Fixing Gaps, Advancing Pharmacy - Interview with Dr. Anthony Morreale: Pharmacy Leader, Consultant, and retired VA Pharmacist

During our conversation, Anthony Morreale, PharmD shares lessons from his remarkable 40-year career in pharmacy, including decades of leadership with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Dr. Morreale reflects on how curiosity, flexibility, and teamwork helped him identify and fill healthcare gaps, launch clinical pharmacy programs, and mentor future leaders. He discusses the growing importance of informatics, data-driven decision-making, and advanced therapeutics in shaping the future of pharmacy. Now a consultant and expert witness, Dr. Morreale continues to "fix gaps" by applying clinical insight to complex medical-legal cases. His story offers inspiration and practical wisdom for pharmacists at every career stage.

 

To learn more about Dr. Morreale, visit www.morrealeconsulting.com or connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthony-morreale-b8753635/ 

 

Special thanks to Dr. Pam Schweitzer for nominating Dr. Anthony Morreale as a guest.

 

Bio (October 2025) - Anthony P. Morreale, PharmD., MBA, BCPS, FASHP, CPEL

 

Dr. Morreale has demonstrated his professionalism and expertise as a clinician, manager and leader in pharmacy since his pharmacy career began in 1983. He has over 20 years of direct patient care experience as a clinical pharmacist in both acute and ambulatory care. In addition, he has decades of experience as a pharmacy manager, leader and executive. Dr. Morreale is board certified in pharmacotherapy and has been recognized by the American Society of Health System Pharmacists as a Certified Pharmacy Executive Leader. Dr. Morreale has been engaged as a business consultant, quality reviewer for standards of practice, and has served as an expert in medical legal cases. Dr. Morreale has expert knowledge and experience in nearly all areas of pharmacy practice including but not limited to:

 

•  Regulatory, operational and clinical pharmacy standards of practice for large health systems.

•  Drug absorption, metabolism, excretion, outcomes, and adverse effects of both pharmaceuticals and street drugs.

•  Application of patient genomics to therapeutic response and toxicities of various medications.

 

Dr. Morreale retired in October 2024 from his role as Associate Chief Consultant for Clinical Pharmacy Services and Policy for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Pharmacy Benefits Management (PBM) in VA Central Office, where he oversaw national clinical pharmacy services, policy development, pay, recruitment, retention and legislation. He also has significant experience in Health Outcomes Research. Dr. Morreale is a highly experienced speaker both nationally and internationally and is very comfortable delivering understandable and succinct messages to various audiences. Dr. Morreale has authored or co-authored over 90 articles, has served on editorial boards, and as a reviewer on a number of professional journals.  He has been actively involved in leadership roles within many pharmacy organizations both nationally and internationally.

 

Dr. Morreale is the recipient of numerous awards including- ASHP Best Practice Award, ASHP Literature award for innovation, VA Under-Secretary's Innovation Award, JMCP Quality Reviewer Award for Accuracy, San Diego Society Pharmacist of the Year, California Michelotti Public Health Prize, the AMCP Avey Award, and most recently the APhA Distinguished Federal Pharmacist Award in 2018, and the ASHP Award for Excellence in 2020 and the ASHP Best Practice Award 2024. 

 

Links from this episode

Dr. Morreale's Website www.morrealeconsulting.com 

Dr. Morreale on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthony-morreale-b8753635/

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs https://www.va.gov/

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