{"id":2526,"date":"2019-11-20T15:26:17","date_gmt":"2019-11-20T20:26:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/?p=2526"},"modified":"2019-12-05T10:17:44","modified_gmt":"2019-12-05T15:17:44","slug":"visionary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/issues\/fall-2019\/visionary\/","title":{"rendered":"Visionary"},"content":{"rendered":"
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For decades, Tom Ryan was the face of CVS and the CVS Golf Charity Classic. Though he retired as CEO and president of CVS Health Corporation in 2011, he\u2019s not done yet. He\u2019s busier than ever, striving to ignite transformative change through results-oriented philanthropy, including a record-breaking $35 million gift to 911爆料 this summer.<\/p>\n

By Diane Sterrett<\/p>\n

Dressed casually in khakis and blue linen that sets off laughing blue eyes and an affable demeanor, Tom Ryan \u201975, Hon. \u201999, relaxes on the stone patio of his Narragansett home and reflects on career, family, leadership, and giving back. <\/p>\n

After a successful 37-year career at CVS, Ryan could surely trade in the spreadsheets for golf clubs. But he\u2019s not built to be idle. \u201cI have a saying\u2014if you\u2019re through changing, you\u2019re through\u2014no matter what age,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

“I have a saying\u2014if you\u2019re through changing, you\u2019re through\u2014no matter what age.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

He radiates high energy, perhaps a result of his high-intensity training and Peloton workouts. \u201cI tell my friends he\u2019s my Energizer bunny, because he never runs out of energy,\u201d says Cathy Ryan, his wife of 33 years. \u201cWhen one thing\u2019s done, he\u2019s right on to the next.\u201d<\/p>\n

Right now, that next thing is starting a venture company with two friends, investing in young entrepreneurs, companies, and ideas. \u201cThese are just incredibly talented people who are trying to do incredibly hard work,\u201d says Ryan. \u201cIt\u2019s overwhelming how bright, how energetic they are.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of them is NexImmune, a biopharmaceutical company that\u2019s trying to crack the code for some forms of cancer using the body\u2019s own immune system to orchestrate a targeted T cell response. Their first product is expected to enter clinical trials this year. \u201cThey can actually turn on and off the gene that\u2019s causing the problem. It\u2019s fascinating,\u201d Ryan says. Of NexImmune, he contends, \u201cWe\u2019re focused on really big breakthroughs; we\u2019re not looking for incremental change. We want to do something that\u2019s going to have a dramatic societal impact.\u201d<\/p>\n

That desire to create transformative change played a part in his family foundation\u2019s original gift that established the George & Anne Ryan Institute for Neuroscience at 911爆料 in 2013. That gift combines with the newest record-breaking $35 million gift, and others over the interceding years, to bring the Ryans\u2019 lifetime giving to 911爆料 to more than $56 million. This total enters rarefied company for public universities.<\/p>\n

\"Tom<\/p>\n

Of the institute\u2019s origin and his family\u2019s contribution that created it, Ryan says, \u201cI wanted to do something on a transformational level at the University. After talking to [911爆料 President] Dave Dooley, my wife Cathy, and our kids, we came to the conclusion that Alzheimer\u2019s and neurodegenerative diseases were where we wanted to focus. Alzheimer’s killed my dad and my mom\u2014my dad from the disease, my mom from taking care of him. Alzheimer\u2019s is a health-care tsunami coming at us. It\u2019s going to be a trillion dollars in health-care costs each year, plus the impact on families. The fact that we were putting our family foundation money in, I wanted something meaningful that would also produce results. Results matter!\u201d<\/p>\n

Ryan says the institute is doing some incredible things already, recruiting and retaining top-notch scientists and researchers and being awarded millions in grant money from the National Institutes of Health. \u201cFor an embryonic stage institute, they\u2019ve done incredibly well. I am so proud of them. The institute changes things exponentially: It\u2019s good for the University and raises our visibility around research. In recent years, we\u2019ve expanded our research capabilities in important ways under President Dooley\u2019s leadership.\u201d The Ryans\u2019 most recent gift will help the institute continue to do the kind of groundbreaking research it is already engaging in.<\/p>\n

