down with Urshila Shah, Executive Director of Pharmacy Services at Saint Joseph's Health in Patterson, New Jersey to get her thoughts on topics, trends, and challenges facing the industry.

Ms. Shah discusses her professional journey that led to her current position, and the evolution of focus for a pharmacy director - from primarily focused on inpatient acute care operations and expense management to now being business strategy leaders that are asked to optimize growth and bring in new revenue. Urshila also provides her thoughts staffing & drug shortages, AI and the use of technology, and much more. 

Pharmacy Angle had the opportunity to sit down with Jon Albrecht, Vice President & Chief Pharmacy Officer for Methodist Health System while at the Health Connect Partner's Pharmacy Conference in Indianapolis to get his thoughts on challenges and trends across the industry. 

Jon, based in Dallas, Texas, is responsible for thirteen hospitals, two retail pharmacies, about thirty to thirty five, clinics...all told about seventeen hundred beds. On the way to the top of his profession, Jon has seen what beinga pharmacy leader means and requires while also witnessing the roller coast that is manpower and staffing. Jon talks about the changes that are necessary to recruit pharmacy technicians in today's work force, drug shortages, and much more. 

Huntsville Hospital Health System Executive Director of System Pharmacy Services, Michael McDaniel, sat down with Pharmacy Angle at the Health Connect Partners Conference in Indianapolis to discuss his current role and the path that lead him there, and changes he's witnessed throughout his career in the operations and role of the hospital pharmacy. Michael also talks about the importance of data & benchmarking, technology that creates efficiencies and best practices, staffing challenges, and trends within the industry he's most optimistic about. 

Indiana University Health Director of Pharmacy - System Operations & Logistics, Jon Brown, MHA, DPLA, sat down with Pharmacy Angle to discuss his current role and the path that lead him there, current projects he and his team at IU are working on along with the lessons learned, and industry trends and challenges including how AI might impact the workforce and industry as a whole.