Becker’s asked pharmacy executives from hospitals and health systems, along with academic medical centers and universities across the U.S. to share their biggest growth opportunities.
The 8 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: Where are your organization’s biggest growth opportunities over the next 2-3 years?
Mohammad Kharbat. Vice President of Pharmacy Services, Wisconsin at Ascension (St. Louis): With the exponential influx of specialty pharmaceuticals and biologics over the past several years, health systems now view pharmacy as a key patient care service line. To put things in perspective, about 70% of all drugs that were approved by the FDA since 2014 are categorized as specialty pharmaceuticals or biologics! Moreover, this category represents a large percentage of drugs in late-stage clinical trials so the trend will likely continue going forward. This presents significant growth opportunities but also poses serious challenges!
On one hand, these new regimens bring the promise of better disease management or even complete cure in some cases so much so that these treatment modalities are becoming essential in today’s medicine and if a health system does not offer them, patients will likely be referred elsewhere. On the other hand, their high cost (which can be several thousands of dollars per patient per month all the way to millions of dollars in the case of some gene therapies) can have an impact on patient access.
Because of these reasons, it is not surprising to see this area becoming a key growth service line for most health systems… establishing in-house specialty pharmacy, infusion and cell/gene programs to keep patient care integrated, improve access, boost patient care outcomes and strengthen the financial position of the health system.
Michael Eagon, PharmD. Interim Director of Retail and Specialty Pharmacy at University of Texas Medical Branch (Galveston): Over the next two to three years, our organization is strategically focused on growth opportunities that reflect both the evolving needs of our patients and the rapid transformation of pharmacy practice. One of the most promising areas is the expansion of pharmacy services in ambulatory and specialty care settings. As healthcare continues its shift toward value-based care, we see a critical opportunity to elevate the role of pharmacists as essential members of interdisciplinary teams, driving better clinical outcomes, reducing medication-related risks, and enhancing patient experience.
We’re also making significant investments in data-driven innovation. By leveraging real-time analytics, predictive modeling, and AI-enabled tools, we’re optimizing medication therapy management, improving access and affordability, and streamlining operational workflows. These technologies are helping us proactively identify gaps in care, support financial reconciliation, and implement smarter, more personalized interventions.
Ultimately, our growth strategy is anchored in clinical excellence and digital transformation, all aimed at redefining the role of pharmacy in a dynamic healthcare ecosystem and ensuring we’re positioned to lead through change.
Kelley A. Curtis, BS, PharmD, MBA. Vice President and Chief Pharmacy Officer of St. Luke’s Health System (Boise, Idaho): Over the next 2–3 years, our largest growth opportunities will come from advancing pharmacy-led services that directly impact affordability, access, and outcomes. We see significant potential in expanding metabolic health management programs, scaling retail, specialty and infusion services while focusing on convenience for our patients, further developing and aligning our pharmacy population health strategy with our key pillars (health system, health plan and health network), and leveraging centralized compounding, distribution capabilities while implementing automation at our new Consolidated Service Center. At the same time, we are investing in innovation, including AI-driven tools, to streamline operations and enhance care delivery. These combined efforts position us to strengthen financial sustainability while improving the patient experience across the continuum of care.
Dorinda Segovia, PharmD, MBA. Vice President and Chief Pharmacy Officer of Memorial Healthcare System (Hollywood, Fla.): While we continue to fiercely work on operational throughput and capacity optimization by improving patient flow, discharge efficiency, and ED boarding reduction, our system continues focusing on developing and supporting destination programs in cardiology, oncology, orthopedics, and transplant services, and expanding our ambulatory footprint with surgery centers, urgent care, and specialty outpatient sites. On the pharmacy front, we continue to develop and build infrastructure to capture the growing specialty infusion space and optimize resources through selective centralization.
Dovena Lazaridis, PharmD. Director of Pharmacy, Ambulatory and Population Health at Memorial Healthcare System (Hollywood, Fla.): At my organization, one of our biggest growth opportunities is scaling pharmacy population health programs such as our Medication Access Program, which connects vulnerable patients with philanthropic drug resources. Looming Medicaid reductions and potential exchange subsidy cuts are expected to significantly impact Florida, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. This makes our Medication Access Program more critical than ever. Last fiscal year, our Medication Access initiatives reduced uncompensated care by $16.3 million. Over the next 2–3 years, we will continue to leverage technology platforms and data-driven insights to proactively close gaps in treatment access. By doing so, we can protect patients’ access to critical medications while also creating sustainable pathways for the health system.
Arlene Johnstone. Director of Pharmacy at MarinHealth Medical Center (Kentfield, Calif.): MarinHealth’s top organizational priority has been to provide more in-demand services geographically closer to the community while embracing innovation. The enterprise is increasing presence in the outpatient and primary care markets while leveraging a strategic alliance with UCSF Health for specialized services. Reconfiguration of the existing physical structure is ongoing to meet the evolving community needs. The enterprise is working to expand our digital health capabilities and strategically implement AI.
Recently, in response to the anticipated impacts of federal policy changes under H.R. 1 – One Big Beautiful Big Act, there is now laser focus on ensuring the financial health of the organization. Leadership is taking an all hands on deck approach to tighten spending and cost cutting while striving to optimize patient care services.
Mike Wascovich, PharmD, MBA. Chief Pharmacy Officer and Vice President of Ascension (St. Louis): Every strategic growth decision that Ascension makes is rooted in our Mission and focused on improving the health of our communities. The Ascension Rx team is no different. The continued investment in our Home Delivery Pharmacy for those who qualify reflects this focus by increasing access to much-needed medicine for our patients. We are also implementing new tools and professional development training for our workforce, and incorporating new technologies to help streamline and simplify processes for our caregivers and pharmacies. We are expanding our specialty and infusion capabilities to help patients with complex, chronic conditions receive seamless, high-quality care across all sites of service. Overall, Ascension Rx is focused on growing to meet our patients where they are.
Tom Greenlee, PharmD. Senior Director of Pharmacy Services at University of Missouri Health Care (Columbia): Over the next 2–3 years, our greatest pharmacy growth opportunities are in infusion services and community pharmacy. MU Health Care is actively developing a systemwide strategy to expand infusion services in response to rising volumes and increased pressure on hospitals to reduce length of stay and prevent readmissions. Our business development team is evaluating market needs and identifying opportunities to grow infusion capacity across all sites of care.
Community pharmacy remains a strategic focus, with our 13th Mizzou Pharmacy opening in June 2025 to serve a Jefferson City neighborhood affected by a recent pharmacy closure. Looking ahead, our centralized prescription fulfillment facility, set to open in June 2026, will leverage automation to increase efficiency, scale operations, and enhance patient experience. Together, these initiatives position us to better serve our communities and support long-term organizational growth.