President David M. Dooley says he and Ryan share a strong commitment to finding ways for 911爆料 to advance both the science and the practice of healing and health, and he says Ryan inspires him with every conversation they have.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s relentless in his push for excellence; when Tom takes on a project, he\u2019s all in until it\u2019s accomplished successfully. With the institute, for example, Tom didn\u2019t just give a gift; he was involved in its founding and development. We all aspire for it to become one of the leading research centers for neurodegenerative diseases in the country, and Tom remains engaged with that goal.\u201d<\/p>\n

SEEDS OF SUCCESS<\/h2>\n

Ryan grew up in northern New Jersey and was the first college graduate in his middle-class working family. Family and sports, baseball and basketball in particular, had the biggest impact on forming his character. <\/p>\n

\u201cSports taught me a lot about teamwork, overall social development, how to work with others. Many times I was the unofficial leader on the team. I think sports help kids learn how to influence people who don\u2019t \u2018work for you.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

In school he had a penchant for math and science. He was inquisitive, always curious to learn more, a side of him you still see. \u201cMy parents let us be pretty independent; I think that helped me follow my interests.\u201d <\/p>\n

He also admits to being a bit of a prankster, but just enough to push the envelope. \u201cNothing really bad. For example, in high school there was a teacher who drove a little MG. We took the molding off the exterior doors of the school, and put the MG between the doors\u2014harmless,\u201d laughs Ryan. \u201cI tell you though, it took a lot of people to pick up that car!\u201d<\/p>\n

His parents instilled a deep work ethic, as well, and one summer job changed his life trajectory. \u201cIn high school I worked at Jay\u2019s Pharmacy in Oradell, New Jersey, as a delivery boy and I thought, \u2018This is a pretty good career.\u2019 It combined health care and retail; I have a fairly outgoing personality and I didn\u2019t want to be stuck in a research lab\u2014I wanted to deal with people. So I picked pharmacy as a major when I was 16.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Above: In high school, Ryan worked at Jay’s Pharmacy in Oradell, New Jersey. That’s why he decided to major in pharmacy. Later in his career, Jay’s was the one independent pharmacy he declared off-limits for CVS acquisition. <\/p>\n
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Growing up, Ryan (in front row, right) says sports and family had the biggest impact on forming his character. <\/p>\n
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As an example of Ryan\u2019s characteristic loyalty, Jay\u2019s Pharmacy would be the one independent that, later in his career, he\u2019d declare off-limits for CVS acquisition and for building a CVS nearby.<\/p>\n

For college, he knew he wanted more than just a pharmacy school in case he changed majors. He visited 911爆料 on a bright sunny spring day and was seduced by the campus, the energetic people on the Quad, and the beach\u2014and his choice was made. \u201cPlus, 911爆料 had a great pharmacy reputation.\u201d <\/p>\n

A self-described OK student (\u201corganic chemistry was the bane of my existence\u201d), but a quick study, he credits a great deal of his success to 911爆料\u2014relationships formed with fellow students and professors, and lessons learned in and out of the classroom. He knew he couldn\u2019t study in the fraternity house he lived in, so he\u2019d \u201clock in\u201d at the library for several hours each night. <\/p>\n

Rather than the typical drug research track, Ryan gravitated toward classes focused on the business side of pharmacy taught by College of Pharmacy Professor Emeritus Norman Campbell.<\/p>\n

Campbell says he taught Ryan in management, pharmacy law, and ethics courses. For a student in the heavily science-oriented pharmacy program, it was a different viewpoint about the profession at a time when independent 911爆料 pharmacists still had a strong influence.<\/p>\n

