Abstract

Most of us have received very little, if any, formal training on how to manage our lives and careers. In Letters to a Young Pharmacist:  Sage Advice on Life & Career from Extraordinary Pharmacists, find expert advice and guidance for the choices and challenges you will face. Written by 35 leading pharmacists, these very personal letters offer sound advice and insight for seizing or creating opportunities, balancing career and family, avoiding mistakes, and overcoming setbacks. 

Gain from the wisdom and practical advice offered in these letters on such topics as:

• Finding the right job or residency
• Developing productive partnerships
• The importance of networking
• Thinking creatively to design new therapies
• Working well in the culture of your organization
• Understanding your strengths and weaknesses    

             … and much more.

Learn from people who have faced many of the same career and life experiences that lie ahead of you.

More than a book, Letters to a Young Pharmacist is a companion guide for your life’s work— and a must-have for every new pharmacist.
Susan Cantrell , BS Pharm, CAE,
Senior Vice President and Managing Director, DIA Americas. As the first regional Director for North America, Susan works with the Advisory Council of North America and its Content Advisory Committee to develop DIA’s overall strategy for this region. She is also responsible for outreach to regulatory and other government agencies (such as the FDA and NIH), and related associations, and will divide her time between worldwide headquarters in Horsham (PA) and Washington, DC. As a regional director, Susan also serves on the Global Management Team, responsible for helping to coordinate DIA enterprise resources and policy from an operational perspective.

Prior to joining DIA Susan was with the American Society of Health System Pharmacists, a professional society for whom she worked for 19 years in a series of progressively responsible positions. She most recently served as Vice President of Resources Development, where she led the Society’s efforts in domestic and international business development. Prior to this, she served as Managing Director, ASHP Advantage, a division of the society that developed and implemented accredited educational programs to assist pharmacists and health professionals. Susan brings significant experience in pharmacy practice, health care delivery and policy, and association management, including a substantial background in professional education, large meetings, business development, and volunteer engagement.

Susan is a member of the Alliance for Continuing Medical Education, the American Society of Association Executives, the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, and the International Pharmaceutical Federation. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from the University of Mississippi, and has completed a residency in hospital pharmacy. She is pursuing graduate training in public health at the University of North Carolina. Susan’s numerous honors include the 2010 Alliance for Continuing Medical Education President’s Award.
 
Sara J. White, MS, FASHP
Sara is  currently Faculty for the Pharmacy Leadership Academy.  Since retiring in 2003, she has published a series in the American Journal of Heath-System Pharmacy entitled Success Skills and co-edited the ASHP Pharmacy Leadership Field Guide, Cases and Advice for Everyday Situations (ASHP 2011). She has developed and recorded Conversations with Health-System Pharmacy’s Most Influential Leaders through the ASHP Foundation’s Leadership Center. In 2004 Sara was an ASHP Foundation Scholar in Residence on Pharmacy Leadership. From 1992 to 2003 Sara was Stanford Hospital and Clinics, Director of Pharmacy and Clinical Professor, UCSF School of Pharmacy. She was Associate Director of Pharmacy and Professor at the University of Kansas Medical Center from 1972-1992.  Sara completed a BS in Pharmacy from Oregon State University, MS from Ohio State University and an ASHP accredited Residency at the Ohio State University Hospitals and Clinics.  Sara has been active in local, state and national professional organizations having served as President of the Kansas Society of Hospital Pharmacists and the Greater Kansas City Society of Hospital Pharmacists She has served on the ASHP Board of Directors, Chairman of the House of Delegates and ASHP President. Her contributions have resulted in the ASHP Distinguished Leadership Award and the Harvey A.K. Whitney Lecture Award.
 
Bruce E. Scott, RPh, MS, FASHP

Bruce currently serves as President of The CADENT Group, providing consultative services to health care business and provider-related organizations. He has served in executive roles at Allina Hospitals and Clinics, McKesson Medication Management, and Medco Health Solutions. Bruce is a past-president of both the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists and the Minnesota Society of Health-System Pharmacists. He is a recipient of the John Webb Lecture Award from the Northeastern University College of Pharmacy