Talk to Your Pharmacist

In this episode, our guest is Lewis Bender, Chairman, and CEO, of Intensity Therapeutics’ Founder which is a late-stage clinical biotechnology company whose mission is to help patients live longer, higher quality lives by discovering, developing, and commercializing first-in-class cancer drugs that attenuate tumors with minimal side effects, while training the patient’s immune system to fight the cancer.  The Company’s lead product candidate, INT230-6, is currently in human clinical studies to treat refractory solid tumors.

Talking points:
Milestone Achievement: "Congratulations on dosing the first patient in the INVINCIBLE-4 Phase 2 clinical trial for triple...

In this episode, our guest is Tom Campbell, the Dean and Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice at Lipscomb University College of Pharmacy in Nashville. Dr. Campbell received his Pharm.D. degree from the University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy and received board certification in pharmacotherapy in 1995. His prior work experience includes a pharmacy practice residency with VA Medical Center in Memphis, Columbus Regional Health System in Columbus, Georgia, and Sanofi Pharmaceuticals. He also served as Clinical Assistant Professor at Auburn University. Dr. Campbell has served as President of the Tennessee Pharmacists Association and served on the Board of Directors...

In this episode, our guest is Arielle Miliambro, a Partner specializing in regulatory and transactional law within the Healthcare & Life Sciences departments. She assists clients with legal issues related to telehealth, data privacy, value-based care, and fraud compliance. She offers counsel on regulations like the Anti-Kickback Statute and prepares requests for OIG Advisory Opinions.

Arielle also guides stakeholders in telehealth and digital health models on fraud, corporate practice, and virtual care requirements. Additionally, she advises clients on data security and privacy issues, including HIPAA compliance and data breach response. She works with providers to...

In this episode, Our guest is MARC RYAN, who has extensive leadership experience across the healthcare industry. Most recently, he was a founding executive and President of MedHOK (MHK, acquired by Hearst Health). He has launched and operated multiple health plans. Marc served in senior policy roles in state and federal government, including as state management secretary of Connecticut and helping build Medicare Part D’s relationship with state drug assistance programs in 2006. He created Connecticut’s Medicaid and children’s health managed care programs and its long-term care continuum. Marc is the author of The Healthcare Labyrinth: A Guide...

In this episode, our guest is Laurie Lee Smith, who is the CEO of Laurie Lee Leadership and a seasoned executive coach with over three

decades of healthcare expertise, certified by the International Coaching Federation (ICF). Laurie’s international coaching and leadership engagements have spanned continents, including North America, the Middle East, Europe, and Asia, with a focus on enhancing the influence of healthcare leadership on a global scale. Her coaching philosophy is anchored in the cultivation of high-trust leaders who support teams capable of achieving peak interdependence. Laurie holds a Master of Science in Nursing Administration fr...

In this episode, our guest, Tamar (Tay-mar) Thompson with us, the Head of Corporate Affairs at Alexion, AstraZeneca Rare Disease. With over 20 years of experience in healthcare, Tamar leads global corporate efforts in policy and advocacy. She recently has been showcasing Alexion’s new short film, Rare Connections in NMOSD where she underscores the need to raise awareness of NMOSD, a rare neurological disease, to help reduce the time to diagnosis and advance care. A dedicated advocate for health equity, Tamar continues to highlight the unmet needs of the rare disease community.

Topics

Talk to Your Pharmacist Podcast Interview - Danielle Vizcaino and Hillary Blackburn

Danielle Vizcaino, President and CEO of The Assistance Fund (TAF), discussed the organization's role in providing financial assistance to patients facing high medical out-of-pocket costs. TAF, founded in 2009, has helped over 190,000 people, including 40,070 in 2023, with nearly 100 disease-specific programs. Vizcaino highlighted the importance of patient referrals and the unique features of TAF, such as year-long assistance and no cap on annual assistance. She emphasized the need for continued support and awareness, especially for rare diseases like Duchenne muscular dystrophy and hypophosphatasia. Vizcaino also shared her journey...

In this episode, our guest is Dr. Brian Clyne who is a Professor of Emergency Medicine at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University

where he has served in numerous clinical, educational, and administrative leadership roles over the past 20 years. As Vice Chair for Education at ACT Leadership, Dr. Clyne develops and supports programs across the continuum of learners from undergraduates to faculty. In addition to medical education, Dr. Clyne’s areas of interest include career development and physician leadership. He founded and directed Leadership in Healthcare, a master’s level course for Alpert Medical School students. He i...

