Speaker
Anita Patel, PharmD, MS
Vice President Pharmacy Services Development
Walgreen Co.
Dr. Anita Patel leads the development of Walgreens clinical pharmacy services. She is responsible for the advancement of existing clinical programs such as immunizations and medication adherence across 9K community sites, expansion into new therapeutic areas including asthma, diabetes and hypertension, and innovation for clinical service delivery to improve access to quality care across communities. Dr. Patel also leads data and analytics related to service execution. She has over 20 years of experience in the public health and healthcare industry helping to accelerate Walgreens into its pharmacy of the future health service strategy.
Dr. Patel serves as a board member with the Pharmacy Quality Alliance (PQA) and on the policy council of National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS).
Prior to joining Walgreens in 2022, Dr. Patel served at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for 18 years in multiple leadership positions across Centers. This included leading the initial US efforts for the COVID-19 response. Dr. Patel was also instrumental in leading the design and implementation of the nation’s COVID-19 vaccine efforts for the CDC, Department of Health and Human Services, and the White House. She also held key roles supporting public health responses including 2009H1N1, Ebola, Zika, hurricanes, and vaping induced lung injury.
Anita graduated with a Doctorate in Pharmacy from the University of the Sciences, Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and completed her post-doctoral fellowship at Rutgers Post-Doctoral Pharmaceutical Industry Fellowship. She holds a master’s degree in Biosecurity and Disaster Preparedness from Saint Louis University School of Public Health.