What motivated you to start RxGenomix?

I have focused my career, whether at a startup or working within a Fortune 20 healthcare company on advancing both the clinical practice and the business model of pharmacy. I’ve worked to help pharmacists improve patient care in various ways while finding them channels to get reimbursed for those services. Pharmacists have so much to deliver that can improve healthcare, I knew that helping them integrate pharmacogenomics would be an ideal opportunity.

To me, pharmacists’ greatest value is getting patients on the right medications, making sure they’re using them the right way, and achieving the desired result. I want them all to go beyond just handing pills across a counter and to really participate as a healthcare provider. We just need to take their handcuffs off and RxGenomix is providing an opportunity to do just that.

What is the one thing you most hope to accomplish with RxGenomix in the next five years?

My primary goal with RxGenomix is to get pharmacogenomics widely adopted and pharmacists working with people to improve their use of medications. My goal in the next five years is to significantly improve people’s lives through more precise medication use and to have examples of this in all 50 states.

What is the most valuable thing you bring to RxGenomix and/or the pharmacy profession?

Vision and perseverance. I feel like I have the vision to see where the puck is going and come up with solutions to get there. And perseverance is a must because innovation and pioneering are tough. We are making progress in many areas (both with RxGenomix and the pharmacy profession), but it takes a lot of effort and you really cannot give up on what you know needs to happen.

Is there one book everyone should read?

Reading has significantly enhanced my leadership and career, so I would say the more the better. I really believe in the philosophy that leaders must be readers.

Two books I would suggest are How to Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill (Note: the “Rich” isn’t all about the dollars), and The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John Maxwell.

You have two weeks. Where would you go?

If I only had two weeks left on this earth, I would go wherever my family is. The further along I get in my career, the more I realize and value the relationships that I have and need to spend more time developing.

Who should play you in the movie about your life?

Well, I would love to say Clint Eastwood or Harrison Ford but, more realistically, I would say Tom Hanks. He is versatile and plays down-to-earth roles in everything from romantic comedies to adventure films.