In this episode, Our guest, Martha M. Rumore, PharmD, Esq, MS, LLM, FAPhA is a pharmacist-attorney in Frier Levitt’s Life Sciences Department. Her practice focuses on healthcare law; Food, Drug Cosmetic law; pharmacy law and regulatory issues; PBM issues; as well as pharmaceutical and medical device intellectual property including trademark, copyright, trade secret and all aspects of patent law (due diligence, prosecution, opinion work, litigation, and transactional matters). Dr. Rumore has over 15 years of law firm experience in the area of Food, Drug & Cosmetic Law and pharmaceutical intellectual property, counseling on early market opportunities for pharmaceutical clients particularly in...

In this episode, our guest is Kyle Turner, who is an Associate Professor (Clinical) at the University of Utah College of Pharmacy and a clinical pharmacist at the Midvale Clinic. He earned his PharmD degree at the University of Utah College of Pharmacy and then completed the Pharmaceutical Care Leadership Residency at the University of Minnesota. Currently, he is directing the Utah Pharmacist Payer Provider Patient (UP4) Alliance dedicated to creating partnership between health care stakeholders to improve outcomes, lower cost and improve the patient experience. His scholarly and teaching interests center on fostering leadership, interprofessional education, team-based practice...

In this episode, our guest is Sarah Arington Leach, who currently serves as VP of Strategic Commercialization at Prasco. Her primary objective is to provide pharmaceutical manufacturers with solutions that break down barriers of entry and create access for needed and innovative therapies for patients and caregivers. Prior to Prasco, she worked at OhioHealth implementing 340B and Own-Use programs. Her passion was ignited for serving patients during her time spent in both the inpatient and ambulatory pharmacy settings. She is the granddaughter of Prasco’s Founder & Chairman, E. Thomas Arington and the daughter of Christopher H. Arington, the company’s Vi...

In this episode, our guest is Patrick Alonso,  a licensed pharmacist and host of the Men's Health Unscripted podcast, isn't your typical healthcare expert. He works as an advocate for men’s health similar to how a financial advisor works as an advocate for monetary gains.

Patrick was recently interviewed on WFTS ABC News for his work with Your Tampa Healthcare Advocate, where he helps men and women navigate the complex healthcare system to achieve concrete health improvements through a holistic approach. His track record of reducing medications and improving A1c levels in diabetic patients speaks vol...

In this episode, our guest is James Wong, a pharmacist and founder of NiHowdy, pioneered the first platform offering customers drug rebates in Bitcoin on prescription refills. With experience in owning and operating pharmacies and skilled nursing facilities, he's a proud University of the Pacific graduate. Advocating blood donation, he highlights its potential to save lives, with each donation potentially aiding up to three individuals. Additionally, he emphasizes the personal benefits, citing a 50% reduction in cardiovascular incident risk and lowered cancer risk. Clearly passionate about Bitcoin and freedom technology, James is a staunch advocate.  

Interview topics 

In this episode, we have two guests:

Harini Bupathi

Harini's practice focuses on counseling several different types of pharmacy providers on their relationships with PBMs and other similar payors. She advises clients in a wide range of PBM-related matters including network access, audits, termination, wrongful recoupment actions, and fraud, waste, and abuse investigations. Harini utilizes her knowledge and experience to counsel on strategies and best practices to avoid any adverse action from payors and PBMs. 

Lucas Morgan

Lucas is a skilled and assertive litigator in Frier Levitt’s Healthcare and Life Sci...

In this episode, our guest is Lisa Blue MHI, BSN, RN. Lisa is the Chief Clinical Innovation Officer with Providertech, which offers technology

solutions to address the complexity of scaling patient engagement while improving operational efficiencies. She is an enthusiastic population health leader who believes that doing healthcare differently, and better, is possible. She is a registered nurse with clinical experience from acute

care to FQHCs, giving her the ability to effectively translate and enhance healthcare workflows. She earned her Diploma of Nursing from St Elizabeth Hospital Medical Center in Ohio, her Bachelor of Science...

