College and Year Graduated: SIUE School of Pharmacy, Class of 2012

What is your position(s) with IPhA? Region 5 Director

Where is your practice site? Hy-Vee Pharmacy Bloomington

Tell us about your practice and any specialty areas that you have.

Hy-Vee Pharmacy is a grocery store chain pharmacy. I am very fortunate that Hy-Vee

allows our team to have some autonomy to tailor our practice to better serve our

surrounding community. We do our best to offer exceptional customer service and

model what a true retail pharmacy experience should be like. Something unique is that

we have a full time dietician on staff at our location that is now able to bill insurance for

her services.

What challenges does your practice site face?

Reimbursement from PBM’s is our greatest challenge. We also face PBM network

constraints. We have several large employer groups that are unable to use our pharmacy

for maintenance medications because of their PBM contracts.

When and how did you decide to choose pharmacy as your career?

I thought I wanted to become a pharmacist at a very early age because my uncle was a

pharmacist and I was very interested in what he did. I got my first pharmacy technician

job in 2002 which began my pharmacy journey and cemented in my mind that I truly

loved working with people and had a passion for the profession.

What, or who, has been a great influence in your career and life in general?

My aunt and uncle (the pharmacist) had a huge impact on me as I was growing up. They

pushed me intellectually and gave me the confidence that I could do whatever I wanted if

I worked hard for it.

What pearls of wisdom would you pass on to student and young pharmacists?

Imposter syndrome is a real thing but you could not have made it this far if you did not

possess the right tools to do so. You belong in this profession and we are happy to have

you!

It is ok to say “I don’t know” to a patient. We can’t possibly know everything about every

medication. It is all about how you convey yourself to the patient when you have to look

something up. They will still have confidence in you as a pharmacist even if you have to

look into an answer for them. In fact, sometimes it builds a stronger patient relationship

because you did not just blow them off. You took the time to get them an answer.

What does IPhA mean to you and your practice?

IPhA means I have an ally in the fight against PBM reform. It means I have a resource to

reach out to if I have a pharmacy law question or maybe even a general pharmacy

question. It means I have a group looking out for the best interest of my profession.

What are you involved in outside of pharmacy, ie hobbies, special interests?

I love to read, go to the movie theater for both the movies and the popcorn, go to

concerts and stage productions, and travel with my wife, friends and family.

If you could go anywhere, where would that be?

And why…

Right now the top of my list is Australia and New Zealand. I have always wanted to visit

there and see the beautiful landscapes and wildlife.