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February 2022 Faces of Pharmacy:
Robert Pugliese, PharmD
Thomas Jefferson University/Jefferson Health Design Lab
Robert is the director of innovation design at Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson Health. He is Co-Founder and Managing Director of the Jefferson Health Design Lab.
Before taking on a full-time role in health care innovation, Robert spent 10 years practicing and teaching in the specialty of emergency medicine.
As a person with insulin-dependent diabetes, Robert takes a personal interest in ensuring that everyone has a voice in improving our health care system.
During the pandemic, Robert and his team have been driving around Philadelphia with their mobile vaccine clinic, making sure that the vaccines are accessible to ALL residents, not just those with resources to take time off from work and get to a vaccine clinic.
-Monica V Mahoney, colleague and nominator for Robert Pugliese
Elizabeth Giel, BS, PharmD
Manager, Pharmacy Operations – Omnichannel Process Innovation
CVS Health
Elizabeth has over 10 years of retail pharmacy experience, graduating with her BS from University of Pittsburgh in 2012 and PharmD from Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2014. She is a licensed pharmacist in Florida, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania, beginning her pharmacist career as a Pharmacy Manager for Target. Since 2015, Liz has been with CVS Health leading CVS Pharmacy teams in both the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia and New York City markets. In 2020, she was awarded the CVS Health Paragon Award and recognized for her embodiment of the company’s core values and for delivering direct and exceptional care to patients in the local community. Only a few months later, when the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services enlisted CVS Health to administer COVID-19 vaccines to long-term care facilities, Liz mobilized a CVS team throughout New York City and State to vaccinate one of the most vulnerable populations against COVID-19.
Based remotely out of the greater New York City area, Liz recently transitioned to Store Operations at CVS. This past February, she helped launch the digital reimbursement initiative for at-home COVID test kits nationwide. CVS customers can now order at-home test kits online and pick them up in stores with zero out of pocket costs through their pharmacy insurance, automated behind the scenes to make for a seamless experience. At CVS Health, Liz is looking forward to continuing to help bring the omnichannel, digital-first approach forward to drive more convenient, personalized, and affordable patient care.
Liz credits her unwavering attitude and persistence to growing up in her family’s three generation funeral home business. Founded by her late maternal grandfather on a GI bill 70 years ago, the small town business has shown Liz the importance of providing empathy, compassion, and care during a time of need. For Liz, these moments have become her inspiration at CVS as she continually reflects on what it means to help others wherever and whenever needed with purpose and with a full heart. Her advice to fellow pharmacists, interns, and technicians is to continue to strive to make an impact in every patient’s journey with humility, authenticity, and resilience. She encourages her peers to maintain momentum by continually recognizing and celebrating wins as a team and generating excitement for what can be because every moment may be a moment that matters the most.
Fady Sadek, RPh, MBA
Pharmacy Supervisor, UMMS
Fady graduated from the Cairo University Faculty of Pharmacy in 2002. Because he is always looking for opportunities to improve his soft skills and advance clinically, he immigrated to the USA in 2007 to earn his MBA in 2008 from Hult International Business School, Cambridge, MA, and his Advanced Graduate certificate in Health and Hospital law from Seton Hall University School of Law, Newark, NJ. He later earned his Leadership principal and management essentials certificates from Harvard Business School. He also serves as a clinical associate professor at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy.
Fady first joined University of Maryland Medical Center in 2011 to complete his internship hours before he was hired as an ambulatory pharmacist where he also gained experience in the central inpatient pharmacy. In April of 2018 Fady was promoted to be a supervisor for the ambulatory services, where he was dedicated to analytical process improvement, innovation and positive teamwork interaction. Recently he wanted to connect more with his patients, to help and support them. He wanted to make a greater difference in their treatment. To achieve this, he joined the University of Maryland specialty pharmacy team. Now he spends most of his time teaching his patients about their medications, answering their questions and supporting them throughout their treatment battles. Given the critical illness of his patients, sometimes it become burdensome, but it is always rewarding being able to help his patients. For him this is one of the most rewarding aspects of being a pharmacist.
-Family and colleagues from UMMS who nominated for Fady Sadek