Jaeger joins NACDS in newly created position

Pharmacy association veteran Kathleen Jaeger will publicly advance the role of pharmacists in patient care in a newly created position with the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS).

Jaeger recently joined NACDS as senior vice president of pharmacy care and patient advocacy, and will also serve as president of the NACDS Foundation. The former president of the NACDS Foundation, Edith Rosato, recently left NACDS to become the CEO of the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy.

Jaeger served as president of and CEO of the Generic Pharmaceutical Association (GPhA) from 2000 through 2010, then briefly served as executive vice president and CEO of the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) in 2011. After about 6 months at NCPA, Jaeger opted to leave NCPA because “we agreed that we wanted to take the association in different directions,” Jaeger told Drug Topics.

Prior to her tenure at GPhA, Jaeger chaired the food and drug practices for the McKenna and Cuneo law firm and the Kirkpatrick and Lockhart law firm. Jaeger has also served as a hospital pharmacist at the National Institutes of Health. Jaeger earned her B.S. in Pharmacy at the University of Rhode Island.

At NACDS, Jaeger aims to communicate the value of community pharmacy to the public, the media, government officials, consumer groups, and others. “In the past, I have worked with many different organizations, consumers, employers, and stakeholders. This is an opportunity to raise the awareness of how innovative pharmacy can advance patient care,” Jaeger said.

She will emphasize the ways that community pharmacies can improve health outcomes while reducing costs, through medication therapy management and numerous other solutions.

“Kathleen Jaeger will serve as a clear and compelling voice for the value of community pharmacy and for the needs of patients in this new and expanded role at NACDS,” said NACDS president and CEO Steven Anderson. Already NACDS is raising awareness about the value of pharmacy among consumers, patients, elected officials, media, and healthcare partners. “Now, it is time to take this work to the next level of success,” Anderson said.

“It is a great opportunity to take patient care to the next level, and a great opportunity to work with the NACDS team under Steve’s leadership,” Jaeger added.