The Kennedy Pharmacy Innovation Center hosts an annual Pharmacy Innovation Career
Summit to introduce students to innovative ways of practicing pharmacy and connect
them with professionals in non-traditional career pathways.
About
Given the ever-changing health care landscape and job market, it is important to consider
and be aware of new and innovative ways to practice in the field. The annual KPIC
Pharmacy Innovation Career Summit is for students and young professionals interested
in pursuing a non-traditional career pathway in pharmacy.
During this half-day event, participants have the opportunity to connect with pharmacists
who share their unique story and ways they have utilized their pharmacy degree. Through
this forum, participants gain exposure to new ideas and make connections for pursuing
similar career opportunities in the future.
Saturday, October 7, 2023 Virtual Event (Zoom) 9:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. EST
Open to students, young professionals and pharmacists interested in non-traditional
career pathways. (3 Career Mentor credits for USC students)
Anne Lord Bailey, Pharm.D., BCPS
Dr. Anne Lord Bailey is Director for Clinical Tech Innovation and Immersive Technology
Lead for the US Department of Veterans Affairs. She graduated from the University
of South Carolina College of Pharmacy and completed a pharmacy residency at Western
North Carolina VA Healthcare System in Asheville, NC.
In 2020, Dr. Bailey joined the VA’s Office of Healthcare Innovation and Learning Team
team to lead implementation of emerging technology. In 2021, she became lead for Immersive
Technology, establishing VA Immersive as a collaborative program. She has worked with
experts and thought leaders in government, academia, and industry, while co-leading
the expansion of the VHA Extended Reality Network from the founding five facilities
to over 160, engaging more than 1,900 VA employees. In 2023, she was named a Top 12
Finalist for the Service to America Medal People’s Choice Award.
Alexis Caronis, Pharm.D., CPHQ
Dr. Alexis Caronis is the Associate Director of Drug Safety at Leaderboard Branding,
a Fingerpaint Company, where she focuses on both regulatory affairs pertaining to
proprietary names, nonproprietary names, package and label requirements, and project
management.
Dr. Caronis is a 2021 graduate from the University of South Carolina College of Pharmacy.
As a student, she completed internships with Nephron Pharmaceuticals in their 503B
compounding facility and Leaderboard Branding. Upon graduation, she completed an Executive
Fellowship at the Pharmacy Quality Alliance in Alexandria, Virginia, where she focused
on health care quality and health equity initiatives.
Jonathan Hui, Pharm.D., BSPS
Dr. Jonathan Hui is a Global Clinical Supply Chain Planning Manager with Takeda Pharmaceuticals.
In this role, he is responsible for the strategic planning and execution of investigational
product plans for clinical trials. He has experience across a multitude of different
therapeutic areas from phase I through commercialization.
Prior to joining Takeda, Dr. Hui completed a two-year Postdoctoral Pharmacy Fellowship
with Pfizer Inc. in affiliation with the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy (MCPHS)
in Clinical Supply Strategy and Management. He received his Pharm.D. from the University
of South Carolina College of Pharmacy.
Regina McQueen, Pharm.D.
Dr. Regina McQueen is a Certified Specialist in Poison Information at Palmetto Poison
Center, one of only 55 accredited poison centers in the US and the only poison center
for South Carolina. The Palmetto Poison Center serves all 46 counties in the state
and receives over 31,000 calls per year for treatment information on exposures to
poisonous, hazardous, or toxic materials.
She received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of South Carolina College
of Pharmacy. Dr. McQueen has been working in the field of pharmacy in various roles
for almost 20 years.
Christian J. VonDrehle
Christian VonDrehle is the National Director of Franchise Sales for VitalCare, working
with aspiring entrepreneurs as they look to develop an infusion pharmacy. He has over
15 years of sales leadership and business development experience within the infusion
and specialty pharmacy space.
The franchise sales team serves as a resource for candidates to understand the business
of infusion pharmacy and explore the opportunity of franchise ownership. During his
tenure, he has identified over 125+ franchise owners and helped develop Vital Care
Infusion Services into an industry leading brand in the country.
Tyler D. Wagner, Pharm.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Tyler Wagner is the Associate Director of Research at the National Pharmaceutical
Council, where he leads and contributes to research on health policy issues and the
value of medicines.
He is an alumnus of the University of South Carolina College of Pharmacy and holds
a Ph.D. from Virginia Commonwealth University in Pharmaceutical Sciences with a concentration
in Pharmacoeconomics and Health Outcomes.
Past Career Summit Speakers
Cody Clifton, Pharm.D.
Cody Clifton is the director of Practice Transformation and Clinical Programs at CPESN
Networks. He is passionate about leveraging the value of community-based pharmacies.
