This Women’s History Month, Cardinal Health is celebrating the women who give to gain, donating their time and expertise to advance the careers and goals of the next generation. Through mentorship, advocacy and industry involvement, these are the women who help move healthcare forward. Read on to learn how our own Patti Kienle, director, accreditation and medication safety, gives to gain.
Patricia “Patti” Kienle is proof of how advocating for yourself and others can influence positive change. She overcame barriers early in her career to become a leading voice in the evolution of hospital pharmacy, consistently working to advance the field on behalf of the patients and providers who rely on it. “Hospital pharmacy can be a powerful tool in the pursuit of better care,” said Kienle.
Her career spans 50-plus years in hospital pharmacy and regulatory compliance, including more than 25 years at Cardinal Health. Throughout, she has made significant contributions to her field as a registered pharmacist and through publications, academic appointments and service in peer organizations.
Turning barriers into opportunities
When Kienle graduated from pharmacy school in 1975, she faced a male-dominated industry that was resistant to hiring women. With many doors closed to her, she accepted a hospital-based pharmacy role at Mercy Hospital in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.
The role offered Kienle the chance to shape the practice of hospital pharmacy at a crucial time. She ultimately gained responsibility for managing pharmaceutical services and materials management across the entire health system, giving her a wide perspective on pharmacy’s impact across the continuum of care.
She transitioned to Owen Healthcare when the company assumed management of the hospital's pharmacies, and then to Cardinal Health as part of an acquisition.
Expanding pharmacy’s scope and impact
At Cardinal Health, Kienle began a new role as one of the company’s first medication safety managers, helping healthcare facilities understand how to better leverage pharmacy on behalf of patients. The position took her out of the day-to-day operations of pharmacy but allowed her to focus on an area of pharmacy that became one of her passions: medication safety in patient care.
“I thought, ‘I could continue sitting in the pharmacy where I’d been for 25 years, or I could do something new that felt like a bigger scope for the profession,’” Kienle said. “I wanted to unite people in recognizing what pharmacy can do for the medical profession and our patients.”
She continued to build her expertise in related roles and today, she serves as director, accreditation and medication safety for Innovative Delivery Solutions (IDS), a team of experienced clinicians who promote clinical and operational best practices in the hospital pharmacies Cardinal Health manages across the U.S.
Naveen Mansukhani, vice president, managed services, said, “Patti and her team are industry leaders, and the way they support the people who interact with patients every day sets the standard for collaboration with physicians, nurses and other providers.”
Leveraging a depth of expertise
One of the areas Kienle is most often called on to support is sterile pharmaceutical compounding. Kienle is a sterile compounding expert and a Board-Certified Sterile Compounding Pharmacist (BCSCP). She has written numerous publications on the subject and served on the U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP) committee that informed the national standards for how sterile compounding is conducted — standards that are referenced by the Joint Commission, the independent body that accredits hospitals, pharmacies and other healthcare organizations.
Her impactful work on defining sterile compounding standards is just one example of how she has helped shape the industry. In addition to lending her expertise to Cardinal Health-managed hospitals, she advises her peers and mentors the next generation of pharmacists by presenting at conferences and universities, writing papers and participating in numerous professional societies.
Debra Fluno, director, pharmacy operations and account management, Cardinal Health, said, “Patti is a tireless advocate for pharmacy as a whole, as well as our patients and customers. She has great relationships with accrediting bodies and other external professional organizations that view her as an expert contributor. Those relationships support Cardinal Health, our customers and our patients.”
Continuing the mission
Kienle’s journey reflects a changing society and industry. Today, census data shows that at least 60% of pharmacists are women. In the five decades Kienle has served the industry, the perception and scope of pharmacy have evolved, in part due to the efforts of those like her who push for greater awareness of the role pharmacy can play in patient care. Her story is proof of how embracing change can lead to innovation.
“Even after 50 years, I continue to learn and discover new things all the time,” Kienle said. “Helping new practitioners grow and seeing them acknowledge what needs to be done from the pharmacy side, then succeed and get published, is really cool.”
Though Kienle believes retirement is on the horizon, she plans to continue to write, consult and give talks, passing on her deep pharmacy expertise.
To those who are embarking on their own career in pharmacy, she advises: “It’s your responsibility to take up space in the profession. Be active in professional associations and be knowledgeable. Help others understand how crucial pharmacy truly is to the patient.”