Episode 25 - Interview with Dr. Anthony Pudlo, CEO of TPA

In honor of American Pharmacists Month, we sat down with Dr. Anthony Pudlo, Chief Executive Officer of the Tennessee Pharmacists Association (TPA). Dr. Pudlo leads an organization that advances, protects, and promotes high-quality, pharmacist-provided patient care in the state of Tennessee. In this interview he talks about the importance of TPA, the state of the profession, and advice for students. Learn more about TPA on their website, tnpharm.org, or on social media. Transcript Introduction Teaser: Anthony Pudlo Happy American Pharmacists Month or whatever day you might be listening. It could be Pharmacy Technician Day, Women in Pharmacy Day. There's a lot of great points that we try to celebrate the profession this month. So, thank you to everybody out there listening for what you do each and every day for the profession and the patients you serve. Full Episode: Michele Williams Welcome to White Coat Radio, a podcast from East Tennessee State University Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy in Johnson City, Tennessee. Each episode, we cover a wide range of topics about the pharmacy school experience, from study tips to deep dives with faculty and student pharmacists. I'm one of your hosts, Doctor Michele Williams, assistant professor and director of academic success. Stephen Woodward And I'm Stephen Woodward, marketing and communications manager. Today we're joined by Doctor Anthony Pudlo, chief executive officer of the Tennessee Pharmacists Association. In this role, he leads an organization that advances, protects and promotes high‑quality pharmacist‑provided patient care in the state of Tennessee. You can learn more about TPA on their website, TNPharm.org or on social media. Stephen Woodward We'll put links in the description. Doctor Pudlo, we appreciate you coming today. Welcome to White Coat Radio. Anthony Pudlo Thank you so much for having me. Really appreciate being here. Stephen Woodward So talk about what brings you to Gatton this week. Anthony Pudlo Oh, goodness. When am I not at Gatton, right? No. A lot of the visit this week has really stemmed from an outbound effort from the association to meet and collaborate with our local district pharmacy associations around the state. So actually, later this evening we'll be hosting a great dinner program with our colleagues at the First District Pharmacists Association. Anthony Pudlo And yeah, anytime you come out to Johnson City, you’ve got to make sure you visit some pharmacies and visit some members, talk to the students. So it has been a jam‑packed week already. I've been enjoying it. Michele Williams It's really great to have you here. And for some of our students who may not have gotten the message yet, can you talk a little bit about the role of the Tennessee Pharmacists Association? Anthony Pudlo Yeah, it's a great question. And I do think students should know a few different things. First and foremost, there are a whole lot of different organizations out there, and we encourage people to get involved in as many of them as they want to. But at the state level, the Tennessee Pharmacists Association—plain and simple—we are a membership‑based professional society that represents the practice of pharmacy. Anthony Pudlo Our members are pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and students of the profession. Wherever you see them practice—large health‑system practices, small critical‑access hospitals, large national chains, regional chains, independently owned community pharmacies, long‑term care, home infusion, nuclear pharmacy, managed care, academia. And so we bring those voices together. Very uniquely in Tennessee, we're able to be one voice for all those pharmacists and technicians and students to advocate for the profession and help make sure we're promoting the profession in the right way to policymakers and other stakeholders—educating the profession, whether it's formal continuing education or just helping people stay up with the times on what's going on in practice. Anthony Pudlo And I would also say helping advance the profession as well. So we do that through a lot of different mechanisms. Some of that is really wielded through the work of our foundation. But in the end, our members tell us—tell me—what to do. Anthony Pudlo We're a membership‑based organization, and we stay focused on the state of Tennessee. But as I was saying earlier, we work very closely with all those national pharmacy associations too. We are either direct or indirect affiliates with our colleagues at the American Pharmacists Association, American Society of Health‑System Pharmacists, National Community Pharmacists Association, AMCP, AACP—you go down the list. Anthony Pudlo We work very closely. As many people can imagine, there’s a lot going on in the world of pharmacy, and we try to collaborate and coordinate as best we can across all facets of the industry. Michele Williams That's wonderful. And what are some of the member benefits for students? Anthony Pudlo For students, for sure—there's a whole lot. And I even think back to my days as a student and what professional involvement means. But plain and simple, I always tell students that depending on what