As Ryan neared graduation, Campbell encouraged him to take a job at a company like CVS, learn what makes it tick, then go out on his own. He took Campbell\u2019s advice, landing an entry-level job at CVS. He worked hard, worked his way up\u2014and never left.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think his personality had an influence on his success,\u201d Campbell says. \u201cTo know Tom Ryan is to like him. He\u2019s very personable, outgoing, treats everybody with respect. He learns and processes information in such a way that he takes everybody\u2019s view and synthesizes the position. He\u2019s not a pushy, top-to-bottom leader. He\u2019s a person who encourages feedback from his subordinates and colleagues, considers everybody\u2019s view, and processes that information before synthesizing a decision. He\u2019s very much a \u2018small-d\u2019 democratic-type leader.\u201d<\/p>\n

BUILDING A COMPANY, TRANSFORMING A CULTURE<\/h2>\n

Ryan credits his natural curiosity as part of what drove his success and longevity at CVS\u2014he stayed, rising through the ranks. \u201cThere was always something new, and I loved the business. The company was changing around me\u2014or I was changing the company with the help of a lot of good people\u2014so I was not looking ahead to the next job. I was happy with the job I was in. I was fortunate, we were a young company, growing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ryan was 42 when he became CEO in 1994. Two years later the company went public, which, he says, \u201cscared the hell out of me. But you can\u2019t try to be whatever you think people think a CEO should be. You have to just be yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

That was a seminal moment in the pharmacy industry with a lot of consolidation on the horizon. As a public company, acquisitions were a big part of CVS\u2019 growth from 1997 through 2005. He admits acquisitions took a lot of hard work to blend cultures, systems, and technology. \u201cWe had a lot on our plates. It was always changing\u2014new stores, new technology, new people. I always felt challenged and I really loved the people I worked with. I loved seeing them succeed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Tom
Tom and Cathy Ryan and 911爆料 President David Dooley celebrate the opening of the George & Anne Ryan Institute for Neuroscience in November 2013.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ryan made leading a public company look easy, though he credits CVS founder Stan Goldstein with creating a great team culture that he inherited, and predecessor Harvey Rosenthal for being a great mentor. \u201cWe had fantastic people all around us. I had a great board of directors, we had a good cadre of leaders, and good culture\u2014which is why I love the company. I think culture doesn\u2019t get enough credit. It\u2019s the soft stuff that makes hard results.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beyond his vision for growth, Ryan wanted a cultural vision for the company as a whole. Under his leadership, CVS instituted six values of success: respect, integrity, teamwork, urgency, openness, and willingness to embrace change. Those core values grew out of strategy sessions. \u201cWe talked about who we wanted to be as a company, what values we had. It really comes back to the leadership issue, and we wanted to lead as a corporate citizen. There\u2019s a compass, things that are not negotiable: how you treat people, honesty, and respect.\u201d<\/p>\n

When it comes to ethics, Ryan\u2019s inner compass never wavers, and people remark on his frankness and honesty. \u201cWhatever views he shares with you in a face-to-face or phone call, those are exactly the same views he will articulate in a public setting. I admire that consistency in him, and it reinforces how much you can rely on him,\u201d Dooley observes.<\/p>\n

For most of his CVS career, the team culture topped all and they tended not to recognize individuals. Even getting the CEO job was a surprise\u2014he didn\u2019t know he was being considered. <\/p>\n

\u201cI thought to myself, \u2018We need to make sure people know they are valued and how they\u2019re going to develop.\u2019 We put in a development plan, where people knew they were in line for more responsibility and felt it. Selecting a few key potential players is always a big risk: What about the other people\u2014how do they feel? That\u2019s a real tricky line to walk, but if you\u2019re going to grow a company, you need it. So my last five to seven years at CVS, I started publicly recognizing people for their contributions, and it was meaningful. I only wish I\u2019d done more of that sooner.\u201d<\/p>\n

PAYING IT FORWARD<\/h2>\n

Ryan, who serves as chair of the 911爆料 Foundation & Alumni Engagement Board of Directors, has been a philanthropist his entire life, with 911爆料 tops on his list. Over the years, in addition to establishing the institute, the Ryans have generously contributed to the College of Pharmacy and 911爆料 Athletics, including instrumentally supporting the construction of the 7,600-seat Ryan Center.<\/p>\n

