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Talk to Your Pharmacist is a podcast for pharmacists, student pharmacists, and others across the country to hear from industry leaders about their leadership stories and current healthcare topics. The Talk to Your Pharmacist podcast was founded and hosted by pharmacist, Dr. Hillary Blackburn.
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 from the University of Mary and a Bachelor’s degree in Nursing from the University of Alaska, Anchorage. She also holds a Green Belt certification in LEAN Six Sigma, a certificate in Brain-Based Coaching, and Board Certification through the ANCC in advanced Nursing Administration. Laurie received her formal training in executive coaching at the Hudson Institute of Coaching and is currently working toward a PhD in Industrial/Organizational Psychology.
Main points:
Guest - Laurie Lee Smith
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/laurie-lee-smith
Website: www.laurieleeleadership.com
Host - Hillary Blackburn, PharmD, MBA
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
• Bridging the Gap: Confronting the Diagnostic and Care Challenges in Rare Diseases
• Left Behind: Addressing Health Equity for the Rare Disease Community
• Global Voices: How Alexion Shapes Policy to Transform Rare Disease Care
• Driven by Purpose: Alexion’s Journey to Champion Rare Disease Advocacy
Guest - Tamar Thompson
LinkedIn:
- https://www.linkedin.com/company/alexion-pharmaceuticals/
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamarthompson/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlexionPharmaceuticalsInc/
Twitter/X: https://x.com/alexionpharma?lang=e
YouTube
Host - Hillary Blackburn, PharmD, MBA
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 from molecular biology to healthcare administration and her commitment to improving healthcare accessibility.
Introduction and Background of Danielle Vizcaino
Overview of The Assistance Fund (TAF)
Details About The Assistance Fund (TAF)
Danielle Vizcaino's Career Path and TAF's Mission
TAF's Role and Impact in the Healthcare Ecosystem
Common Diseases and TAF's Support
Founding Story and Funding of TAF
Advice for Aspiring Leaders and Pharmacists
Conclusion and Closing Remarks
Guest - Danielle Vizcaino
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AssistanceFund
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theassistancefund/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-assistance-fund/
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@theassistancefund
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-rJY98PFtKyMCBpdYpzDEQ
Website: https://tafcares.org/
Host - Hillary Blackburn, PharmD, MBA
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 is a
graduate of the Brown University Executive Master’s in Healthcare Leadership program and the ACT
Leadership and Performance Coaching Certificate program. His coaching practice is focused on mid-career healthcare professionals seeking to expand their leadership capabilities to make a lasting impact.
Talk to Your Pharmacist Podcast Interview - Dr. Brian Cyne and Hillary Blackburn
Hillary Blackburn and Brian Clyne discussed their experiences in healthcare leadership and career development, emphasizing the importance of transferable knowledge and skills, navigating career transitions, and addressing burnout. They also discussed the role of coaching in healthcare leadership development, highlighting the need for practical leadership skills beyond clinical expertise and the importance of selecting the right coach with industry background or experience in healthcare-related fields. Both speakers emphasized the transformative impact of coaching on personal and professional growth.
Leadership and healthcare with Dr. Brian Clyne.
Leadership development and coaching in healthcare.
Leadership development and coaching.
Coaching in healthcare, burnout, leadership, and career development.
Burnout and career development in healthcare.
Guest - Brian Clyne, MD
Host - Hillary Blackburn, PharmD, MBA
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 the area of ANDA and 510K applications and all facets of Paragraph IV litigation.
Dr. Rumore has also worked in Drug Regulatory Affairs in the pharmaceutical industry and hospital pharmacy, both at the Director level. She taught Pharmacy Law and Drug Regulatory Affairs at Arnold & Marie Schwartz College of Pharmacy and Touro College of Pharmacy for close to 20 years and currently teaches Food, Drug & Cosmetic Law at Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University.
She is a frequent lecturer and has over 200 publications and presentations. Additionally, Dr. Rumore is a Fellow and former Trustee of the American Pharmacists Association, a former Board member of the American Society for Pharmacy Law and the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education and is a three-time recipient of the Larry Simonsmeier Legal Writing Award.
This in-depth discussion on the current regulatory landscape for compounding pharmacies will look at:
Guest - Martha RumoreSenior Counsel
mrumore@frierlevitt.com
646.970.3226
Host - Hillary Blackburn, PharmD, MBA
@HillBlackburn Twitter
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★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 development, and health care innovation.
He is also a consultant and national trainer for Intend Health Strategies, a non-profit dedicated to leadership development in the health care industry. Through Intend, Kyle shares the Relational Leadership framework with a diverse set of professionals across stages of training and practice with the goal of enhancing interprofessional teams and ultimately delivering better care. He and his wife have three active children and enjoy fun, faith and family together in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Main Points
Guest: Kyle Turner, PharmD
Host - Hillary Blackburn, PharmD, MBA
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 Vice-Chairman & CEO. Prasco is committed to honoring God and His greatest commandment summarized by the phrase “love God and love people”.
Sarah completed her undergraduate degrees in Economics and Spanish at Emory University and received her MBA from Xavier University.
Interview topics:
Guest - Sarah Arington Leach, MBA: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-arington-leach-aa2666b3/
Host - Hillary Blackburn, PharmD, MBA
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 volumes about his experience.
By educating and empowering his clients regarding their health, Patrick was able to provide support, and assistance and alleviate the burdens that many experience in the healthcare system when battling a metabolic disease. These 3 clients were able to begin reversing their diseases eventually reducing their medication burden to a point where it was no longer needed or significantly decreased dosages.
Topics to discuss --
For example, in 2023 Patrick took on clients with various health issues and difficulty navigating the system but 3 of those clients stand out the most. These clients had worsening diabetes, and even with lifestyle interventions, they struggled to control their blood sugar. Utilizing his training and expertise in the healthcare system, medications, and supplements, Patrick implemented his program which removed the individual stressors from the patient and allowed them to truly focus on their health.
-Former College Athlete: Patrick understands the physical and mental challenges men face and has experience working with CEOs to athletes.
-Holistic Approach: Patrick helps with personalized wellness coaching, mental health help, and empowering men to take control of their health journey
-The Shocking Statistics: Patrick has extensive training in medications, disease states, drug interactions, benefits, risks, and side effects of prescriptions. Helping your listeners not enter into common prescription pitfalls.
Host - Hillary Blackburn, PharmD, MBA
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
Guest - James Wong, PharmD
Host - Hillary Blackburn, PharmD, MBA
In this episode, we have two guests:
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 is a skilled and assertive litigator in Frier Levitt’s Healthcare and Life Sciences Litigation groups, where he represents healthcare and life sciences professionals in a variety of complex matters. With a focus on advocating for the rights of pharmacies and other healthcare providers, Lucas handles various types of disputes involving PBMs and also regularly navigates BOP matters in various legal issues, advising and representing clients in BOP inspections, investigations, enforcement actions, and other related matters across many jurisdictions nationwide.
Interview topics
LinkedIn: Frier Levitt | LinkedIn
Instagram: N/A
Website: Frier Levitt | LinkedIn
YouTube: Frier Levitt - YouTube
Twitter/X: (2) Frier Levitt (@FrierLevitt) / X (twitter.com)
Host - Hillary Blackburn, PharmD, MBA
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