year you're in school, there's different things that TPA probably means to you. Maybe as a first‑year student, you're just trying to learn the acronyms, learn what's going on in the world of pharmacy—and that's fine. That's perfect; you should be. Anthony Pudlo So I tell people we have a weekly communication called our “10 for 10” newsletter that comes out, and we try to spotlight the ten most important things that happened in the world of pharmacy in the last week—some national‑level issues, some state practice issues, whatever it might be. Anthony Pudlo And plain and simple, as a P1 that’s probably perfect, right? They just want to learn and understand, and these things help augment what they're learning in the classroom. But as they get older in the curriculum—as a P2, P3—I think we offer a whole host of engagement opportunities, whether through our conferences, networking events, or opportunities to meet pharmacists doing unique, cool things in practice. Anthony Pudlo We also have an executive summer internship program. We offer a practice site for fourth‑year students. We offer scholarships through our foundation. And then probably the biggest thing I encourage students on is helping them hone and find their voice for the patients out there—through advocacy. Anthony Pudlo We want to make sure students are attending our Pharmacy Day on the Hill every year at the end of February. Later today I’ll be meeting with some student groups to talk about advocacy efforts and how you find that voice. Anthony Pudlo This week on Friday we host a big residency showcase where residency programs from across the region come to Nashville and students interested in post‑graduate training can meet them—making it easier than having to travel to wherever ASHP Midyear is that year. Anthony Pudlo There’s a little bit of everything. But plain and simple, we are a network—a network of pharmacy professionals to help a student learn the profession and how we operate. Anthony Pudlo Even if students don’t plan to practice in Tennessee, I think we're doing some cool, great things in our state. Take that knowledge and apply it wherever you go. And yes—the college would probably love to see alumni come back someday and apply that knowledge here, because it makes us all stronger together. Michele Williams That's awesome. It sounds like there's something for everybody. Anthony Pudlo Yeah, very much so. Stephen Woodward Can you tell us what the CEO does and give us a day in the life of what you do? Anthony Pudlo Well, let's throw this week out the door because it's a little bit unique—but maybe not. In a nutshell, it's important to realize how we operate to know what I do. Like I said earlier, TPA is run by the members. But even more specifically, TPA is still organized in a way—probably one of about 15 or 20 states—that still has a House of Delegates. Anthony Pudlo They are our policymaking body. They meet at our winter and summer conferences. Students can observe or speak. That’s our legislative branch. They decide our stance on medical cannabis, artificial intelligence, telepharmacy—you name it. Anthony Pudlo Those statements drive decisions of our board of directors and committees. Our board is essentially our executive branch. They approve our budget and strategic plan. Anthony Pudlo They also employ me. So they hand me the strategic plan and budget, and I figure out how we get the work done. Anthony Pudlo I manage our small but mighty team—five full‑time staff, a few part‑time. I manage committees. And I make sure we accomplish what the profession needs from us within budget constraints. Anthony Pudlo A big part of my role is legislative work. During session I’d be running around the Capitol a couple days a week working with our contract lobbyists, advocating for the profession, helping legislators understand our pain points. Anthony Pudlo Even outside session, I meet with legislative leadership to prepare for the next year. Anthony Pudlo Yesterday was the end of the month, so I worked with our finance team and auditors on closing the audit. There's a little bit of everything. Anthony Pudlo I also spend a lot of time coordinating with counterparts in other states and national organizations—learning from each other, identifying strategies, amplifying messages, troubleshooting issues. Anthony Pudlo Any bigger‑level strategic issues—those are on my plate. Stephen Woodward Okay. Thank you. So I know today is October 1st—we're recording at the beginning of American Pharmacists Month. We want to ask you: what's the state of the profession of pharmacy, and what is the importance of pharmacists in today's day and age? Anthony Pudlo Yeah, great question. And thanks for the reminder—it is October 1st. We have a lot we're planning to push out. So yes, to all our listeners—Happy American Pharmacists Month, or whatever day you're listening. It could be Pharmacy Technician Day, Women in Pharmacy Day. We celebrate the profession in many ways this month. Thank you to everyone for what you do. Anthony Pudlo But to your question, Stephen—it's an interesting time. I've been meeting with pharmacists the last couple days. We see a lot of challenges in the profession—undue influence from outside groups. But also opportunities. Anthony