National Pharmacist Day with Dr. Melanie Joe
Happy National Pharmacist Day! Each year, January 12th is observed as National Pharmacist Day as a celebration of the contributions of pharmacists.
Dr. Melanie Joe is the Associate Director and Founding Associate Dean for Pharmacy Professional Affairs of the UC Irvine School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences and Chief Pharmacy Officer of UCI Health.
In her role as Associate Director and Founding Associate Dean for Pharmacy Professional Affairs, Dr. Joe serves as a liaison between the UCI Medical Center and the School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences.
“I provide guidance and support related to the professional practice of pharmacy and work collaboratively with leaders to develop joint programs and ensure that these are mutually beneficial,” she explained.
As Chief Pharmacy Officer of UCI Health, she is “responsible for the strategic vision and mission for the pharmacy enterprise, which includes a Level I Trauma, 463-bed tertiary acute care hospital; four ambulatory infusion centers; three retail pharmacies, including specialty pharmacy and integrative medicine services; investigational drug services; and 92 ambulatory clinics.”
She continued, “I ensure compliance with all state and federal regulations and ensure that medications are stored, prepared, dispensed, and administered in a safe manner. In this role, I develop new pharmacy services and strategic initiatives that support the organizational mission and vision. I have fiduciary responsibility for the pharmaceutical drug budget and revenue.”
Dr. Joe chose to pursue a career in pharmacy because it gave her the opportunity to utilize her proficiency in science in a way that allowed her to help people and interact with patients.
“I like the fact that my role continues to evolve and doesn’t stay the same,” she shared. “The role of pharmacists in healthcare has expanded throughout my years in the pharmacy profession. When I became a pharmacist, new regulations required that community-based pharmacists provided patient consultation upon receipt of a new prescription. Today, pharmacists are actively involved in providing direct care and guidance to patients, including providing medication education in-person and virtually, preparing and administering vaccines, providing medication therapy management services, and helping to provide strategies for patient medication adherence.”
National Pharmacist Day gives people throughout the pharmacy industry, pharmacy and pharmaceutical science students, and patients an opportunity to learn about all aspects of being a pharmacist and challenge misconceptions they may have about the roles of pharmacists.
“When some people think of pharmacists, they only consider the person in the retail/community setting. People may not realize how versatile the pharmacy degree is and how much creativity and innovation one may use while performing a ‘pharmacist duty,’” said Dr. Joe. “There are many pharmacist roles that are ‘behind the scenes’ or lesser known, such as medication therapy management (MTM) pharmacists, pharmacist informaticists, clinical research pharmacists, and managed care/population health pharmacists.”
For aspiring pharmacists, Dr. Joe advised to “be flexible to change, have the courage to continue learning and trying new things, and be willing to take calculated risks.”
“I have always truly enjoyed my work, whether it was as a front-line clinical pharmacist in the acute setting, as a leader in the institutional or academic setting, or as an educator,” she said. “There is a lot of potential in the pharmacy profession. Opportunities are always there — the key is whether you will take the ‘risk’ and embark on an opportunity.”
Regardless of what aspect of the pharmacy industry a person is working in, the importance of pharmacists to patient care cannot be overstated.
“Pharmacists are medication experts that have an integral role,” Dr. Joe stated. “Other healthcare professionals, such as physicians and nurses, look to pharmacists to provide drug information, education, and guidance on patient medication therapy. For many patients, a pharmacist is the most accessible healthcare practitioner — often physically located within the patient’s local community. Pharmacists may provide immunizations, drug therapy adjustments based on protocols/collaborative practice agreements, or guidance to patients on health matters.”