In his role with CPESN® USA, he leads pharmacy practice transformation initiatives
and national payer program implementation within Flip the Pharmacy and CPESN USA.
Donald Ellis, Pharm.D., MBA
Donald Ellis retired as a managing director in investment banking. He practiced clinical
pharmacy for 10 years at Kaiser Permanente and VAMC before completing an MBA and transitioning
to a >25-year career on Wall Street. Donald worked at various New York and San Francisco
based investment banks as a partner and managing director conducting investment research
targeting biotechnology and pharma public and private companies.
Ranarda Jones, Pharm.D.
Ranarda Jones is a true entrepreneur with having over eight established businesses
under her belt. She is the founder and CEO of the pharmacy benefits management consulting
company Pharmacy Synergistics (PSyn, Inc.) She has over two decades of pharmacy practice
experience and is an expert in pharmacy benefit management services.
Brenden O’Hara, R.Ph., BCACP
Brenden O'Hara works in Provider Engagement Pharmacy Initiatives for BlueCross/Blue
Shield North Carolina. He works with Blue Cross NC in value-based relationships with
major health systems and provider groups. He helps them achieve quality and cost of
care improvements in their mutual patients. He has worked with PQA on AMM Technical
Expert Panel, Measure Update Panel, and presented at their annual meeting in 2021
and 2022.
Chloe LeBegue-Polley, Pharm.D.
Chloe LeBegue-Polley is an investigational drug service pharmacist with an oncology
focus at University of Virginia Health Systems. In this role, Chloe assists physician
investigators in conducting Phase 1, Phase 2, and Phase 3 clinical trials of novel
oncology agents. In pharmacy school, she was involved in live biotherapeutic research
which yielded a US patent and was presented at an international pharmabiotic industry
conference.
Elizabeth A. Van Dyke, Pharm.D., R.Ph.
Liz Van Dyke is a senior drug information specialist in the Brandsymbol Regulatory
Division. She joined SafeMark Regulatory Consulting (SafeMark) in 2016, where she
evaluated proposed proprietary names for pharmaceutical products being considered
for regulatory approval by global agencies. In September 2022, SafeMark merged with
Brandsymbol to become their new regulatory division.
Amanda Isac, Pharm.D., MPH
Amanda Isac serves as a pharmacist for the Injury and Violence Prevention Branch at
the North Carolina Division of Public Health. She received her Doctor of Pharmacy
and Master of Public Health degrees from the University of South Carolina and completed
a postgraduate community pharmacy residency with the University of Georgia and Barney's
Pharmacy.
Nimit Jindal, Pharm.D.
Nimit Jindal is the current American College of Clinical Pharmacy – American Society
of Health System Pharmacy – Virginia Commonwealth University Congressional Health
Care Policy Fellow. His current placement is with the U.S. Senate Health, Education,
Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee.
Samuel C. McCallum, Pharm.D., MHIT
Sam McCallum is an Associate Director of Clinical Safety at Genentech, Inc., where
he leads and contributes to global pharmacovigilance, regulatory, and clinical development
activities in the company's oncology portfolio. Sam is an alumnus of the South Carolina
College of Pharmacy and also holds a Master of Health Information Technology degree
from the University of South Carolina.
Mark Pilkington, M.S., R.Ph.
Mark Pilkington is Vice President of Managed Care for AmerisourceBergen, where he
oversees AmerisourceBergen’s Pharmacy Benefit Administrator programs. Mark received
a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from the University of Illinois at Chicago, College
of Pharmacy and a Master of Science in Pharmacy Administration for the University
of Illinois at Chicago, Graduate College.
Sally Rafie, Pharm.D.
Sally Rafie is a pharmacy specialist at UC San Diego Health, assistant clinical professor
at UC San Diego Skaggs School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, and founder at
Birth Control Pharmacist. She provides contraception care in her private practice,
The Pharmacists Clinic, presently and has provided clinical services in a variety
of other practice settings. The scope of her work ranges from advocacy to implementation
to research and focuses on increasing access to reproductive health services and products,
particularly in pharmacies and via pharmacists.
Helen Sairany, Pharm.D., MBA
Helen Sairany is the CEO of the South Carolina Pharmacy Association and former Director
of Content Development and Partnership at the American Pharmacist Association. She
has 11 years of serving the profession as a Director of Content Development and Partnership
at the American Pharmacists Association (APhA), Director of Quality Assurance at the
University of Duhok College of Pharmacy, and as a trauma-informed provider serving
the needs of underserved communities at the frontline in Northern Iraq.
If you are a non-traditional pharmacy professional interested in speaking at our next
Career Summit, please contact Pamela Hite.
Challenge the conventional. Create the exceptional. No Limits.
