Sharks RX Spring 2015 Magazine

COLLEGE OF PHARMACY r 13 of me in pharmacy school and has been my partner ever since,’’ Ashworth said. “We got married right before I graduated and right after she graduated. She was, and is, a very good inspiration to me.” He credits his ascension, too, from stock boy and sales clerk toWalgreens leadership positions—phar- macy supervisor, district manager, and three vice president roles—to the “agility” NSU instilled in him. “It gave me a progressive education that was founded in the community as well as the classroom,” Ashworth said. GOING GLOBAL Before undertaking his current position, which has him based in Deerfield, Illinois, at Walgreens corporate headquarters, Ashworth was in the United Kingdom for nine months. He was director of Healthcare, Health, and Beauty for the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland for Boots UK. He helped lay the foundation for Walgreens and Alliance Boots to create the first global pharmacy-led enterprise for health and well-being. “I focused on maximizing the potential between two iconic brands, Walgreens and Alliance Boots,” he said. Walgreens’ merger with Alliance Boots, Europe’s largest pharmacy chain, created Walgreens Boots Alliance, which marked its first week in January 2015 as a new public company, trading on NASDAQ with the ticker symbol WBA. In his more than a decade of being immersed in the field of pharmacy, Ashworth says he has witnessed many a challenge for today’s pharmacist. “It has to do with the evolving land- scape of health care and the patient,” he said. “It’s important that the role of the pharmacist continue to advance to meet changing needs.” Following his own idea of remaining relevant, two years after receiving his Pharm.D., Ashworth enrolled in the University of Phoenix to complete his Master in Business Administration. In 2004, he received his M.B.A. “It was a way for me to understand the financial side of running a community pharmacy; the Pharm.D. provides balance with that,’’ he said. “Yes, we’re dealing with a global business, but more importantly, we’re in the business of taking care of patients and, really, their lives. That is the balance that needs to remain.” Ashworth encourages anyone with a passion for pharmacy to pursue it and, for those with varied interests, to consider a dual degree. He believes that, because of NSU’s somewhat “nontraditional” approach to studies, it’s the perfect opportunity to help future pharmacists “realize their purpose.” TRYING IT ON FOR SIZE He also advocates trying out different areas of the pharma- ceutical profession as a litmus test to make sure that the lifestyle and balance that the workplace provides “reconciles with your personal beliefs.” At Walgreens, that litmus test can also result in financial assistance toward tuition. The Walgreens Pharmacy Student Professional Educational Assistance Program, which offers $2,500 per year for each year that a student participates, is available to pharmacy students attending their last four years of pharmacy school. The require- ments are that the student be a past or present Walgreens employee and, after graduating from pharmacy school, he or she must remain employed withWalgreens on a full-time basis as a pharmacist for the same number of years that he or she participated in the program. Additionally, nearly 100 NSU students received individual scholarships from Walgreens. The company also has donated more than $1 million each year since 2008 to accredited phar- macy schools, including NSU’s College of Pharmacy, to help support diversity initiatives. “Working for Walgreens, championing everyone’s right to be happy and healthy, is a purpose that resounds with me personally. It’s why I do the job. And, when you have a purpose, when you know what your purpose in life is, it opens up any door you want to go through, which is what happened to me,” said Ashworth. “I was expecting to remain a pharmacist—I loved it—but now I’m running all of the operations for a very well-known and respected organization. With that comes a lot of responsibility, but also a lot of excitement and opportunity.” n Richard Ashworth, second from left, was honored as NSU College of Pharmacy’s Alumni of Distinction. Attending the ceremony are, from left, Anne-Marie Aldrich of Walgreens; Ashworth; Jennifer Ashworth, Pharm.D.; Roy Ripak of Walgreens; Lisa Deziel, dean of the College of Pharmacy; Patrick Hawthorne, R.Ph. , 1994; Georgia Lehoczky of Walgreens; and Victor Lehoczky.