Pudlo Maybe I'm a glass‑half‑full person. People tell me it feels like the early days of the pandemic—big decisions being made, ripple effects on how we live and care for patients. There's ongoing advocacy work to amplify our voice to decision makers. Anthony Pudlo Some decisions may have undertones of things the profession has asked for a long time—proper regulations around influencers on the profession. Anthony Pudlo But finances are challenging. Community pharmacy closures. A big long‑term care group recently filed bankruptcy. Health systems struggling with 340B, reimbursement, etc. There’s a lot of challenge. Anthony Pudlo But pharmacists are problem‑solvers—detectives. We navigate difficult issues. We bring solutions. Tennessee has had success—PBM reform, scope expansion recognizing pharmacists can independently provide care and be paid for it. Not across every payer yet, but opportunities exist. Anthony Pudlo There are challenges, but people are not alone. People are working hard to overcome them. And there’s opportunity when we use our voice together. Michele Williams It sounds like there are so many important facets to your job. When you think back to pharmacy school, were there experiences that led you to where you are now? Anthony Pudlo We could go down a long path about choosing pharmacy, but in a nutshell—I didn't come from a family of pharmacists. Pharmacy somewhat fell into my lap. My older sister went into physical therapy; I chose pharmacy. Anthony Pudlo Because I didn’t have direct exposure to the profession, I soaked up everything I could. I got involved in different organizations almost every semester—independent ownership, managed care, hospital practice—you name it. Anthony Pudlo I wanted to be a sponge, to make the right choice for my career. Looking back, I learned a little of everything. And now, in my role, I see medications as the common thread across all health care. Anthony Pudlo That broad exposure helps me understand what different pharmacists deal with. My job isn't to know everything—but to know who to call. Anthony Pudlo I learned early to communicate, understand people's passions and issues, and amplify their needs in the right way. That helps when talking to the Governor’s office, legislative leaders, members of Congress—you need real examples to illustrate why change is needed. Michele Williams That's amazing. Thank you for sharing that. Stephen Woodward You were reflecting on pharmacy school. Looking back, what advice would you have for a current P1 or someone just starting their career? Anthony Pudlo Doesn’t matter if you're a first‑year or fourth‑year—be a sponge. Learn every facet of the profession. The PharmD degree offers so much flexibility. You can work anywhere. Anthony Pudlo But learn your passions. Learn your clinical interests. Yes, you have to be a jack‑of‑all‑trades to pass boards, but also learn what you really care about. Anthony Pudlo Know the clinical areas you love—become the expert. Learn the trials, the guidelines. And also learn your colleagues’ passions. You won’t know everything. You need to know who to call. Anthony Pudlo There’s mutual respect when you know your limits and rely on colleagues. Be a resource to each other. Not only in school, but when you're alumni caring for patients. Stephen Woodward Great. That's great advice. Anthony Pudlo Thank you. Michele Williams That's awesome. Are there any other things you'd like to talk about that we haven't touched on yet? Anthony Pudlo How much time do we have? It's important for people to realize—sitting in this chair as CEO of TPA for years now—there are a lot of positive things the association is doing externally that people may or may not see. Anthony Pudlo But there's also a lot internally—revamping communications, new website, new emails, better social media. If you don’t tell your story, others make their own narrative. My leadership has been clear—we need to peel back the curtain and showcase what TPA does. Anthony Pudlo We've revamped advocacy strategies. We've revamped financial processes—being efficient with the membership dollar. Anthony Pudlo For anyone who hasn't considered what TPA is or what it means to you, I encourage you to take a look at our website, www.TNPharm.org. Anthony Pudlo I'd appreciate advice, too. I'm still soaking up information—ways we can be better, more relevant to pharmacists and technicians who need our help. There’s more to come. Some exciting things on the horizon. Michele Williams That's awesome. Stephen Woodward We'll put a link to your website in the episode description, and we hope this episode helps you tell your story and more about TPA. We really appreciate you joining us today. Anthony Pudlo Thank you both. Really appreciate it. And I guess it’s time to go talk to more students in person. Stephen Woodward That's great. All right, that's a wrap. Thank you very much. Thanks for listening to White Coat Radio. If you haven't already, be sure to subscribe and leave us a review wherever you listen to podcasts. To learn more about East Tennessee State University Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy, visit us at etsu.com/pharmacy or follow us on social media @ETSUPharmacy. Stephen Woodward We'll see you next time.