In this episode, we hear about DR. JAMES CIMA’s journey to becoming a Doctor of Chiropractic started when he suffered a back injury at the age of 15 and spent years enduring back pain. When he graduated from Cornell University with a Bachelor of

Science, someone suggested he visit a chiropractor. The combination of being amazed by the results and his desire to be in the health field, he decided to enroll at New York Chiropractic College, graduating with honors and a Doctor of Chiropractic degree. When he was in his last year of school, he saw a...

In this episode, we hear from two guests sharing how a new discount works at the pharmacy to help lower prescription prices.
Margie Hocker, Pharmacy Manager and Certified Pharmacy Technician at Kerrville Drug Co. has been at the pharmacy for almost 30 years. She started working there out of high school delivering prescriptions. When it became a requirement that pharmacy technicians had to be certified, she studied on her own and passed the certification. Margie is deeply dedicated to Kerrville Drug Co and keeping it, as well as other independent pharmacies’, doors open.

Miranda Ro...

In this episode, our guest is Colin Banas, MD, MSHA, Chief Medical Officer, DrFirst. Colin Banas is an Internal Medicine Hospitalist and the former Chief Medical Information Officer for VCU Health System in Richmond, VA prior to stepping down after 15 fulfilling years to pursue consulting. He is proud to have testified before the U.S. Senate and the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) on the topic of Health IT and the Meaningful Use Program and is a former Health IT Fellow for the ONC. His interests center the role of big-data and analytics on patient outcomes and on...

In this episode, our guest Rosalie Audoin is CEO & Founder of FuturEdge Group. Rosalie Audoin is a trusted executive coach and senior leadership consultant, focusing on developing leaders within cross-cultural teams. She has spoken on many stages to help companies unlock their global team's full potential. Rosalie also coaches on three executive leadership programmes at the London School of Economics and has worked with leaders at Gallagher, Sony, Santander, Harper Collins, and Unicef, amongst others. As the CEO of FuturEdge Group, Rosalie assembled an international team of highly skilled leadership development experts; together, they have helped countless companies achieve...

In this episode, our guest, Julia Regan, co-founder and CEO of RxLightning, has over 15 years of experience delivering innovative healthcare solutions that disrupt the status quo and remove friction for patients, providers, payers, and pharmaceutical manufacturers. She has been at the forefront of some of the most transformational initiatives in the industry, including the development of real-time benefit check technologies and state-of-the-art tools that streamline medication onboarding. Julia has been recognized with numerous local, regional, and international awards, including being named a winner of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year in the East Central region. Since incorporating RxLightning, Julia...

In this episode, our guest is Dr. Dan Blumenthal. Dr. Blumenthal received his MD and MBA degrees from Harvard Medical School and Harvard Business School and trained in internal medicine and cardiology at the Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Blumenthal is a past recipient of the American Heart Association’s Laennec Young Clinician Award and an accomplished health services and cardiovascular disease outcomes researcher whose previous work has focused on innovations in payment model design, quality improvement in cardiology, and leadership

development. He has published over 50 manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals. Dr. Blumenthal previously was a member of the fo...

In this episode, our guest is Dr. Natalie Park who is a pharmacist and a co-founder of Pharmesol. Pharmesol is an AI-enabled pharmacy assistant that automates frequent conversations and tasks 24/7 and scales the digital interactions between pharmacy teams and patients. Previously, Natalie conducted health economics and outcomes research at Novartis and worked on population health initiatives including medication management optimization at Geisinger Health. Natalie received her PharmD from Ohio State University and is pursuing a master’s degree in computer science at University of York.

Interview topics:

In this episode, our guest is Fady Boctor is the President and Chief Commercial Officer of Petros Pharmaceuticals. He has over 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, across a wide array of functions including brand and portfolio marketing, sales channel optimization, product portfolio strategy development and new product launches. Mr. Boctor has driven significant revenue growth for specialty biologics, mainstream Men’s Health product lines, rare/orphan disease therapeutics, and substance abuse rescue modalities. Mr. Boctor has worked for companies such as Novartis, Forest Pharmaceuticals, Auxilium Pharmaceuticals, Endo Pharmaceuticals and Adapt Pharmaceuticals (Emergent Biosolutions). Mr. Boctor has his BA...

