2017 Patient Care Provider of the Year Finalists

2017 Patient Care Provider of the Year Finalists

Misty C. Farr, PharmD

Pharmacy Manager

Walmart

Florissant, Missouri

GREATEST ACHIEVEMENTS

I don’t believe that I’ve done anything extraordinary. I attempt to make each patient encounter the best one they have had. I want them to leave happy and informed, to walk away from me knowing as much as they can about their condition and treatment.

SOURCE OF INSPIRATION

I grew up in Marvell, Arkansas, a small, impoverished, predominately African American town in the Lower Arkansas Delta. I watched as my grandparents were not treated well as patients, and I knew I wanted to change that. All people deserve quality health care, regardless of income, education, race, or creed.

PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY

Put yourself in the patient’s shoes. Everything we do has an impact, even if we don’t believe it does.

VISION FOR PHARMACY

I would love for us to be more valued in the medical process. Not everyone knows what a pharmacist does or recognizes the importance of our role.

Joel C. Marrs, PharmD

Associate Professor

University of Colorado Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

Aurora, Colorado

GREATEST ACHIEVEMENTS

There is nothing like the feeling I get when patients come back for a follow-up visit with me for their hypertension after they have started to monitor their blood pressure at home and have taken the initiative to increase their control over their own health. Additionally, my role as an educator has allowed me to help the next generation of pharmacists to put patients first.

SOURCE OF INSPIRATION

I entered the pharmacy profession because, as the son of a hospital pharmacist, I saw firsthand the impact pharmacists have in the hospital. My mother was a teacher, so I also witnessed the passion she had for her profession and her desire to help students achieve their best.

PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY

My personal philosophy is to always put the patient first when helping to determine the optimal plan. The key is to have respect for others while being able to deliver your message in a way that is understandable and shows the passion you have for improving the care of every patient.

VISION FOR PHARMACY

I envision pharmacy playing an even larger role in public health from a primary prevention and secondary prevention standpoint. To accomplish this vision, we will need to continue to push the advancement of pharmacy school training, increase and optimize postgraduate training, and further develop the infrastructure to provide professional development for all practicing pharmacists.

Tracy O’Donnell, RPh, BPharm, FAPhA

Clinical Programs Specialist

Ahold USA

Haymarket, Virginia

GREATEST ACHIEVEMENTS

I am most proud of not only training our community pharmacists in a variety of clinical areas, but also motivating them and giving them the skills they need to feel confident and succeed. I express my passion toward patient care and let the pharmacists know they will make a difference.

SOURCE OF INSPIRATION

I knew I wanted a math or science degree, but I also wanted to work with people. A pharmacy profession was the perfect fit to use my skills and work with patients in a community setting.

PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY

I work hard and strive to make a difference in the patient’s overall wellness. Patient care doesn’t involve just 1 health care member. Showing that you care and have an interest in your patients’ health allow you to develop a relationship with them.

VISION FOR PHARMACY

I believe that pharmacists’ roles will continue to grow and our clinical knowledge will be used even more in all settings. Our community pharmacists are becoming clinical community pharmacists and will have even more opportunities to help patients. Additionally, pharmacists will work even closer with patients to provide a complete wellness approach to health care.