For Duquesne University alumna Renee Richardson, Pharm.D. (P’03), the journey to her fulfilling career in pharmacy was guided by a deep-rooted desire to help people and make a positive impact on her community. Drawing strength from her interactions with others, Richardson’s passion for health care and community service has led her to excel in her field and carve out her own unique career path as a pharmacist.
“I always knew that I wanted to work with people. I love helping and teaching people,” she recalled.
It was a family friend, a school nurse, who recommended she explore the field of pharmacy. Intrigued by the blend of math, science and health, Richardson was drawn to this career path.
“I saw that pharmacy was an accessible profession that combined a lot of the subjects I enjoyed most and it still allowed me to help people.”
CHOOSING DUQUESNE
During her college search, Richardson visited several colleges, but it was Duquesne University that captured her attention. Located just far enough from her hometown of Vandergrift, Pa., to allow her to spread her wings, yet close enough to maintain strong family connections. Duquesne’s beautiful, private campus felt like a world of its own within the lively city of Pittsburgh. The personalized attention she received during her visit, including the one-to-one conversations with student ambassadors, made her and her family feel valued and welcomed.
At Duquesne, Richardson’s passion for community service continued to blossom.
“As a student, I was able to go out into underserved communities, offering health care screenings, bringing access to care to the patients, counseling on test results and interacting with the community. Being able to do this work at Duquesne helped to prepare me.”
It was this experience, as well as service projects, that helped shape her understanding of the importance of accessibility and representation in health care.
COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS
After graduating, Richardson joined the Giant Eagle Pharmacy team, a move that provided her with numerous opportunities for growth and leadership. By speaking up and passionately involving herself in a new role as the senior manager of pharmacy community relations where she actively works to build connections between the company, neighborhoods and organizations with health and wellness-aligned missions.
One example includes working locally with the Black Equity Coalition. Richardson and her team help expand vaccine access into communities—ensuring people are able to understand and receive vaccines. Her team also educates community members on topics such as familiarizing students with the benefits of a pharmacy career path; STEM-related activities; drug take-back programs; ways to handle a drug overdose and proper medication disposal.
Richardson knows building relationships is vital for creating better health outcomes.
“Having team members who relate to the communities they serve fosters trust and empowers patients to take charge of their health.”
GIVING BACK
Beyond her work in the pharmacy industry, Richardson is an active member of the Allegheny Pharmacists
Association (ACPA), where she has held several leadership roles, including treasurer and most recently as the newly elected president.
Her dedication to the pharmacy field extends beyond her daily responsibilities, as she frequently visits her alma mater, engaging with new pharmacy students and helping them understand the many traditional and non-traditional paths of pharmacy from research and industry to the field of pharmacy law, to name a few. Richardson also presents on the topic of social determinants of health to students preparing to embark on their final year of pharmacy practice experiences.
“Renee goes beyond just presenting the information and effectively engages the students, promoting an active learning environment where students can thoughtfully reflect and share their ideas on the subject,” said Thomas J. Falcione, RPh, P’86, director of experiential education for the School of Pharmacy.
PERSONAL IMPACT
Balancing her career, community work—including currently running for her local school board—and personal life as a wife and mother of three boys, Richardson finds joy and excitement in spending time with her husband and sons.
“With our children’s sporting events we get to spend time watching them as well as socializing with friends and family,” she said. “Having a really supportive husband, I’m able to do a lot of the things I enjoy and be with the people that make me the happiest, my family.”
Jacob Betzner 