Careers in Pharmacy 

Managed Care Pharmacy  

David Angaran, B.S., M.S.,
Managed Care Practitioner in Residence
American Society of Health-System Pharmacist, Bethesda , MD

David Angaran earned a Bachelor of Science degree in pharmacy. He spent six years on the faculty of the University of Wisconsin School of Pharmacy and then moved to the University of Minnesota, where he taught and practiced critical care pharmacy. He joined Medco in 1995.

A good position, David believes, is one in which you acquire knowledge and skills that you can apply to your next position. His present position centers on advancing the practice of pharmaceutical care. He evaluates activities involved with delivery of pharmaceutical care.

What does today’s pharmacist need? A sense of adventure and belief in oneself, Angaran says. “The places where you can make the most difference are the places where nobody has been before.” This means that you must not only go beyond the minimum requirements set forth on your job description but also be accountable for your actions.

What will tomorrow’s pharmacists need? David feels there is a great future for pharmacists in information systems. Success in this area requires more than technical know-how. If the people involved with technology don’t communicate with one another, the potential of information systems cannot be realized.

Michael Manolakis, Pharm.D., Ph.D.
Senior Manager
The Lewin Group, Fairfax , VA

Michael Manolaskis did his undergraduate work in pharmacy at the University of Southern California. His first position was in a chain drug store. His interactions with patients in that setting, combined with an emerging concern about issues related to the treatment of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), led him to pursue a doctor of philosophy degree in biomedical ethics. While working toward his Ph.D., Michael accepted a position with a pharmacy benefits management company. The field was new at the time, and Michael was able to gain experience in a promising area. His title was administrator and developer of case management. The work was stimulating. It involved conferences with other health professionals and “robust discussions” of the treatment of disease. Part of his work entailed evaluating certificates of medical necessity, a responsibility for which his background in ethics was invaluable.

Michael advises young pharmacists to get as much training and work experience as possible. “Take a chance, follow your dream. You can’t always expect a payoff, but the results can often be rewarding.” Michael also counsels students to take advantage of networking and mentoring opportunities within the profession; at the same time, “look beyond pharmacy to the larger field of health care.”

Pharmacists of the future should consider their pharmacy degree as a building block that will facilitate involvement with an increasingly integrated health care system. The spectrum of opportunity is “any place in which drug therapy management is ‘part of the picture.’”