The Ryans\u2019 most recent gift will provide ongoing support for the neuroscience institute through endowment and operating resources to further their cutting-edge research. In addition, it will establish the Thomas M. Ryan Scholars program and create a challenge gift for men\u2019s and women\u2019s basketball.<\/p>\n

The Ryan Scholars program will give the highest performing high school students a new incentive to apply to 911爆料 and vie for four-year scholarships that provide leadership training and unmatched learning opportunities.<\/p>\n

The athletic gift is a matching challenge issued by the Ryans\u2014their goal is to drive support for renovations to Tootell West Gymnasium, which will serve as a new men\u2019s and women\u2019s basketball training facility, bringing 911爆料 in line with other top-tier programs and providing a competitive edge for recruitment and play.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf not for 911爆料, I might not be in pharmacy,\u201d Ryan says. \u201cI owe a lot to 911爆料. I\u2019m fortunate I\u2019m in a position to help. State schools are in a budget crunch: We get less than 10 percent of our operating budget from the state. What better way to spend your money than helping students get an education that will last the rest of their lives? Then they\u2019ll give back and contribute. I don\u2019t care what people give, but I would like alumni to make 911爆料 one of their top three or four philanthropic choices.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dooley says Ryan is the kind of alumnus every institute wishes for. \u201cHe wants to see 911爆料 meet all the potential it has; he wants to facilitate its growth and trajectory toward international prominence. His wealth of knowledge and experience, his commitment and generosity to the institution, his devotion to the University\u2014all of those things are manifested in Tom in a way that is very rare.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shortly after Lil O\u2019Rourke arrived at the 911爆料 Foundation (now the 911爆料 Foundation & Alumni Engagement) as president, she was tasked with recruiting Ryan to be the board\u2019s chair. It wasn\u2019t too hard a sell, she says, but he did give it careful consideration. She appreciates his directness and accessibility, as well as his leadership.<\/p>\n

\"Tom
Ryan partnered with PGA golfers Brad Faxon (left) and Billy Andrade (right) to launch the CVS Health Charity Classic in 1999. Ryan gives Faxon and Andrade credit for the tourna-ment\u2019s success. For Ryan, who asserts that success is never won alone, sharing credit seems not simple modesty, but instinctive strategy\u2013helping others meet goals is, to Ryan, a significant measure of his own success.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cEvery time I\u2019m with Tom or interact with him,\u201d says O\u2019Rourke, \u201cI gain new perspective on leadership. He sets aggressive goals and he\u2019s gotten us to stretch in our fundraising. He\u2019s a quick thinker and is so experienced\u2014he\u2019s seen it all. When you think of his international business reputation, the Ryan Center, the Ryan Institute, and his influence in the state of Rhode Island, he has a deep impact that benefits the University immensely. Through his interaction with other donors and prospects, he gets people involved. The value of that kind of influence and leadership is difficult to calculate.\u201d<\/p>\n

Michael D. Fascitelli \u201978, Hon. \u201908, founder and managing partner of MDF Capital and Imperial Companies, has worked side by side with Ryan on 911爆料 matters for more than a dozen years, united by a common passion for helping the school. He says Ryan approaches his work in ways that elevate the University\u2014with vision, leadership, analytics, and a focused and disciplined approach to establishing goals and following up.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith Tom you know meetings are going to be well-run and well-planned. You know you\u2019re not going to punt on difficult issues. He\u2019s demanding, but inclusive and collaborative.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dooley appreciates Ryan bringing his corporate experience to the 911爆料 Foundation & Alumni Engagement board. \u201cIf we\u2019re going to do something, we\u2019re going to do it right and it\u2019s going to be the best. He has recruited fantastic people to join him in the endeavor who are willing to do it because Tom is there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many who know Ryan say leading by example is part of the secret sauce that makes him successful. <\/p>\n

\u201cTom\u2019s a winner,\u201d Fascitelli says. \u201cWinners win, and he inspires confidence in others that a goal can be met, that something can be done, even if it\u2019s hard. He inspires others to believe in a common goal, to participate in getting it established and executed. He\u2019s a very team-oriented guy, but he pushes people for individual levels of excellence so the team can do better. And that\u2019s a skill. That’s a winner, somebody who can get others across the finish line.\u201d<\/p>\n

