Rafael Saenz, PharmD, MS, FASHP

Rafael received his Doctor of Pharmacy Degree from the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Pharmacy, and his Masters of Science in Health System Pharmacy Administration from the University of Wisconsin while completing his residency in Health System Pharmacy Administration from the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics. He has held progressive leadership roles in large, complex health systems, including managing centralized operations, clean room, and decentralized clinical services at UPMC; leading the pharmacy enterprise and business development as Chief Pharmacy Officer at the University of Virginia; and overseeing nationwide, multidisciplinary teams as Chief Operations Officer for the American Pharmacists Association. Most recently, Rafael served as the Chief Executive Officer for the National Hispanic Medical Association.

With a significant background in Lean-Six Sigma, Rafael has utilized his expertise to solve complex problems and create deviation-free, high quality, consistent operations that bring value to health systems and safe, quality care to patients. He has a robust background in supply chain and clean room operations and has engaged in projects aimed at mitigating drug shortages, minimizing drug waste, and creating flexible work processes that optimize limited resources domestically and internationally. Lastly, Rafael has a deep passion for advocacy and education. He has served as member and Chair of the Virginia Board of Pharmacy and has held multiple appointments with National Pharmacy Organizations. He continues to foster his passion by forming meaningful connections with those he works with and approaches teaching and learning with deep humility and patience. Throughout his career, Rafael has successfully developed and accredited 3 different leadership and management residencies at large academic centers and has personally trained over 50 pharmacy leaders who currently serve in leadership roles across the country.