PGX Pharmacists Series line-up
1/28/22, Dan Krinsky, BS, MS, RPh, FAPhA
2/11/22, Sue Paul, RPh
2/25/22, Mariam S. Yasin, student (PharmD and MS PGX Candidate)
3/11/22, Jamie Wilkey, PharmD
Daniel Krinsky is an entrepreneur and pharmacist who is passionate about advancing patient care and the pharmacy profession. He recently started two businesses whose respective missions and visions are focused on each of these areas. The first business, PGx101, is directed towards educating healthcare providers in the area of pharmacogenomics and personalized medicine. The second, EduCare4U, is focused on patient, student and healthcare provider education and enhancing patient care. Mr. Krinsky is currently an Adjunct Professor at the LECOM School of Pharmacy, serving as a course director, lecturer, and student advisor. Mr. Krinsky’s areas of expertise include community pharmacy practice, drug information, patient counseling and education, OTCs, natural products, and developing and implementing medication therapy and disease state management programs.
Mentioned in this episode
Dan Krinsky, BS, MS, RPh, FAPhA | LinkedIn
EduCare4U website
PGX101 website
EduCare4U, LLC: Overview | LinkedIn
The Pharmacist’s Voice Podcast Episode 3 with guest Tom Titkemeier, RPh
St. Vincent (St. V’s) Medical Center Toledo, OH
The University of Toledo (UT) College of Pharmacy (Toledo, OH)
AJHP American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy
Auburn University Harrison School of Pharmacy
Ohio Northern University College of Pharmacy
Natural Therapeutics Pocket Guide
Drug Nutrient Depletion Handbook
Palm Beach Atlantic University Gregory School of Pharmacy
PGX101 Training February 26 and 27, 2022
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Highlights from the interview
Dan and I met at Medipreneurs in Asheville, NC. We have a mutual acquaintance: my Uncle Tom Titkemeier (see The Pharmacist’s Voice Podcast Episode 3). Dan was one of Uncle Tom and Aunt Janet’s interns at St. V’s in Toledo while attending pharmacy school at The University of Toledo College of Pharmacy.
We discussed the chronological progression of Dan’s career. Why did Dan pick pharmacy school? His Dad’s best friend was a community pharmacist. Dan wanted to go into healthcare and own his own business, so he decided to go to pharmacy school.
Dan went to grad school at UT. He got a MS Degree in Hospital Pharmacy. The focus was on teaching and research.
After graduating from UT with his MS Degree, Dan left Toledo for a job developing clinical services in NC. It didn’t work out. He moved on to another job, which he discovered by searching the “Help Wanted” ads in AJHP (American Journal of Hospital Pharmacy). A position for a clinical coordinator for the pharmacokinetics service at the University of Alabama Hospital in Birmingham was advertised. Although Dan felt unqualified, he ended up joining the Drug Resource Team at the University of Alabama Hospital in Birmingham as the coordinator for the pharmacokinetics service. He expanded the volume of consults the role formerly served. Dan also taught Auburn Pharmacy Students. It was a good experience, but he was on-call all the time. The stress and time commitment weren’t right for him and his family, so he and his family moved back to Ohio.
Dan then worked for Kaiser Permanente and made his first connection to Lexicomp while there. Lexicomp has been part of Dan’s life ever since.
In the mid 1990’s, Dan became the 1st pharmacist in the US to hold a shared position with a college of pharmacy and a community pharmacy: Ohio Northern University College (ONU) of Pharmacy and Ritzman Pharmacy. Dan provided MTM services at Ritzman’s before MTM had a name! Since his time at ONU, Dan has helped NACDS replicate the shared position he had at ONU. Today, there are hundreds of shared positions in the US.
Dan co-authored 2 books on natural products for Lexicomp. They are
Dan left Ritzman’s Pharmacy and went to work at Lexicomp. Lexicomp felt like a family. It had a great company culture with company outings to Cedar Point and more.
Dan developed a RX Wiki resource.
