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Denise Scarpelli, PharmD ’96, MBA Executive Director of Ambulatory Pharmacy and Business Development, University of Chicago Medicine Dr. Denise Scarpelli has served as the executive director of ambulatory pharmacy and business development at the University of Chicago since 2017. Previously she held many leadership roles at Walgreens, leading Pharmacy Operations in Chicago for over 20 years. Dr. Scarpelli earned a Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of Illinois Chicago College of Pharmacy in 1996 and a Master of Business Administration from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in 2021. She is currently the chair of the Illinois Board of Pharmacy and on the Dean’s Advisory Board for Midwestern College of Pharmacy. Denise has also served as the chair of the ASHP Section of Specialty Pharmacy Practitioners Section Advisory Group (SAG) on Business Development in 2020. She serves as a committee member of many ASHP groups. Scarpelli serves as the clinical leader within the actuarial organization, guiding financial initiatives related to medical and pharmacy spend across the organization and influencing the risk management of major developments in the industry, such as gene therapy and the COVID-19 vaccines. As a pharmacist, how can I best prepare to adapt to the inevitable changes in the next ten years? As I reflect on three decades of experience, pharmacy has changed dramatically. The one thing I came to learn is that change is constant, and as a pharmacist, you need to be aware of the changes, or you will not be relevant to the industry. To adapt, you need to be reading about the changes in healthcare, network with other pharmacists and healthcare providers to discuss the changes, and create strategies around how you fit or your practice fits with those changes. I have seen so many pharmacists not keep up with the changes and have been left behind due to not changing with the profession. What are you working on right now, and what have you learned from it? Currently, I am building a central fill pharmacy and a home infusion pharmacy. I have learned that no matter how much experience you have, there are always new things to learn. I have learned to reach out to my
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colleagues in the industry to pick their brains to learn from them. Also, no matter how much planning you do, there are always hiccups along the way with a project and having a flexible plan to let you adjust to the changes. The changes happening in the world around the supply chain and resources have made new projects difficult, and we need to learn that new projects might take longer than anticipated. You should always have a contingency plan when developing new pharmacy services. With three decades in pharmacy, what were the things that most influenced or informed your career? Over my three decades in pharmacy, the things that influenced or informed my career were the organizations I became involved with and the networking contacts I developed outside of my work environment. These contacts helped me learn what else there was to do in pharmacy and helped me make connections for career growth and opportunities. I advise students all the time to get involved. It will help their careers and network outside your work environment; it enables you to grow professionally.
