Latest / Becker’s Healthcare Podcast / Leadership and Expanding Pharmacy’s Impact with Susan Jacob, PharmD, MBA

Transcript

Leadership and Expanding Pharmacy’s Impact with Susan Jacob, PharmD, MBA · Becker’s Healthcare Podcast

• 0:00
  This is Scott Becker with the Beckers Health
• 0:03
  Care Podcast.
• 0:04
  I I'm thrilled today to be joined by
• 0:06
  a great health care leader. We're joined today
• 0:08
  by Susan Jacob.
• 0:10
  Susan's a pharmacy leader, director of pharmacy at
• 0:13
  NYC Health and Hospitals,
• 0:15
  one of the great public health systems in
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  the country, a fantastic place.
• 0:19
  Susan, can you take a moment and and
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  tell us about yourself and your career?
• 0:24
  Sure. Absolutely.
• 0:26
  I am a pharmacist and public health leader,
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  focused on improving health outcomes at both the
• 0:32
  patient and system level.
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  My work really has centered on building safer,
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  more efficient health care systems with a strong
• 0:41
  emphasis on patient education
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  because informed patients, Scott, are empowered patients.
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  I'm also a servant leader at heart that
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  was taught to me by my, mentor, doctor
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  Vicky Powell from New York Presbyterian.
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  I believe in putting my team first and
• 0:58
  creating environments where people really feel supported, safe,
• 1:01
  valued, and able to do their best work.
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  Now over the course of my twenty one
• 1:06
  years in practice as a pharmacist, I've spent
• 1:09
  my career in large complex health systems, leading
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  initiatives around medication safety,
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  operational
• 1:16
  excellence, and access to care. And I'm really
• 1:19
  excited to share the news now that I'm
• 1:21
  now transitioning into a director of pharmacy role
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  within a safety net health system in New
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  Jersey this May,
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  where I'm especially excited to support vulnerable populations
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  and expand access to high quality equitable care.
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  And at the end of the day, I
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  don't just work in health care. I work
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  to make health care work better for everyone.
• 1:41
  Thank you. And take a moment on sort
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  of
• 1:44
  the the big trends in pharmacy,
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  whether at a a great safety net hospital
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  in New Jersey
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  or system or a great
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  public health system in New York. Talk a
• 1:56
  little bit about some of the challenges and
• 1:57
  trends that you're watching in the pharmacy area
• 2:00
  in in the ability to take care of
• 2:01
  people how you'd like to. Mhmm. Absolutely.
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  I'm really focused on expanding the role of
• 2:07
  pharmacy and public health,
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  especially in patient education,
• 2:11
  chronic disease management, and improving access for underserved
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  populations.
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  In safety net systems, we're really seeing how
• 2:20
  critical it is to address not just clinical
• 2:22
  needs, but also social determinants of health and
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  meeting patients where they are and helping them
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  navigate complex care.
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  I'm also watching the continued push towards health
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  equity and data driven care.
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  Data drives decisions, and along with workforce sustainability.
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  And as a servant leader,
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  I think a lot about how we support
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  our teams because when teams are really strong
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  and supported,
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  you see that the patient outcomes truly improve.
• 2:51
  And talk about the excitement of making a
• 2:54
  change to this new role
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  and and how excited you are about it
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  and and maybe some of your plans as
• 3:00
  you as you get going on on a
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  new role. Sure. I I mean, I'm really
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  excited about stepping into a role where I
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  can expand impact at a system level,
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  especially within a safety net environment where the
• 3:12
  need is so great and the opportunity to
• 3:15
  make a difference is even greater than what
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  I'm doing currently.
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  And over the past year, I'm really proud
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  of the work around strengthening operations,
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  improving compliance,
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  and supporting teams through change.
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  And I've been really intentional about building a
• 3:30
  culture where people feel safe, supported, and heard,
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  and I plan to do that in my
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  new, role.
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  And I've also focused on reinforcing patient education,
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  like helping patients better understand their medications and
• 3:43
  care plans, which directly improves adherence and outcomes.
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  And for me, success, whether I'm in New
• 3:50
  York or New Jersey or anywhere in the
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  country, is when both patients and teams are
• 3:55
  set up to succeed,
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  especially in these underserved communities that need it
• 3:59
  the most.
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  Thank you very, very much. And when when
• 4:03
  you look at sort of Susan, you've had
• 4:05
  this great career,
• 4:07
  great leadership.
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  Take a second on what advice
• 4:11
  that you would give to emerging leaders. What
• 4:13
  what do you tell emerging leaders
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  about building impactful careers?
• 4:18
  Absolutely. And, you know, my story is a
• 4:20
  little different. I am an immigrant.
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  You know, my parents were union workers, and
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  I'm one of the first people to go
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  to college and get a doctoral degree in
• 4:30
  my family. And
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  my biggest advice that I got from my
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  parents and even myself is to really lead
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  with service. Like, you know, be proud of
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  who you are, but always stay humble.
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  Especially in public health and safety net systems,
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  this work is truly bigger than any one
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  person. It's about impact. Right?
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  So you have to put your teams first.
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  When your teams feel supported and empowered, they
• 4:54
  deliver better care. And as a leader, you
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  are nothing without your team. Always advocate for
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  your teams, and it's not an I in
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  a leadership, but it's a we. And stay
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  connected to your purpose, like, whether it's patient
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  education, improving access, or advancing equity.
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  That purpose is what's gonna guide you through
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  your challenges. And don't be afraid to grow
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  into the next level. Like, leadership, it's not
• 5:18
  about having all the answers.
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  It's about creating space for others to thrive
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  and making decisions that improve outcomes for entire
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  communities. And at the end of the day,
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  I'm passionate about creating innovative care models and
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  supporting pharmacy teams to practice at the top
• 5:34
  of their licenses because that's how we truly
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  improve patient care.
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  Mhmm. Thank you. And I and I and
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  I love that.
• 5:42
  And just fantastic. Susan, what a great career.
• 5:45
  Congratulations
• 5:46
  on your new role. We're so excited for
• 5:48
  you, and and I know you do a
• 5:50
  lot of public speaking. It is clear why.
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  You're just fantastic
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  as as a speaker and a person. I
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  I wanna thank you for taking the time
• 5:58
  with us today on the Becker's Healthcare podcast.
• 6:00
  What a great pleasure to visit with you,
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  and what a fantastic leadership career. Thank you
• 6:04
  so much, Scott. I've seen your growth over
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  the years, and I'm just in awe of
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  your success,
• 6:10
  how successful Becker's was. I actually attended
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  one of the very first Becker's health care
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  conferences years ago, and, you know, I'm just
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  so grateful for this opportunity
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  and to just touch base and see all
• 6:22
  of your, successes as well. And, you know,
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  really looking forward to working with you guys
• 6:27
  in the future as well. Well, we're we're
• 6:29
  thrilled to be on with you, and we
• 6:30
  hope to get you out speaking at our
• 6:32
  chief pharmacy officer summit in the near future.
• 6:35
  Susan, you are fantastic. Thank you so much
• 6:37
  for taking the time. Have a great day.