The big bets 20 pharmacy leaders are making right now
By: Mariah Muhammad
Becker’s asked pharmacy executives from hospitals and health systems, along with academic medical centers and universities across the U.S. to share their most innovative idea they’re bringing to their organization.
The 20 executives featured in this article are all speaking at the Becker’s Healthcare 3rd Annual Fall Chief Pharmacy Officer Summit, from November 4 – 6, 2026 at the Swissotel Chicago.
To learn more about this event, click here.
If you would like to join as a reviewer, contact Mariah Muhammad at mmuhammad@beckershealthcare.com or agendateam@beckershealthcare.com.
As part of an ongoing series, Becker’s is talking to healthcare leaders who will speak at our conference. The following are answers from our speakers at the event.
Question: What is the best new idea you’re bringing to life this year in your organization?
Fatimah Muhammad. Director of 340B Pharmaceutical Services, Specialty Pharmacy, Drug Replacement, and ADM Pharmaceutical Services at Saint Peter’s University Hospital (New Brunswick, N.J.):
This year, I’m bringing to life an idea I’ve championed from the ground up , the launch of Saint Peter’s University Hospital’s first-ever specialty pharmacy, a multimillion-dollar initiative and the first of its kind in New Jersey. This is something I first proposed when I joined Saint Peter’s, and I’ve advocated for it every year since because I believed deeply in its potential to transform our organization. I identified the opportunity, forged the partnership with Clearway Health, and this year it’s finally becoming reality with a targeted opening in the second half of 2026.
For a community hospital like Saint Peter’s, standing up a specialty pharmacy means we can keep high-cost, high-touch therapies within our system, improving access for our most vulnerable patient populations while reinvesting margin back into mission-driven services. What excites me most is that this initiative sits at the intersection of clinical excellence, financial sustainability, and health equity, three pillars I believe every pharmacy leader should be building around simultaneously. At a time when the 340B program is under unprecedented scrutiny and facing proposed policy changes like the rebate model pilot, investing in specialty pharmacy infrastructure is both a strategic imperative and a statement of commitment to the communities we serve.