Leaning into Leadership: An Alum’s Journey to Pharmacy Administration

By: Markie Heideman, Content Marketing Manager

When it comes to pharmacy, Michelle Azar, PharmD ’21, is sure about one thing: Your path can change, and there are limitless avenues you can take with a PharmD.

Dr. Azar serves as Operations Manager of Ambulatory Pharmacy Services at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. There, she manages clinical pharmacy support for outpatient clinics, non-oncology infusion centers and an eye center – ensuring that each center receives proper medication and clinical support.

She also supervises clinical pharmacy specialists embedded in primary clinics across Maryland who help directly with medication management and any issues that may arise as a result of medications. 

“My team of pharmacists manage patients in the clinic setting, they have their own patient panel, which helps the doctors manage their patient load.” 

Additionally, she is helping develop the next generation of pharmacy leaders by overseeing two internship programs at Johns Hopkins. These programs help introduce future pharmacists to the breadth of pharmacy services in the industry sector. 

Soon, Dr. Azar will take on an additional role with the company and will take over as Residency Program Coordinator for the hospital’s Health System Pharmacy Administration and Leadership Residency Program.

Discovering an Avenue to Administration 

Pharmacy administration wasn’t always Dr. Azar’s goal, though. Working as a pharmacy technician prior to pharmacy school is what introduced her to the field – and although she did not plan to stay in a community pharmacy setting, she did see herself going down the route of clinical pharmacy in a clinical setting. 

That was until a PharmD course introduced her to the limitless possibilities. 

“We took Pharmacy 102 during my first year, and we learned about the different routes you can take in pharmacy. That’s where I first heard about administration and leadership being a potential career opportunity for me. I learned that I didn’t have to wait a decade into my career to pursue this path, but rather I needed to look for opportunities throughout school to position myself for that field.”

Throughout her four years in the program, she embraced leadership roles and refined her project management skills. Even with her focus on administration, she continued to seek diverse opportunities that broadened her expertise.

“It’s important to take advantage of every opportunity because even if it’s not directly affiliated with the area you want to pursue, you can always use those skills to frame your mindset.”

Utilizing Research and Practice Skills

For Dr. Azar, the PharmD Investigations research project, embedded into U-M’s PharmD curriculum, was a great way to open her eyes to the patient care process.

Working with mentors Dr. Karen Farris, Dr. Amy Thompson and Dr. Emily Mackler, her research focused on connecting cancer patients with primary care pharmacists to help them manage chronic conditions like diabetes and hypertension – while they were receiving treatment for cancer. 

“We found that many oncology providers may not be situated to help manage some of these other conditions, and they often go unmanaged while the patient is focused on cancer recovery. The research looked into using pharmacists to bridge the gap to help with care management for their conditions.”

Learning these important research skills helped Dr. Azar excel in research projects during residency, and gave her an important perspective on patient care that she reflects on now as a manager of clinical pharmacy specialists. 

“My biggest takeaway was thinking about how to provide better quality care and how we can leverage pharmacists in more unique settings. It also showed me the different milestones of a research project and helped set me up for success in my residency. It helped me analyze data more independently and start thinking critically.” 

Building a Business Background

Following PharmD commencement, Dr. Azar packed her bags and made her way to Maryland for a two-year Health System Pharmacy Administration and Leadership residency program at Johns Hopkins. It was the perfect way to dig into her chosen career path, gain experience and, most importantly, build a network.

“My advice to current PharmD students is to build your network. It is very important. Pharmacy is a small world, and you never know how your experiences are going to benefit you in the long run – but they will.”

In addition to residency, Dr. Azar added a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) to her plate during those two years. 

Forever a Wolverine

Whether in the classroom, working on research with Dr. Farris, Dr. Thompson and Dr. Mackler, or her Ambulatory Care Rotation with Dr. Lindsey Kelley, Dr. Azar credits her time at the U-M College of Pharmacy for building a strong foundation for her successful career.

“It’s an extremely solid program, and there are so many opportunities and experiences you can take advantage of at the College, and within the hospital system as well. The curriculum is rigorous, and although it seemed tough at the time, I look back and am thankful for that foundational knowledge.”

For current pharmacy Wolverines, she offers a word of advice.

“Use every opportunity as an experience to learn something, build new skills, and meet and interact with new people.”