The Future of Pharmacy Where Next for the Profession | Love Your Pharmacist Awards presented by Clinigen

In Episode 2 of our special podcast series presented in partnership with Clinigen, we celebrate World Pharmacists Day by examining how hospital pharmacy is changing—and where the profession may be headed next.

 

Host Todd Eury welcomes Carel Bouwer, a pharmacist and Managing Director for Clinigen’s Africa region, and Nicolene Schoeman, Dispensary Manager at Zuid-Afrikaans Hospital in South Africa.

 

Together, they explore the hospital pharmacist’s position at the intersection of science and humanity. Although hospital pharmacists are recognized for their knowledge of medicines, their ability to listen, understand individual patient experiences, and help people navigate complex treatment journeys is equally important.

 

The conversation addresses the pressures reshaping hospital pharmacy, including increasing prescription volumes, workforce shortages, financial constraints, emerging therapies, and changing patient expectations. Carel and Nicolene discuss how the profession can meet these demands without losing the pharmacist-patient relationship that has traditionally defined pharmacy practice.

 

Topics include:

 

• What people misunderstand about the work pharmacists perform
• How pharmacy education must evolve for the next generation
• Pharmacogenomics, personalized medicine, AI, and digital health
• Preparing pharmacists for business and operational leadership
• Integrating pharmacists into multidisciplinary care teams
• Hospital pharmacists’ often-unseen contributions to patient care
• Pharmacy-led care and its potential to reduce pressure on physicians and hospitals
• Antibiotic stewardship and expanded clinical responsibilities
• The continued growth of specialist and prescribing roles

 

Looking ahead, the guests consider a future in which technology manages more routine tasks while pharmacists assume greater responsibility for personalized medicine, clinical decision-making, prescribing, and direct patient care.

 

The future of pharmacy will be more technologically advanced—but its success will still depend on human judgment, empathy, communication, and trust.

 

 

 

Host: Todd S. Eury Guests: Carel Bouwer and Nicolene Schoeman Presented in partnership with: Clinigen