Charley John

Senior Director, Healthcare Policy & Strategy at Walgreen Co.

Speaker

Charley John serves as Senior Director of Healthcare Policy and Strategy for the Walgreen Company. He has been with Walgreens for 27 years, 10 of them as a pharmacist. He attended the University of Florida where he completed his Doctor of Pharmacy. He started his career in South Florida as a pharmacy technician and had stints in Cincinnati, and the Washington, D.C. metro area. At these stops, he has served in a pharmacist and in an operations leadership capacity. His work included overseeing the Washington, D.C. district in efforts to grow and transform the role of the pharmacist, both in the retail and specialty setting. He has worked to improve equitable access to healthcare through pharmacy by championing the role pharmacists play with medication counseling, adherence, disease state management, and immunizations. He has been featured in the Washington Post’s, “A day in the life” series and often served as a panelist at White House, Congressional, and Agency briefings to showcase how pharmacist can play an increasing and effective role in healthcare. He is the recipient of the National Minority Quality Forum’s 40 Under 40 Leader in Health Award and the Booker T. Washington Healthcare Award. He has worked in the community collaborating with several organizations to increase awareness of health topics such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and infectious disease care and bringing resources to the underserved through screenings, medications, and consultations. His work now primarily involves engaging with public officials and industry and community leaders around healthcare policy in efforts to improve the administration and outcomes of our healthcare system. Central to this is strategic policy efforts to increase or enhance the role that pharmacy plays in innovative care models and value-based care arrangements. During and after the pandemic, he has worked closely with the Administration, State Governments, and Federal Agencies on public health planning and programming contributing to the operational and policy foundations.