Elizabeth Skoy, professor of pharmacy practice, is featured in a Pharmacy Times article titled “Innovation is Necessary to Preserve Independent, Community Pharmacy.”

"We have to think about how we can meet patients where they are," said Skoy, whose comments for the article were taken from her June presentation at McKesson IdeaShare in Las Vegas.

At IdeaShare, Skoy said issues such as reimbursement, workforce challenges, and competition affect community pharmacies, but innovation offers opportunity.

Innovations include point-of-care testing, as well as pharmacists’ role in helping patients manage chronic diseases such as diabetes. Skoy said the innovations provide opportunity for community pharmacies and for pharmacists to perform at the top of their licensure by increasing their services as part of the healthcare team.

In Skoy’s role as director of the Center for Collaboration and Advancement in Pharmacy, she leads a team that provides opportunities for many healthcare disciplines to work together to find ways to enhance patients’ overall health. The CAP Center at NDSU serves as a leader in development of programs that improve patient outcomes by advancing pharmacy practice.

As noted in Skoy’s IdeaShare presentation, there are additional opportunities for community pharmacists to innovate in areas of immunization, medication management, telepharmacy and more. She also emphasized that cooperation between schools and colleges of pharmacy and other groups helps spur innovation.

The NDSU School of Pharmacy offers pathways of opportunity to pursue an array of pharmacy careers. Degree programs offered include PharmD, as well as dual degrees in PharmD/MPH, PharmD/MBA, PharmD/PhD and master’s and doctorate degrees in pharmaceutical sciences.

Early admission and post-baccalaureate pathways also are available to students seeking a pharmacy degree at NDSU.

As a student-focused, land-grant, research university, we serve our citizens.