NCPA, Cardinal Health call for more women pharmacy owners

The National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) and Cardinal Health are encouraging female pharmacy students to consider community pharmacy ownership with the Women in Pharmacy Initiative.

Cardinal Health introduced the initiative at its Retail Business Conference in Las Vegas, Nev., that took place last week.

“Today, the vast majority of community pharmacy owners are men, even though women comprise about half of all practicing pharmacists. To support the long-term viability of community pharmacy, we need to do more as an industry to encourage women to consider owning their own pharmacy,” said Mike Kaufmann, CEO of Cardinal Health’s pharmaceutical segment.

The Women in Pharmacy Initiative will work through NCPA’s student chapters, encouraging pharmacy students to consider careers in community pharmacy. In addition, the program will share success stories of 20 of Cardinal Health’s most successful female pharmacy owners through a series of print advertisements in student-focused pharmacy publications.

Cardinal’s Pharmacy Ownership and Transition Strategies team also works with pharmacy schools around the country to provide support to students interesting in owning pharmacies. Earlier this year, Cardinal launched a $1.1 million scholarship program, directed primarily toward schools that offer curricula focused on operating independent pharmacies.