Q: Where did you grow up?
Glens Falls NY in the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains
Q: Where did you go to college/graduate school?
SUNY Adirondack and Union College
Q: What are your favorites?
Food: Lobster and clams by the ocean in Maine
Movie: One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Musicians: Eric Clapton, Van Morrison
Destination: Norway
Q: What do you like to do outside of work?
Hiking, paddling and fishing. Relaxing in nature/wilderness is my meditation.
Q: What kind of work does your company do in 340B and what makes it stand out?
Hudson Headwaters 340B provides contract pharmacy TPA services, auditing and compliance consulting, and 340B feasibility assessments and optimization reviews. Our business grew from within a participating covered entity and we bring the perspective of a pioneering participant in 340B to this space. Our team lives by strong core values. Each member is dedicated to be the very best for our clients. Since 2002, I have been committed to 340B program integrity.
Q: Why did you choose to work in the 340B space?
I was called on by my former boss who had joined Hudson Headwaters Heath Network (HHHN) as their CIO. HHHN had been approved for Alternative Methods Demonstration Project (AMDP) allowing them to contract with multiple pharmacies. I joined HHHN in 2002 to help get the project off the ground and help build an auditable system that could handle the complexity of this new model. I guess you could say that 340B chose me.
Q: What do you feel is your most significant contribution to the 340B world or to a 340B customer/client?
This is a tough question. I always tell my children that you never know when you are making a significant difference for others with whom you interact – so try to make it a good one. I have crossed paths with so many great people in the 340B space who are doing great work. If I have been influential with others and in the success of HHHN’s AMDP and the subsequent approval for multiple pharmacies for all, then those are things to be proud of. When I think of the communities and the people who have received quality healthcare services in their communities because of the 340B program I am humbled to think I may have been a small part of a far-reaching difference.
Q: What advice do you have for a young professional who has recently launched a career in the 340B space?
It sounds cliché but do it because you love it and it fuels you each day to participate in a truly remarkable program. If you take the few seconds each day to focus on what really matters, it will drive you on a career that has far more good days than not-so-good ones and 19 years will slip by before you know it. Take the time to acknowledge all of those who make a difference in your 340B path along the way and keep those relationships close. They are priceless when we reflect on the value in a career.
