Adam Silvertown
Founder & CEO, Pace Pharmacy and Compounding Experts
What first inspired you to pursue a career in pharmacy?
I knew I wanted to work in healthcare, but I also always saw myself doing something that involved business and entrepreneurship. Pharmacy felt like the right balance. It allows you to directly help patients while still building, improving, and creating systems that make care better and more accessible. That combination is what drew me in and what has kept me engaged ever since.
What does leadership mean to you in the context of pharmacy?
Leadership means people look to you for guidance, advice, support, or perspective when things are unclear. In pharmacy, that also carries a responsibility to give back to the profession in the same ways others helped you at different stages of your education and career. Whether that’s mentoring, sharing experience, or helping shape better practices, leadership is less about title and more about influence and responsibility.
What’s one belief you hold about pharmacy that more people should adopt?
Just because something has been done a certain way for a long time doesn’t mean it should continue that way. Pharmacy improves when we’re willing to question habits and look for better approaches. Change, evolution, innovation, and continuous improvement are not threats to the profession. They are what keep it relevant.
How are you adapting to changes in the profession?
It’s no secret that technology is advancing quickly and it’s no longer optional to engage with it. The goal isn’t to replace professional judgement but to support it. Using the right tools helps us communicate better, operate more efficiently, and spend more time thinking clinically instead of performing repetitive tasks. Keeping up with technology is really about keeping up with how patients, healthcare, and society itself are evolving.
What’s something you wish you knew earlier in your career?
I wish I had understood the larger influencers of the profession of pharmacy, from pricing to expectations to even regulatory direction. Recognizing that sooner would have helped me navigate decisions with more awareness. It changes how you interpret challenges and where you focus your efforts if you understand the broader forces shaping the environment you’re working in.
Outside of pharmacy, what fills your cup?
My family first, my wife and our two boys. Outside of that, staying active through sports and exercise helps me reset mentally. I feel like I’m always working, 24/7. So being active is one way I keep perspective intact and usually makes me better at what I do, and feel better.
What legacy do you hope to leave in the profession?
I’d like to look back and know I positively influenced at least one meaningful aspect of pharmacy practice. It doesn’t need to be public recognition, or on a large scale. More of a quiet impact where I can recognize it and know it made things better. One of those “if you know, you know” contributions.
What does being an OPA member mean to you?
OPA helps me stay connected to the profession in a practical way. It’s difficult to stay on top of everything happening in pharmacy all the time, and having reliable resources, updates, and support available makes that more manageable. Sometimes it’s about getting answers you’re looking for, and sometimes it’s learning about changes you didn’t even realize were coming.
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