Becker’s asked pharmacy executives from hospitals and health systems, along with academic medical centers and universities across the U.S. to share what c-suite executives need in order to thrive in the near future..
The 9 executives featured in this article are all speaking at the Becker’s Healthcare Fall Chief Pharmacy Officer Summit, from Nov. 5-6, 2025 at the Hilton Chicago.
To learn more about this event, click here.
If you would like to join as a reviewer, contact Mariah Muhammad at mmuhammad@beckershealthcare.com or agendateam@beckershealthcare.com.
As part of an ongoing series, Becker’s is talking to healthcare leaders who will speak at our conference. The following are answers from our speakers at the event.
Question: What do health system C-suites need more of to thrive in the next 5 years?
Nilesh Desai, MBA. Chief Pharmacy Officer of Baptist Health System (Louisville, Ky.): I believe that there are several key areas to focus on:
- There is a need for more robust and adaptable technology solutions. This includes implementing advanced data analytics and AI to optimize operations, improve patient outcomes, and drive efficiency.
- Fostering a culture of continuous learning and innovation is essential.
- Health systems must invest in ongoing education and development programs for their leaders and staff to keep pace with the rapid advancements in healthcare.
- Collaboration and partnership are crucial. Health systems should work more closely with other healthcare providers, payers, and technology companies to create integrated care networks that deliver better value and outcomes for patients.
Madeline Camejo, PharmD. Vice President of Pharmacy Services and Chief Pharmacy Officer at Baptist Health South Florida (Coral Gables, Fla.): To thrive over the next five years. Pharmacy C-suites must embrace a more strategic and integrated role within the health system. This means investing in digital transformation, expanding ambulatory and specialty pharmacy services, and building resilient well supported teams. Pharmacy leaders must drive revenue diversification while ensuring continuity of care across the system. Ultimately success will depend on our ability to lead beyond the pharmacy walls and shape enterprisewide strategy.
Amy Gutierrez, PharmD. Chief Pharmacy Officer of John Muir Health System (Walnut Creek, Calif.): Ambulatory pharmacy is a growing revenue driver for health systems, supporting patient outcomes and strengthening positioning in value-based payer contracts. C-suite focus on tracking, investing in, and aligning ambulatory pharmacy is essential to sustaining growth. At the same time, patient experience is a critical factor in a consumer-driven healthcare environment, directly influencing patient choice, retention, and health plan performance metrics. Leadership must also support patient experience initiatives that enhance quality scores and improve payer negotiations. Long-term success requires strategic alignment across ambulatory pharmacy, patient experience, and payer contracting to drive financial performance and competitive advantage.
Urshila Shah, PharmD. Senior Vice President and Chief Pharmacy Officer of Westchester Medical Center Health Network (Valhalla, N.Y.): To thrive in the next five years, health system C-suites must strengthen cross-functional collaboration and make data-driven decisions that unite clinical, operational, and financial goals. Building cultures of accountability, transparency, and trust will be just as critical as advancing technology or strategy. As care continues to shift beyond hospital walls, pharmacy should no longer be viewed as a support function — but as a strategic engine for quality, access, and revenue. The organizations that integrate pharmacy leadership into enterprise decision-making will be the ones that define the next era of healthcare success.
Matthew Rim, PharmD, MD. Chief Pharmacy Officer of Ambulatory Services at Northwestern Medicine (Chicago): C-suites need stronger integration between ambulatory and acute care to truly thrive. The next five years demand connected data, shared accountability, and pharmacy-led care models that bridge clinics, hospitals, and home. Success will come from aligning outcomes, access, and innovation — using real-time intelligence to guide decisions across the entire care continuum.
Martin J. Torres, PharmD. Director of Pharmacy, Quality, Safety, Education, and Research at UC Irvine Medical Center (Orange, Calif.): There really isn’t one single ingredient for success, but our calling as healthcare leaders requires us to be patient-centric in all that we do and to resist a leadership style which focuses on self-promotion and/or self-preservation. Leading with humility while letting every team member know they are valued and respected will not only drive employee satisfaction but will also deliver major returns in patient safety and patient satisfaction. This combined with a renewed commitment to the original “Triple Aim,” better care (improved quality/outcomes) , better health (population health management), and reducing costs is a proven roadmap for success. Not easy, not fancy, but since we are all future patients, a must!
Neil Gilchrist, PharmD. COO of Beth Israel Lahey Health Pharmacy (Cambridge, Mass.): Health system C-suites will need to continue to build a number of capabilities over the next five years to manage the rapidly changing healthcare environment. Some examples of these capabilities include digital and data fluency with the expansion of digital tools in the delivery of care, expansion of artificial intelligence in all aspects of operations and data management while understanding cybersecurity requirements. As the market continues to shift to digital and remote care models we will need to be focused on consumer experience maximizing access and convenience to deliver exceptional care to our patients. Partnerships driven by C-suites will be critical to build new value-based care models and expand technology capabilities and patient care programs. Finally, workforce transformation and investment in redesigning workflows to reduce burnout and navigate shortages with staffing will be required while understanding generational shifts in work preferences.
Michael Eagon, PharmD. Interim Director of Retail and Specialty Pharmacy at University of Texas Medical Branch (Galveston): Health system C-suites will need to embrace greater cross-disciplinary collaboration, innovation, and adaptability to thrive in the next five years. Pharmacy should be viewed not only as a clinical partner, but also as a powerful revenue-generating lever that can drive both patient outcomes and financial performance. By investing in pharmacy infrastructure, from specialty and infusion programs to data and medication access solutions, health systems can unlock untapped value and strengthen their long-term sustainability. Leaders who empower pharmacy to operate at the intersection of care, cost, and strategy will be best positioned to navigate future challenges and capture new opportunities across the continuum of care.
