Pharmacy Perspectives - Graduation 2017 - 3

G R A D UAT I O N 2 0 1 7

FROM
PROBLEM
CHILD TO
ENTREPRENEUR

t's hard to believe that Adam McHenry
was ever a problem child. As an eighth
grader, McHenry was a handful. "I didn't
care if I was in class or not. I hung out with
the wrong crowd," says McHenry.
One day, the school called his parents
and told them that they had not seen him for a
while. "The next month, my parents enrolled me in
a Lutheran school. It turned my life around."
In high school he was introduced to science and
pursued his passion at Metro State University. But
it wasn't easy.
"I took chemistry that first year and failed. I took
it over again and aced it. Then I fell in love with it,"
says McHenry.
He thought about pursuing a PhD, but after
graduation decided to take a job in Alaska where
he worked in a rural clinic and was exposed to

pharmacy. "I didn't have answers and went to Alaska
to find them. This was an opportunity." An opportunity where he discovered a love for patients and
interacting with them.
McHenry returned to Colorado and began working in a compounding pharmacy where he used his
chemistry skills to develop different formulations
for patients, and learned the art of compounding. "I
guess I have an adventurous side that loves to learn
new things, and believe in pursuing everything that
comes your way," says McHenry. Always on the move
with a new idea or adventure, McHenry is not one
to sit still.
His next big idea and opportunity is owning
and building his own compounding facility in
Parker, Colo. McHenry purchased an existing
business, Sky Ridge Compounding Pharmacy,
and is transitioning it to his own operation.
Sky Ridge Pharmacy will soon undergo a name
change to Noble Compounding Pharmacy. Due
to open in May, Noble Compounding Pharmacy
sits at the corner of Parker and Plaza roads. Noble
doesn't market direct to the consumer. His market
niche is developing relationships with providers.
According to McHenry, "It's about building that
trust with the provider and knowing their prescribing patterns."

Adam McHenry at his brand new compounding facility in Parker

"During the last few years, compounding has
gotten a bad name," says McHenry. "Compounding
isn't going away. This is an opportunity to promote
compounding and make it respectable again."
And, McHenry has the drive and passion to do it.

Lauren Kirchner with her dog, Guinness, who alerts her at

night when she's removed her hearing aids and is home alone

Miracle
Ear

an you imagine total silence
or hearing only muffled
conversations? "You adapt,"
says Kirchner. "But there is an
advantage. Patients think I
am really engaging with them
because I am concentrating on
their lips and hearing what they have to say."
And in a career that requires patient interaction, being attentive is a plus.
Kirchner was born hearing impaired with 90%
deficit compared to normal. "My parents didn't
know that I couldn't hear until I was about two or
three years old," says Kirchner.
But even though she's had hearing aids for
most of her life, there is a big difference between
really good ones and those that are not so good.
"For years I could hear maybe one of 10 words

with background noise." About a year and half ago,
Kirchner purchased new aids and it was a "miracle
for my ears." Now, she hears eight out of 10 words
that are said (with background noise.)
Because of her hearing impairment she
thought long and hard about a career in
pharmacy where listening to patients is a
requirement. "I struggled with my decision to
pursue pharmacy. I thought about being on the
phone a lot and the importance of getting every
single detail right. Could I do it?" She toyed with
pursuing accounting, the path her parents took.
"I didn't want to pick a career just because it
would be easy. So, I picked something I wanted
to do," Kirchner recalls.
"I'm proud to be in the medical field," says
Kirchner who will be staying in Colorado and has a
position with Kaiser post-graduation.

www.ucdenver.edu/pharmacy

http://www.ucdenver.edu/pharmacy

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