By Taylor Camille Altidor, PharmD, MHSA
2026-2027 BPS William Ellis Executive Fellow
At APhA headquarters stands a two-piece sculpture inspired by the words spoken by John Gans the 11th CEO of APhA, that tells the story of an entire profession in just seven words: from Making Medicines… to Making Medicines Work.
The first half speaks to pharmacy’s origins, when pharmacists were known primarily for preparing and compounding medicines. The second represents what the profession has become: one concerned not simply with producing and dispensing medications, but with ensuring they are safe, effective, accessible, and used appropriately.
Every time I think about those words, I also see my own journey.
My journey to pharmacy has been a long road that was paved for me before I was even born. As a first generation American, I grew up with parents who had a vision for the opportunities they wanted their child to have. Pharmacy was part of that vision long before I was certain it was mine.
After four years of undergraduate study, I still wasn’t sure. Then in 2016, I began working in community pharmacy.
In some ways, I entered pharmacy through one of its most recognizable doors: behind the counter, surrounded by medications. But much like the profession itself, my understanding of the profession began to evolve. I saw that the pharmacists’ responsibility wasn’t simply getting medicine into a bottle. It was answering questions, identifying problems, educating patients, navigating barriers, and helping make medicines work.
I returned to school to complete my undergraduate degree, still with a long journey ahead of me; however, this time I wasn’t only pursuing the vision my parents had for me. I had developed a vision of my own. Four years later, I graduated but wasn’t accepted into any pharmacy schools and again my path changed.
I began working in hospital pharmacy while maintaining my community pharmacy job and pursuing my master’s in health service administration. Just as pharmacy had expanded beyond the walls of the apothecary, my view of the profession expanded beyond the counter of community. I became interested in the broader systems surrounding medication use like health care administration, regulation, compliance, law, and policy.
Two months after graduating with my master’s degree, I finally began pharmacy school and it was there that another transformation happened. I continued working in community and hospital pharmacy settings, but I also stepped into leadership, mentorship and professional service. During my final year, I intentionally pursued non-traditional advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE) rotations to learn where else I could make an impact as a pharmacist. That exploration finally brought me to my post graduate executive fellowship at APhA in association management and fittingly, to the building where from Making Medicines to Making Medicines Work stands.
Pharmacy’s history is a story of evolution. The profession did not forget its foundation as it expanded into patient care, public health, research, regulation, policy, industry, and countless other areas, rather, the pharmacy profession built upon its foundation, and I see my journey the same way. From community to hospital practice, administration, leadership and now association management, I am still discovering all the ways I can help make medicines work.