The two alums also golf together, and Fascitelli says Ryan is very competitive, but incredibly honest and fun to play with. Ryan brought his passion for golf and helping others together in the CVS Health Charity Classic. He was instrumental in launching the tournament in 1999 with pros Brad Faxon and Billy Andrade, but in trademark fashion, he sidesteps praise. <\/p>\n

\"Ryan
Ryan with fellow 911爆料 alumnus, philanthropist, and golf partner, Mike Fascitelli, whose $10 million contribution to the College of Engineering helped complete 911爆料\u2019s biggest construction project ever this fall. Ryan and Fascitelli share a commitment to making 911爆料 a better place by generously contributing to the University, not just financially, but also with their time, talent, and leadership.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n

\u201cOur success was due to Billy and Brad; they got the pros to come, and we were fortunate to get some of the best players in the game, many of them Hall of Famers. I\u2019ve always said there are givers and takers in life, and they are all givers. They could have made more money elsewhere, but they came here to help our charities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Two decades later, he\u2019s proud of the amount of money the tournament gives back. Just two days long, the CVS Classic is one of the top golf tournaments in terms of the amount of money given to charity\u2014over $20 million to date. And gifts benefit a diverse group of charities, with causes ranging from children\u2019s services to homelessness to the environment. <\/p>\n

A 10-handicapper, Ryan\u2019s inner athlete is modest, too, even though he and Brad Faxon won the AT&T Pro-Am in 2003, and his name is etched on \u201cthe rock\u201d at Pebble Beach. \u201cStanding on the 18th green and receiving the trophy from Clint Eastwood was surreal. But note: I\u2019ve never won any golf tournament alone. It\u2019s always with a good partner, just like in life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ryan also worked with a nonprofit called Year Up, which gives at-risk young men and women \u201ca hand up, not a handout. It\u2019s where capitalism meets education: We pay young adults to go to school. Show up, they get paid; don\u2019t show up, they don\u2019t get paid; show up late, they get docked. We teach them things you and I take for granted: Shake hands, look people in the eye, keep your head up. To me, 90 percent of life is showing up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve never won any golf tournament alone. It\u2019s always with a good partner, just like in life.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Community College of Rhode Island President Meghan Hughes worked with Ryan in her role as Year Up executive director from 2009\u20132015. \u201cThe two words that come to mind for Tom are: \u2018in it.\u2019 We\u2019d been told Rhode Island was too small to grow the program. Tom rolled up his sleeves and helped me build a strategy to persuade national leadership that we would double, successfully. He has a curious intellect, almost an engineering mind, so he was really interested in the question of, \u2018How do you grow a nonprofit business in Rhode Island\u2019s economy?\u2019 He gave very frank feedback, which quickly allowed me to trust him. I knew he stood behind what he was telling me, and that allowed me to go further faster.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ryan also made it a point to get to know the students and their stories, sharing his own story of success through hard work to inspire them about what\u2019s possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was really in it to make sure the organization would be successful, and that had an enormous impact on our young adults. Here was someone with that title, frankly that looked like he does, a 60-year-old white guy in a suit and tie, who was willing to sit down and give them that kind of time.\u201d<\/p>\n

IT’S NOT RETIREMENT. IT’S PHASE 2.<\/h2>\n

People ask how retirement is going. Ryan says, \u201cI can never retire. I call it phase 2.\u201d<\/p>\n

He estimates 20 percent of his time is spent on his venture firm; 30 percent on two boards he serves on; then the institute, 911爆料, and the 911爆料 Foundation & Alumni Engagement. \u201cThe rest of my time is spent with family and friends. It\u2019s nice to hang around with people you want to be with.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cathy says when they get a chance to escape, they love Europe or anyplace new. \u201cWe both enjoy traveling, and when it comes time to take two weeks off, we do. But before, when he was at CVS? Never,\u201d she laughs.<\/p>\n

