Q: Where did you grow up?
I was born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA.
Q: Where did you go to college/graduate school?
As my well-educated family loves to remind me, my only degree is a BS in Information Science from the University of Pittsburgh.
Q: What are your favorites?
Food: Favorite food is difficult – as someone who loves to cook (and considered that for a different career), I have a multiple cabinets full of all kinds of unique ingredients for various international dishes. How about “genres” of food, instead of specific foods? I’m always up for Sichuan or Thai food.
Movie: Again, super difficult to narrow it down. Movies I’ve most recently declared (*this probably changes on a weekly basis) “in my top 5” are probably: The Muppet Christmas Carol
Interstellar, Sneakers
Musicians: Here again, my tastes run broad. Artists in heavy rotation this month include: Metric, Nero and Nightwish
Destination: My favorite trip I’ve ever taken was my honeymoon to Ireland, with a stopover in my favorite city in the world, Edinburgh.
Q: What do you like to do outside of work?
This year, I’ve learned 3D modeling, so I can design my own 3D printing projects. I also love introducing my 11-year-old son to classic movies – our last watch was Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
Q: What kind of work does your company do in 340B and what makes it stand out?
I’m very proud of Alinea’s reputation as the premier 340B firm. Our clients look to us as leaders in the space, and rely on our audit services, unmatched guidance, and software platforms to catapult their programs into elite status.
Q: Why did you choose to work in the 340B space?
My career path is a twisting, winding one, so it’s safer to say 340B found me. I enjoy the challenge of no two programs being exactly alike, and it’s very satisfying to help entities through some of their most pressing problems in 340B.
Q: What do you feel is your most significant contribution to the 340B world or to a 340B customer/client?
This is a tough one! We all have our success stories of clients who began their journey with a HRSA CAP, and worked their way up to become model programs for other entities to emulate. But I think I’m most proud of the software tools I’ve developed as the Product Owner for the AlineaOne platform. (We actually had one user almost in tears over the time it would save them!)
Q: What advice do you have for a young professional who has recently launched a career in the 340B space?
Remember the old adage: a jack of all trades is a master of none. Find a specific aspect of the program and become an unrivaled expert. 340B is a very complex world, and it pays to have in-depth expertise – remember, it takes a village!
For questions, Russ can be reached at russ.barron@alinea-group.com
