It’s American Pharmacist Month, and We’re Thankful for Our Pharmacists

In October of 1925, radio stations across the country broadcast special programming highlighting the profession of pharmacy. Over the years, that initial broadcast evolved first into National Pharmacy Week, and then into American Pharmacist Month. Since 2004, American Pharmacist Month has been observed each October as a chance to celebrate pharmacists and the important role they play every day in the health of individuals and communities.

At Goodness Growth Holdings, pharmacists play a vital role in our mission to help patients access safe, all-natural cannabis-based products in a compassionate, supportive environment. Our pharmacists meet with patients and answer their questions as they navigate using medical cannabis to help with their diagnoses.

This October, we sat down with several of the pharmacists on our team to talk about why they became pharmacists and what it’s like to help patients find relief with cannabis.

Alexa Valentine, Johnson City, NY

Hi! My name is Alexa Valentine, PharmD., and I am a full-time staff pharmacist at Vireo Health in Johnson City, NY. I’m originally from the Syracuse, NY area and now reside in Binghamton, NY.

During my final and experiential year at Albany College of Pharmacy, I chose to complete a rotation at Vireo Health. Shortly after beginning this APPE, I knew that assisting patients in treating their ailments with cannabis is what I wanted to do with my pharmacy career. Of the many opportunities for pharmacists that I encountered, working for Vireo was the only one that made me feel I had a meaningful and direct impact on the well-being of the patients that I worked with. Furthermore, I am delighted by the notion that I am helping to “blaze a trail” in this nascent territory of the medical field. These factors have only compounded my commitment to lifelong learning, which I believe is a necessity to the pharmacy profession, to better serve our patients by furthering my knowledge of medical cannabis from seed to sale and every aspect in between.

Outside the world of medical cannabis, I enjoy spending time with friends and family as well as my two cats Twix and Ambrose. My hobbies include fishing, biking, hiking, playing tabletop and video games with friends.

Karissa Stoyell, NY

Hi there, my name is Karissa Stoyell (but most people call me Kari). I am the district manager for our Vireo New York locations and have been with the company for 5 years. I’m originally from the Syracuse area but moved to Binghamton after accepting the pharmacy manager position at our Johnson City location at the time.

I graduated from the Wegmans School of Pharmacy in Rochester, NY, and post-licensure, started working as a pharmacist in the retail setting. I had worked as both a technician and intern in retail pharmacy, and thought that as a pharmacist, I would be able to truly help patients. It wasn’t until I started working for Vireo that I saw how much of a difference pharmacists could make in patients’ lives by assisting in the selection of medical cannabis products. After seeing my first epileptic patient, whose debilitating symptoms were relieved after medical cannabis use, I knew this was the direction I wanted to take with my career, and never looked back.

Outside of work, I enjoy golfing, making hand-crafted cards, and recently started renovating houses with my husband. We have two dogs, Hank and Roscoe, that love playing fetch and cuddling, so that is what our evenings usually consist of.

Teagen Warrick, Duluth/Hermantown, MN

Hello! My name is Teagen Warrick, and I am currently the pharmacy manager with Green Goods in Hermantown, MN. I have been with Green Goods for over three years now. I am originally from Wisconsin, but now live in Duluth with my wife and two wonderful kitties!

I joined Green Goods upon graduating pharmacy school as I have always been interested in pain management and mental health, both very common reasons for patients to pursue medical cannabis. I enjoy working directly with patients, helping guide them through our assortment of products and making recommendation on what may work well for their condition(s).

When not working, I love to road trip around the country with my wife to our amazing National Parks, and during the winter you can find me snowboarding most days after work at Spirit Mountain in Duluth. Stay frosty (:

Thank you to Alexa, Kari and Teagen for taking the time to share your thoughts with us! And to all pharmacists – thank you for all of your hard work helping your patients!