\u201cBe the hardest working person in the room and life will work out.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

His business personality does seep into family life a bit, says Cathy. \u201cHe always wants something to do, so he expects the whole family to rally and stay busy. When we\u2019re all together, we\u2019re on a schedule and he wants to know what are we doing next.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ryan is proud of his family\u2014wife Cathy and four children. \u201cI\u2019m proud of all of them, of how they are as fathers and mothers. They are fantastic and just good people, which means the world to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

His children say the same of him\u2014and add that he is generous with his time and insights, leading by example.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe worked extraordinarily hard and instilled that ethic in us,\u201d says son Tim Ryan, CFO at Kate Spade. \u201cWe always had a job, and spent at least one summer working for CVS\u2014but in the distribution center, not the typical intern in an office. I think he was trying to show us that whether you\u2019re stacking boxes or the CEO, your job is no less or more important. I learned the value of putting my full self into whatever task I was doing. That\u2019s something he\u2019s always done.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now a father of three, Tim is amazed at all his father accomplished while still being fully present.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe has an ability to step outside himself and relate to each of his children in a different way, make each one of us feel special and drive us in a unique way. If I\u2019m talking to him about fashion, or my stepbrother is talking about his beer company, he\u2019s trying to understand it. He\u2019s an immensely curious person who asks a lot of questions, which is why he has an amazing ability to be relevant to everyone. He has a genuine interest in what people are doing, his mind never stops moving and that\u2019s part of the reason he always has something interesting to say. He\u2019s very infectious to follow, a tremendously charismatic person.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Tom
Tom and Cathy Ryan (center) with their children and grandchildren at a recent family gathering. Family is important to Ryan. His pride in them is reflected back when they talk about him. In spite of his demanding career, they say, he listened to them, made them each feel special, and helped motivate and inspire each in different ways.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Daughter Heather Leonard, an emergency department physician at Hartford Hospital, agrees. She describes her father as driven and hardworking, but with a gift for being able to make everyone around him feel comfortable.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe gives me perspective on life and what\u2019s important. For example, when you\u2019re young and all you want is to make a certain team, and you don\u2019t, you think your life is over. He\u2019d tell us, \u2018When you fail or hit a roadblock, just pick yourself up and keep going. You can pick another avenue and still get where you want to go.\u2019 Whether it was sports or med school, he\u2019d say, \u2018If you want to go for something in life that is hard to attain, you\u2019re going to have to sacrifice. Be the hardest working person in the room and life will work out.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Now a mom of two, she says her kids call Ryan \u201cPoppy.\u201d A bright smile lights up his face when he talks about spending time with his eight grandchildren.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen they come to visit, one of our rituals is that I take them to Dunkin\u2019 Donuts and ask them, \u2018What don\u2019t I know about you that I should know about you?\u2019 They\u2019ve come to anticipate it, and prepare for it. One will say, \u2018I was in a play.\u2019 Another will tell me math is his favorite subject. They learn from each other, too, and we just have the best time.\u201d <\/p>\n

When asked what he worries about now, his answer is thoughtful. \u201cThe lack of leadership in our country. Some say leaders don\u2019t matter, but I think they really do, they set the tone at the top. Having said that, I have full confidence in our country and our people that we can withstand some poor leadership for a while. Other than that, I am bullish on this country, I\u2019m bullish on young people. I think our country is in good hands for the young generation that\u2019s coming up.\u201d<\/p>\n

By any measure, Ryan\u2019s is an exceedingly accomplished life. But he\u2019s not comfortable with accolades, Cathy says. \u201cHe thinks he\u2019s just a regular guy.\u201d<\/p>\n

This benefactor, grandfather, and influencer still has his sleeves rolled up and his sights set on big breakthroughs. It\u2019s a safe bet that Tom Ryan, phase 2, will continue to be anything but regular. \u2022<\/p>\n