In this episode, our guest, (Founder & CEO of Sapient) - Dr. Jain is a physician-scientist with more than 20 years of expertise in physiology, biomedicine, engineering, computational biology, and mass spectrometry-based metabolomics. He formed and managed Jain Laboratory at the University of California San Diego, where he guided a multi-disciplinary research team to develop next-generation rapid liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (rLC-MS) systems to probe the non-genetic landscape of disease across large-scale human studies.

Talking Points:

In this episode, our guest is Autumn-Kyoko Cushman, CEO, Co-Founder, who started her career as a Hospital Corpsman in the US Navy. Working in Hematology / Oncology, and Executive Medicine serving our nation’s top elected officials and their families. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology (BSIT) and has experience in management consulting, bioinformatics, and partnerships with large healthcare companies & organizations such as Deloitte, The Department of Veterans Affairs, and the National Institute of Health.

Most Recently: IBM Watson Health / Merative (Acquired by Francisco Partners) working with MarketScan to compile clinical research data for large dr...

In this episode,  our guest is Charles Gellman - a visionary leader and accomplished entrepreneur, currently serving as the CEO of HiDO Health, a cutting-edge healthcare technology company. With a deep passion for improving people’s lives through innovation, Gellman has dedicated his career to revolutionizing the healthcare industry. The Journey in healthcare began with his early exposure to the challenges faced by patients and healthcare professionals. Inspired by the potential of technology to solve these issues, he pursued a Master’s degree in Clinical Informatics, laying a solid foundation for his future endeavors.  After completing his education, Charles Gellma...

In this episode, our guest, Kyle Kiser is the CEO of Arrive Health, an industry-leading provider of data-driven insights to points of care. As a thought leader in health technology and a diligent student of the complex healthcare value chain, he has been at the forefront of some of healthcare’s most transformational initiatives.

Fully aligned with Arrive Health’s aspirational vision, Kyle champions consumer choice. He capitalizes on the regulatory tailwinds that now mandate price transparency and interoperability in pharma to simplify the complexities within the healthcare landscape, and build collaborations between healthcare orga...

In this episode, our guest is Zain Syed, PharmD, an oncology pharmacist with 10 years of experience turned product manager. He’s a health systems expert who specializes in oncology and pain management and has worked in a variety of settings including Infusion, Clinic, Inpatient, Outpatient, and Investigational Drug Services. And, he has his own newsletter and podcast called Digital Thoughts: How to create better healthtech products. Join 1000+ founders, clinicians, and executives for free.

Main points to cover: 

Zain has seen the dark side of healthcare. The lack of access, financial struggles, and people falling thr...

In this episode, our guest is David Neubauer, an Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and senior faculty of the Johns Hopkins Sleep Disorders Center.

He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, as well as a member of the Sleep Research Society, European Sleep Research Society, and the World Sleep Society, where he serves on the International Scientific Committee. He has served on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of the National Sleep Foundation.

In this episode, our guest, Dr. Thea M. Blystone is a visionary clinical consulting pharmacist dedicated to transforming the landscape of Pharmacy. With a strong belief in leaving a lasting legacy, she mentors aspiring pharmacists and spearheads initiatives that shift the focus from dispensing to clinical care. Through TM Pharmacy Consulting, LLC, Dr. Blystone empowers healthcare providers to achieve exceptional patient outcomes and embrace the future of healthcare. With a passion for advancing the practice of pharmacy, she is a catalyst for change, shaping a new era of clinical excellence within the pharmacy landscape around care management value-driven services...

In this episode, our guest is Marina Buksov, a Functional Medicine Pharmacist (PharmD), Mental Fitness & Health Coach, Herbal Educator, and lifelong learner of the Healing Arts. She is the creator of Build Your Holistic Herbal Practice course mentoring other healthcare professionals in clinical herbal as well as business skills. She is also a Functional Medicine Pharmacist as part of PharmToTable telehealth platform, and the host of the Holistic Pharmacy Podcast.

Marina guides practitioners to rediscover their passion for medicine by expanding their mind and clinical skills to include natural, holistic, alternative and herbal medicine...

In this episode, our guest, James Lott is the founder and CEO of Scripted (www.scripted.co), a Chicago-based health technology startup. James is a pharmacist and graduate of the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy. In 2020 he was recognized as Crain's Chicago Business 40 Under 40 and was a recipient of the Clinton Global Initiative Commitment to Action Award.

