The Independent Pharmacist Championing Innovative, Patient-Centric Care

Following a brief stint in the big-box, retail pharmacy industry, Amina Abubakar, PharmD, AAHIVP, tapped into her entrepreneurial side to found Avant Pharmacy in 2009. She then expanded her business by starting Avant Institute of Clinical Pharmacy in 2017.

While currently overseeing both business ventures, she is also working to further the pharmacy profession by advocating for innovative, patient-centric care models in pharmacies across the country.

“Pay attention to where the profession is going,” said Abubakar. “We're moving away from product-centric to patient-centric. Look back at all the activities that you do, whether you are counseling patients or immunizing patients. Understand more of [the patient’s] language and how to match your skill set to what they're looking for.”

In the most recent episode of Over the Counter, Abubakar joined Drug Topics to discuss her career journey and impart advice on the next generation of pharmacists. Between creativity and innovation, she believes the opportunities are endless for pharmacists to stand out within the health care sector.

“I see a lot of pharmacists having collaborations with [things] like sports medicine,” she continued. “[It’s] thinking outside the box, getting out there, and finding a collaborator that can utilize your unique skill set to do good for patients in [the] community. That's kind of where our pharmacy’s evolving toward.”

Stay tuned for weekly podcast episodes on Over the Counter every Thursday afternoon. Check out our previous episode with Marta Wosinska, PhD, and Joey Mattingly, PharmD, MBA, PhD, who discussed the potential impact pharmaceutical tariffs could have on the pharmacy industry.

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