Dan held a shared faculty position with NEOMED and Giant Eagle. When Dan left that position, he could have retired, but he didn’t! Instead, he co-founded PGX101 and founded EduCare4U.
How did Dan get into PGX? He took the Test2Learn™️ Train the Trainer PGX Course so he could develop a PGX elective course at NEOMED and incorporate PGX into therapeutics models. The Test2Learn™️ program was developed in conjunction with the University of Pittsburgh and NACDS (National Association of Chain Drug Stores). According to Dan, The University of Pittsburgh is a national leader in PGX research and practice. What came out of it was meeting Sue Paul, RPh and later spreading the word about PGX to the pharmacy profession to improve the care pharmacists provide to patients. Sue Paul, RPh and Dan Krinsky train pharmacists on PGX. They update the PGX101 program every time they deliver it.
The profession of pharmacy has given so much to Dan that he wants to give something back. Education is one way to give back and pay it forward.
Being good listeners (a sounding board for patients) allows us to find out how we can help our patients. Pharmacists are the most accessible healthcare providers and the most knowledgeable on drug therapies and deprescribing.
Dan shared a story about visiting a patient at home. Dan said, “Home visits are eye-opening. You learn about your patients.” We talked about tools to help patients help themselves, such as motivational interviewing and cognitive behavioral therapy.
Pharmacogenomics in Dan’s own words: Applying a patient’s genetic make-up to current and future drug therapies. PGX is a tool that can lead to better outcomes.
How do PGX101 students find out about the program? LinkedIn, networking, podcasts, conferences (Medipreneurs), and organizations (APhA and OPA).
Is PGX 101 in-person or online? It is only online using Zoom (as of January 2022). There are two components: 15 modules for 12 hours of CE. 8 hours of live programming: 4 hours on Saturday, 4 hours on Sunday. To learn more, visit PGX101 online.
How much does PGX101 cost? $495 for all 20 hours. Consider it an investment in education.
PGX201 is a growing community “Beyond the Certificate.” Membership is 3 months or 12 months. Benefits include monthly webinars and newsletters, one-on-one consultations with Sue Paul and Dan Krinsky, guest speakers, and more.
Carol Bell, PharmD (KY Pharmacist) is working on a PGX Pharmacists Registry.
According to Dan, a Kentucky teacher’s retirement program provides PGX testing as a benefit for their plan. The ROI has been demonstrated in the form of direct economic benefits. This can serve as a model for other organizations to follow. I suggested that this is a “bright spot” ala the book Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard by Chip and Dan Heath.
EduCare4U is the umbrella company for all the services Dan offers. Examples:
- Individual consultations with patients, some of whom have PGX testing.
- Writing. For example, a monthly column for Pharmacy Today on self-care and OTC’s.
- Consulting. For example: monograph reviews for Lexicomp.
- Surgery center inspections
- Expert witness for attorneys
- Part-time work in two pharmacies in his area
- Guest lecturer at the Palm Beach Atlantic University Gregory School of Pharmacy
We spoke about Dan’s expert witness role. The first time he served this role was early in his career while working in Alabama. The first attorney Dan helped recommended Dan do more expert witness work. Dan told a story about an intense deposition that took hours.
Dan serves as a pharmacist on medical mission trips to Honduras each year with his local Catholic Church. He has been doing it for 17 years, and he loves it. Dan got started with his mission work by covering for a pharmacist who got sick and had to drop out of the trip.
Who was on the Mission Trip? High school students who serve as Spanish-language interpreters, doctors, dentists, nurses, optometrists, pharmacists, and others who want to serve. They see 3,000-4,000 patients in one week and dispense 15,000-20,000 prescriptions.
Dan gave advice for Pharmacist Dads: Have a career, but be present for family. Always prioritize your family first. Dan wanted to be present for milestones, coaching his kids, attending events, going on vacations, and taking his wife out for their anniversary. “You never get those moments back.” Dan said, “Career is important, but pharmacy will always be there.”
Thank you for listening to episode 133 of The Pharmacist’s Voice ® Podcast!
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