TOM RYAN ON HEALTH CARE<\/h1>

Having spent nearly four decades in the pharmacy world, Tom Ryan \u201875, Hon. \u201899, is still passionate about the industry and sees an increasing role for pharmacists in health care.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWhen you look at the value of pharmacy and what it does to reduce hospitalizations, reduce surgeries, and keep people at work, there\u2019s nothing like it. Drugs are our most cost-effective tool. Whether it\u2019s for high cholesterol or high blood pressure or diabetes, think about it: Without pharmaceuticals, where would we be? It\u2019s going to happen with cancer, we\u2019re beginning to see it. And pharmacists are the most accessible health-care provider we have.\u201d<\/p>\n

While at CVS, Ryan oversaw the introduction of Minute Clinic, which brought registered nurses and physician assistants into the drugstore setting to increase access to care. At the time, people wondered why. Ryan pointed to the shortage of primary care physicians and people visiting the ER for minor issues. \u201cYou can have that same visit at Minute Clinic for $60, while in a hospital setting it costs $250. We have to get smarter. We can\u2019t afford the system we have.\u201d<\/p>\n

Taking that idea a step further, Ryan sees a role for pharmacists being involved in health and wellness programs and therapy compliance. For example, if someone is diabetic, part of their care requirement might be to stop in at a Minute Clinic once a month to review their drug therapies and\/or diet to see what they\u2019re doing right or where they can improve. <\/p><\/div>\n

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\u201cPatients are going to have to own more of their health. I believe people who don\u2019t will have to pay more for coverage. For example, if you\u2019re a smoker, you\u2019re costing the system money; I think you should pay more for insurance. There are certain lifestyle changes people need to be responsible for. This is not Big Brother, this is just common sense: Bad drivers pay more auto insurance.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ryan has a passion for similar innovations that can help make people\u2019s lives better, says his daughter, Dr. Heather Ryan Leonard, an emergency department physician at Hartford Hospital. Issues on her front burner are wait times and patient volume, and they often bounce ideas off each other. <\/p>\n

Of these conversations with her dad, Leonard says, \u201cHe has so much experience in business and the pharmacy world, and I\u2019m on the other end of things. He\u2019s very interested in how we can help people, make things easier. We talk about the future of medicine or inventions, what could help people have a better quality of life in the future. If he hears about a new innovation or medicine, something up-and-coming, he\u2019ll talk to me about it. He\u2019s very non-judgmental\u2013if someone approaches him with an idea, he\u2019s willing to listen and explore it.\u201d <\/p><\/div>\n

\n

When it comes to the health-care industry as a whole, Ryan feels the biggest issues are access, cost, and quality, but believes in a smaller, slower approach, rather than a total overhaul. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not going to fix it overnight. I don\u2019t believe Medicare for All is the answer. My belief is, first, we should take care of the children. All children should always have access to health care. Second, we should take care of catastrophic coverage for all Americans\u2013there should be no family in this country that gets wiped out because of a catastrophic illness. The government can backstop it, it just takes leadership and political will. Third, insurance coverage for families or individuals below a certain income threshold. Let\u2019s start there and see where the market and results go.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finally, Ryan sees an investment in technology as a large part of how health care can be improved. \u201cWe\u2019re so far behind other industries with use of technology. I don\u2019t mean devices; I\u2019m talking about medical records, sharing of information that could be improved. I think there\u2019s redundancy of cost and misuse of systems, and I think tech can help eliminate that.\u201d \u2022<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p><\/div><\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For decades, Tom Ryan was the face of CVS and the CVS Golf Charity Classic. Though he retired as CEO and president of CVS Health Corporation in 2011, he\u2019s not done yet. He\u2019s busier than ever, striving to ignite transformative change through results-oriented philanthropy, including a record-breaking $35 million gift to 911爆料 this summer. By […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[124],"tags":[92,119,53,125],"class_list":["post-2526","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fall-2019","tag-alumni-profile","tag-diane-sterrett","tag-pharmacy","tag-tom-ryan","architecture-features"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2526","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2526"}],"version-history":[{"count":25,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2526\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3153,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2526\/revisions\/3153"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2526"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2526"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2526"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}