Front Matter
Preliminary Material
Letters
Give to Others, and You Will Receive Tenfold in Return
Stay True to Your Values
Just How Do You Know When to Make a Job Move?
It Takes a Team to Create Change
You Need the Big E: Enthusiasm
Venture Out of Your Comfort Zone
We Can Have It All, We Just Can’t Always Do It All
What Are You Going to Do for the Rest of Your Life?
Love Being Exactly Who You Are
Life Is What Happens While You Are Busy Making Other Plans
Lessons Learned from Others’ Experiences Enrich Our Lives
Living with Imposter Syndrome and Knowing That You Belong in the Room
Don’t Fret about Career and Personal Life Balance—There Is No Such Thing
Serve Your “Every Patient”
Be Active, Shape Your Future, and Demonstrate Leadership for Others Following in Your Path
Follow Your Heart, Seize Opportunities, and Realize There Are Always Trade-Offs
Social Relevance, Purpose, and Legitimacy
Build the Strongest Foundation of Knowledge and Skills That You Can
Learning to Ignore the Lies We Tell Ourselves
We Need More Pharmacists Outside of Pharmacy
A Mantra to Live By: Sí Se Puede! (Yes, You Can!)
Do Not Ask More of Your Staff Than You Are Willing to Give
You Can Only Control Your Choices
Networking Is Not Overrated, It Is Underestimated
Grow, Create, Lead
There Is No Growth in a Comfort Zone and No Comfort in a Growth Zone
Making Difficult Career Decisions
If You Don’t Have a Mentor, Get One
Find Your Passion and Pursue It with a Sense of Urgency
Pharmacists Finally Forged Their Place in the World of Public Health
My Cancer Experience Taught Me to Put Patients First
Planning for the Future
Nurture an Enduring Passion for Patients and the Profession
Pursuing Constructive Change in Pharmacy
Final Thoughts
Author:
Sandra Leal
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37573/9781585287109.016
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Those who know Sandra know her as a staunch advocate for the pharmacy profession and a healthcare provider who has dedicated her career to addressing the needs of patients in underserved communities. Early in her career, Sandra served as Medical Director and Clinical Pharmacist at El Rio Community Health Center, a community health center providing accessible and affordable healthcare for underserved populations in Tucson, Arizona. This experience prepared her to later lead an organization that provides medication therapy management services to at-risk Medicare Part D beneficiaries, where she focused on reducing hospitalizations, lowering healthcare costs, and improving outcomes in patients with chronic conditions. Sandra’s immediate past position was Vice President of Collaborative Innovation and Clinical Strategy with Aetna, a CVS Health Company; she was the first pharmacist to hold this position in Medical Affairs. Her current role is Vice President, Pharmacy Practice Innovation and Advocacy with CVS Health.

So passionate is Sandra about being a voice of change and creating a dialogue for others who cannot speak for themselves that the theme of her address when she was installed as the 166th President of the American Pharmacists Association was “Be the voice.” Sandra advises readers to identify what their mission is and create the career that aligns with that.