5 pharmacy leadership moves in 2026

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Two health systems tapped new chief pharmacy officers in recent months, while pharmacists elsewhere skipped past the traditional CPO track and landed in the top job.

Here are five pharmacy leadership moves Becker’s has reported on since January: 

CPO appointments

1. Greensboro N.C.-based Cone Health named Kristen Kruszewski, PharmD, system-wide chief pharmacy officer in January, filling the seat left vacant when Andre Harvin, PharmD, departed for University of Maryland Medical System’s inaugural CPO role. Dr. Kruszewski most recently led Cone Health’s pharmacy integration work with Risant Health, the nonprofit formed by Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente, focusing on procurement optimization and clinical service expansion.

2. University of Miami Health System named Nilesh Desai chief pharmacy officer in April, pulling him from Louisville Ky.-based Baptist Health, where he had served as the system’s inaugural CPO since 2020 overseeing 8 hospitals.

Pharmacists moving into the C-suite’s top job

3. Nectaria Bonner, PharmD, who most recently served as director of pharmacy at St. Catherine Hospital in East Chicago Ind., was appointed CEO of the hospital in June.

4. Carrie Adams, PharmD, was promoted from COO to president of Meritus Medical Center in Hagerstown Md. in June.

5. Shanna Stofer, PharmD, was appointed president and CEO of Mary Lanning Healthcare in Hastings Neb. in June.

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