05/31/2026
Eight years ago, I attended my first IFM event. It was AFMCP 2018 at this very same hotel here in San Diego. I was finishing my Masters of Science in Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine and I got to take AFMCP as an elective credit. The program was amazing, and there were 3 pharmacists included myself in the room. But at one point, there was a slide presented about “The Collaborative Care Team” and notably absent from the table was the pharmacist. I walked up and told the speaker that they might want to addd us to the slide for future presentations, and they enthusiastically agreed and even gave us a shout out from the stage. But that moment planted a seed. I had started in 2017 to bring functional medicine into pharmacy, but first, we needed to bring pharmacists into functional medicine.
I then got to speak with Dr. Luby at the reception that night and excitedly told him about our facebook group with 500 pharmacists and asked how we could get more involved. That then began the discussion of what would become our interprofessional partnership with IFM which was formalized in 2021.
I started attending AIC in 2023 and was so inspired by Sandi Scheinbaum’s talk about the role of health coaches in functional medicine. I thought, “we need to do a talk like that but for pharmacists.”
I applied to speak in 2024 and 2025 but wasn’t accepted. But finally, this year alongside my two dear friends and , our presentation on “The Pharmacist Role in the Functional Medicine Team” was accepted.
This has been my dream for 8 years, and it finally came true. To have 10 amazing (female!) pharmacists in the room to witness it made it even more special. 💞
In this moment, I feel so complete. So proud of all the advocacy and education that we have accomplished over the years. It has truly been a team effort with many conversations at every level, and each of us working in our own unique way to move the profession forward. And now, even a decade into my functional medicine journey, I know we are still just scratching the surface.
There’s never been a better time to join and become a Functional Medicine Pharmacist. 💚
