Teamwork is important. We know it. Through extensive clinical research and years of experience, we’ve determined the most important aspect in achieving positive health outcomes is an open working relationship between patient, provider and pharmacy. That’s what we do.
To our staff, working at Apex is more than just a job. Each and every member of our team is dedicated to helping our patients improve their quality of life – and to saving our providers hours and hours of administrative work getting specialty medications approved, so they can do the same. Meet the team that makes this happen.
Darren received his Pharm. D. from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and has over 20 years pharmacy experience. Darren runs his business the way he runs his life – with loyalty and integrity. He is a devoted husband and father, and avid sports fan. In his free time, you can find Darren out on the golf course, playing a Wednesday night softball game or cheering on the KC Royals.
Adam received his Pharm. D. from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and is AAHIVM certified, specializing in HIV care. Read more about his dedication to HIV/AIDS medicine by clicking here. His quiet, yet compassionate demeanor makes Adam a trusted partner among patients, friends and family. Adam enjoys spending time with his wife and 2 children… And is quite the chef, when he has the time!
Pete has nearly 45 years of healthcare industry experience. Prior to partnering with Adam and Darren, he worked in insurance, owned a pharmacy benefits management company, mail-order pharmacy and HIV specialty pharmacy. Though not a pharmacist, his hard-work, innovation and perseverance have made him successful in several pharmacy endeavors throughout the years.
Anitra received her Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and brings with her over 12 years of retail and corporate pharmacy experience. Though she describes herself as busy, her patients find her to be patient, compassionate, informative and thorough. When she’s not at work, Anitra is on the move – with her family, her adorable, yet mischievous puppy or taking Zumba classes.
Abby’s motto :: If it’s not moving, monogram it.
A son of a pharmacist, Doug grew up helping his dad around the family’s independent retail pharmacy dusting shelves, stocking the pop cooler and making deliveries. However, he did manage to learn a bit about the business of pharmacy as well, some of it thanks to a couple of pharmacy students he worked with, namely Darren Lea and Adam Emo. Before coming to Apex, Doug amassed work experience in medical sales, pharmacy benefits, medication therapy management and employer sponsored health plans – all of which have proved useful in leading Apex’s operational and sales efforts.
When he’s not on Twitter (he has a slight problem – ask Abby), he’s probably obsessively reading up on all things Liverpool Football Club-related or out hitting golf balls.
Alissa has been with Apex from the very beginning, bringing with her a background in retail pharmacy and Medication Therapy Management. Her dedication to patients and relationships with providers make Alissa an integral part of the Apex team. Her willingness to go ‘above-and-beyond’ is unrivaled. Though she can rarely be found outside of her cube, she enjoys supporting Sporting KC and spoiling her cat, Romy.
She describes herself as ‘nutty,’ but we find her to be endearing.
Bob does it all. Literally. He has a Bachelors of Science in Chemistry and an MBA and brings with him industry knowledge from education to insurance to human resources to home health. He keeps Apex running and ensures that our patients medications are delivered on time, every time. Dependable is an understatement when it comes to Bob. And with his quick wit, he keeps us laughing every day.
When Bob isn’t tracking packages on Fedex.com, he enjoys music composition and remastering.
Danielle comes from a long line of pharmacists – quite honestly, pharmacy runs in her blood. With a dual degree in pharmacology and business from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, she brings to Apex vast clinical knowledge and business savvy. Our first sales representative, Danielle is responsible for significant corporate growth and forging lasting partnerships with our providers. She is smart, hard-working, intuitive, loyal, sassy – and one of the most fun people to be around.
Fun fact :: Danielle jumped out of the 2nd plane she ever boarded.
No one is more dedicated to our patients and providers than Brent. He would probably sleep at Apex if we didn’t kick him out each night. Brent came to Darren, Adam and Pete with his laptop, an unrivaled knowledge in the specialty pharmacy industry and utter dedication to patients and providers. And he has worked tirelessly to grow the business and continue to strengthen our business and patient relationships. When Brent is forced to stop working, he enjoys spending time with his family or cheering on Sporting KC from the sidelines.
Hide your peanut butter… Brent has been known to steal your jar eat it on anything!
Kelli started her nursing career in Nebraska working on the mother/baby floor and NICU – and loved every minute of it! Now that she has 2 young daughters, she’s transitioned to taking care of patients over the phone. Taking care of things (and people) is what Kelli does – her husband and daughters, their busy life… and our patients. And she does it all, very well.
Sunshine on a cloudy day? Not for Kelli! She loves rainy, cool, cloudy, dreary days!
In the pharmacy world, Julia has done it all – retail, compounding, long-term care, specialty. If you’ve filled a prescription at Apex, chances are Julia scheduled it. She works with our patients to get them what they need when they need it – and based on oodles of unsolicited feedback, our patients adore her! Working for and with people that truly care about her and her daughter is Julia’s favorite part about working at Apex.
Julia loves learning useless facts and trivia… if she wasn’t shy around strangers, she’d probably be on a game show!
The saying goes that laughter is sometimes the best medicine. If there’s any truth in those words, Apex has very healthy employees and patients. Pragathi keeps the entire office laughing, mainly because she can’t stop laughing herself. She takes her job seriously but even our patients can’t help but smile when she calls them. She loves the relaxed environment at work but gets greater satisfaction out of being part of a team that works hard to go the extra mile for each and every patient.
Between fits of laughter Pragathi is likely daydreaming about mounds and mounds of hot french fries or the the Ashram yoga studio she’d like to own in Portland one day.
Becca comes to us with 6 years of social work experience at the University of Kansas Hospital and as a Ryan White Case Manager at the Kansas City CARE Clinic. ‘Access to care’ is what she’s about. With her determination and resourcefulness, she provides patients access to expensive specialty medications they would otherwise be unable to afford – improving their quality of life (and often leading to a cure!). She makes a difference in the lives of others. Every. Single. Day.
To relieve stress, Becca enjoys Crossfit (and has met some awesome people at the gym)!
You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who works harder than Dawn. She brings years of pharmacy experience to our intake team – gets the ball rolling for our patients, manages the fax queue and verifies patient coverage (among lots of other things!). Her favorite part of working at Apex is the atmosphere. Each and every day she comes to work with a positive, get-it-done attitude… and you better believe she gets it done.