Beyond the Mic: Jim Jorgenson on Leadership, Purpose, & Legacy

SPEAKER_1 (0:01)

Welcome to the Pharmacy Innovators Podcast brought to you by Vsant. We talk with forward thinking leaders who are reimagining what's possible in health system pharmacy. Each episode delivers timely insights to help health systems optimize performance and transform health care through pharmacy.

Jim Jorgenson (0:17)

Welcome to the podcast. You know, this is usually where I say, and I'm your host, Jim Jorgenson, but not today. Today I'm actually the guest. You know, as they say, all good things must come to an end. And after 10 great years leading Vissande, three of which also included hosting this podcast, I'm officially retiring.

You know, it has been an absolute honor and a privilege to support so many friends and colleagues across the country as they work to advance pharmacy services and also to meet so many dynamic and innovative leaders on the podcast that I likely would otherwise not have crossed paths with. You know, I'm extremely grateful for all the opportunities afforded me at Vissande.

I'm also excited that this podcast is going to be continuing with new hosts, Steve Rau and Alex Varkey. So gentlemen, without further ado, the microphone is yours.

Steve Rau (1:08)

Thank you, Jim. Appreciate that introduction about the evolution of our podcast. And on behalf of myself and Alex, I just want to say what an honor it is for the two of us to be able to follow in your footsteps as co-hosting. It takes two of us to fill the job you did as one person. But honestly, you are, past four decades, one of the greatest leaders and innovators in our profession, incredibly well-respected for your integrity as well. And a lot of people are going to miss you. And Alex, I will do our best to fill your shoes. But really looking forward to today because not only are you an innovator and leader, you are one of the great storytellers of our profession. So I look forward to hearing some of your experiences and stories and hopefully sharing some laughter over the next hour or so.

So I think I would like to dive in with the first question, going back to your humble beginnings. If you could tell us a little bit about how pharmacy found you.

Jim Jorgenson (2:07)

Yeah, I grew up in a small town right up at the Minnesota border with Canada, about as far north as you can get and still be in the US.

A very small town. And we had a critical access hospital with no pharmacy services, but we had four independent retail pharmacies, which also covered the hospital.

I think, you know, just looking at how respected and influential the pharmacists were in our community, not only providing medical care, but also with civic involvement, it really made an impression on me. And, you know, we didn't have any pharmacists in the family or even friends that were pharmacists, but, you know, it came time for me to decide what I wanted to do. I definitely had an aptitude for science and math, and I loved working with people. So looking at the persona that those pharmacists projected, I thought this might be a really good fit for me. So that's kind of how pharmacy found me.

Steve Rau (2:57)

Thanks. And then, you know, you get into the profession, you went to pharmacy school, you did some residency training, but looking back, you know, on your 40 plus year career, who served as the most important mentors for you? Who would you say deserves the most credit for your success over your career?

Jim Jorgenson (3:14)

Oh, gosh, I've had so many great people help me over the course of my career. I would not be even close to where I am right now without all that support, but probably my core group of mentors. I'll start with the leadership team at United Children's Hospital in St. Paul, Minnesota, where I did my residency. Jim Herrick was the director of pharmacy there. Hank Blussenbach and Vangren led clinical services, and Dick Haight and Gene Torbert led operations. And they spent an awful lot of time with me during the two years that I was a resident there. And then throughout the course of my career, they've all been available whenever I needed anything. So fantastic group. And then Jim and Dave did their training at the University of Wisconsin, and one of their mentors was Dave Zills. So kind of by default, they became my residency grandfather, if you will. And I've stayed connected with Dave for the rest of my career. And in fact, Dave served on my Visa on board of directors.

And then when I took my first director's job with the Sisters of St. Francis in Hammond, Indiana, which is about 20 minutes south of Chicago, Bob Bogash was retired then, but he was living in the Chicago area. And Bob had been the longtime director of pharmacy at Lonex Hill Hospital in New York City, also the third SHP president. And Bob still liked to stay connected with the pharmacy world. So once a month, Bob would come down and have lunch with me, and we just talked pharmacy and I could pick Bob's brain.