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18 PHARMACY 13 pharmacy leaders on what matters most heading into the 2nd half of 2026 By Mariah Muhammad B ecker's asked pharmacy executives from hospitals and health systems, along with academic medical centers and universities across the U.S. to share their focus areas for the remaining 6 months of the year. e 13 executives featured in this article are all speaking at Becker's Healthcare 3rd Annual Fall Chief Pharmacy Officer Summit, set for Nov. 4-6 at the Swissotel Chicago. As part of an ongoing series, Becker's is talking to healthcare leaders who will speak at our conference. e following are answers from our speakers at the event. Question: What is your No. 1 priority heading into the 2nd half of 2026? Amy Gutierrez, PharmD. Vice President and Chief Pharmacy Officer of John Muir Health System (Walnut Creek, Calif.): Strategic planning at John Muir Health is anchored in two imperatives: sustainable growth and financial resilience. e evolving 340B regulatory landscape remains a critical central consideration — one that demands both vigilance and adaptability as we recalibrate strategy in response to ongoing and anticipated changes with potential operational and financial consequences. A parallel focus is expanding ambulatory care pharmacy services to broader patient populations, leveraging the clinical expertise of our pharmacists to drive measurable outcomes. Our track record of strong patient care and experience results in pharmacist- managed care gives us a proven foundation to build from — and scaling that model is among our highest priorities for the remainder of 2026. Madeline Camejo. Vice President of Pharmacy Services and Chief Pharmacy Officer at Baptist Health South Florida (Coral Gables, Fla.): As we head into the second half of the year, our focus will be on technology. We are on an Epic journey, and close collaboration with our IT teams will be critical to a successful implementation. is includes reworking workflows to incorporate AI-driven clinical processes that improve pharmacy efficiency, as well as optimizing prior authorizations and claim denial reconciliation. Ashley Galla, PharmD. Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer of Vivo Health, Northwell Health (New Hyde Park, N.Y.): Culture is always our top priority. We prioritize employee engagement and well-being because happier team members provide better patient care, leading to stronger outcomes. We invest in technology to improve the team member experience, streamline processes, and remove manual tasks so our people can focus on patient care. We intentionally build relationships across our organization by having a dedicated team that plans engagement events, brings people together beyond job titles, and celebrates successes, both professional and personal. ese investments are strategic and prevent the loss of talented team members, thereby reducing recruitment costs, training expenses, and the loss of institutional knowledge. As our business grows, our people remain our competitive advantage; they keep us innovative and patient-centric, and exceptional talent attracts exceptional talent. Beyond retention, we're deeply committed to supporting and developing our talent pool, growing them into the next generation of leaders equipped to tackle tomorrow's challenges. Prioritizing culture isn't just the right thing to do for our teams; it's what enables us to deliver on our mission today and sustain it for the future. Kelley Curtis, PharmD. Chief Pharmacy Officer and Vice President of Pharmacy and Lab COE at St. Luke's Health System- Idaho (Boise): My No. 1 priority heading into the second half of 2026 is ensuring that pharmacy continues to evolve from a traditional support service into a strategic driver of patient access, quality, and financial sustainability across our health system. At St. Luke's, we are focused on expanding access to pharmacy services while building a more integrated and scalable model that supports our patients, providers, and communities. is includes advancing specialty pharmacy, home delivery, medication access programs, and clinical pharmacy services in ways that improve outcomes and reduce friction for both patients and care teams. At the same time, healthcare organizations are facing significant financial pressures, workforce challenges, and increasing complexity around reimbursement and drug costs. As pharmacy leaders, we have a responsibility to demonstrate measurable value while continuing to innovate. My focus is ensuring we have the infrastructure, technology, and talent in place to meet those challenges while keeping the patient at the center of every decision. I believe the organizations that will be most successful are those that can simultaneously improve the patient experience, strengthen clinical outcomes, and create sustainable economic value. at balance is what is driving our work every day. John A. Armitstead. Vice President of Pharmacy Services at Lee Health (Fort Myers, Fla.): Ongoing alignment of Pharmacy Short Term Goals, Pharmacy Long Term Goals, Pharmacy Strategic Objectives with the Health System's Strategic Objectives, Long Term Goals and Short Term Goals. In our VUCA world with Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity we are doing this through Vision, Understanding, Clarity and Agility. Bring it on! Akeem O. Bale, PharmD. Vice President of Pharmacy Services and Program Director of PGY1/2 HSPAL Residency Program at UTMB Health (Galveston, Texas): My No. 1 priority heading into the second half of 2026 is expanding how pharmacy helps patients access care across the health system. We've spent the last few years building real capability across specialty, infusion, retail, and ambulatory pharmacy, and this year the work is connecting those pieces into one experience instead of several. Whether a patient is picking up a routine prescription from a dispensing kiosk in one of our urgent care settings, starting a complex infusion, or getting a specialty medication, the goal is the same: access that's simpler, faster, and more coordinated. at's what we're building toward with centralized fulfillment and the automation behind it. What I find most compelling is that none of this is really about pharmacy. It's about removing friction from the patient journey. Pharmacy just happens to sit where clinical care, technology, and operations meet, which is exactly why we're positioned to do something about it. at's where most of my energy is going as we look ahead.