Topics:

Guest - James Lott, PharmD, MPP

 Founder and CEO of Scripted (www.scripted.co)

In this episode, Dr. Richard Harris is a board-certified internal medicine physician and pharmacist. Dr. Harris attended the University of Texas at Austin for pharmacy school and then pursued medical education at the McGovern School of Medicine in Houston. As a lifelong learner, Dr. Harris continues to look for ways to grow both personally and professionally, which lead him to pursue and obtain his MBA at the University of Houston. Dr. Harris's client-centric view focuses on building relationships and trust through a comprehensive lifestyle medicine system. He is the Chief Strategy Officer for Nimbus Healthcare, and is the Medical...

In this episode, our guest is Patti Mara, a renowned expert in independent pharmacy growth and business coaching. With over 20

years of experience, Patti has dedicated her career to helping owners and teams achieve remarkable

results by uncovering the “shifting point” that propels them to new levels of success. Her passion lies in

transforming the way businesses operate. Leading to enhanced customer experiences, substantial

growth, improved customer retention, and increased profitability.

As the founder of PharmacySuccess.com, Patti utilizes her unique insights and expertise to provide

coaching and...

In this episode, our guest is Dr. Jonathan Baktari, a CEO, a vaccine expert, and a physician with specialties in internal, pulmonary, and critical care medicine. With that background, Dr. Bakari has launched multiple innovative startups that leverage technology that expands and disrupts traditional markets, also focusing on growing a corporate

culture that empowers the leadership and staff to innovate.

Dr. Jonathan Baktari, MD is the CEO at both e7 Health and US Drug Test Centers and the host of Baktari MD. e7 health is a preventative health and wellness company that...

Talk to Your Pharmacist was featured as a Top 20 Pharmacy Podcasts by Feedspot https://blog.feedspot.com/pharmacist_podcasts/

In this episode, our guest is Brooke Griffin, PharmD, BCACP is a Professor of Pharmacy Practice and Vice Chair of Clinical Services at Midwestern University College of Pharmacy, Downers Grove. With over 20 years of experience in various ambulatory care clinics, she has worked on several multidisciplinary teams and precepted hundreds of students and residents. At the college she serves as a coach and mentor to several faculty and teaches part of the women’s health and professional de...

In this episode, our guest is Alex Barker with the HappyPharmD helps pharmacists create fulfilling careers and lives. For a time, he was a burned-out clinical pharmacy specialist. Now, he is the founder and head coach at TheHappyPharmD.com where alongside his team, he creates classes to help over 400 pharmacists find and create new career paths. 

We published the book Indispensable: The Prescription for a Fulfilling Pharmacy Career. His goal is to help 500 pharmacists transition into new jobs by January 1st, 2020. 

Alex Barker, helps pharmacists create fulfilling careers and lives. For a time, he was a...

In this episode, our guest Jennifer Krippner is a healthcare leader, passionate about relationships and obsessed with humanizing the experience for leaders, physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and patients/families. 

She is the Chief Experience Officer at the Institute for Healthcare Excellence and has helped transform over 70 organizations around the world since joining the IHE team in 2016.

As a former healthcare system executive, she has been able to create and build a culture of excellence, define and lead with connection and heart, and create efficiency and quality processes that improve the experience for all...

In this episode, our guest is Jerry Fu, a pharmacist and leadership coach. Getting fired was the wakeup call he needed to realize the urgency of improving himself as a leader. Once he helped facilitate a national Leader Development Seminar with PLEI in 2012, he grew confident enough in his leadership abilities to become a Pharmacist in Charge. That decision saved his career. His leadership experience opened up work opportunities he wouldn’t otherwise have been considered for. He has since founded Adapting Leaders, LLC to help others in the same way friends helped him, becoming certified through the International Co...

In this episode, our guest is Dr. Patrick Carroll, a member of the Hims & Hers board and is Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Carroll oversees all matters pertaining to provision of care, clinical outcomes, patient safety, healthcare information systems and strategic initiatives and programs to enhance the Hims & Hers care model. In addition, Dr. Carroll is instrumental in managing relationships with health systems and collaborating with the executive team in the development of new clinical programs.

Prior to joining Hims & Hers in June of 2019 Dr. Carroll was the Group Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Walgreens. Over...