Becoming a practice administrator wasn’t a career move Eileen Peng, PharmD, ever expected to make. But the chance to build Astera Cancer Care’s onsite pharmacy from the ground up was more than reason enough to make the jump.

“In the hospital setting, I felt so distant from our patients,” Dr. Peng explains. “But in community oncology, we’re alongside our patients through every step of their cancer journey. Patients are always more than just a name on a chart.”

Working more closely with patients than ever before, Dr. Peng came to understand how drug affordability and access issues can harm patients and affect their treatment outcomes. As she built the practice’s new pharmacy, she made it her mission to protect them from such barriers.

As a member of the Community Oncology Alliance’s pharmacist network—the Community Oncology Pharmacy Association (COPA)—Dr. Peng connects with fellow community oncology pharmacists around the country to share practice and advocacy strategies that improve patient care and experiences.

“We’re able to do so much for our patients, but we can’t do it alone,” says Dr. Peng. “The support of the Community Oncology Alliance and COPA make it possible for us and so many other independent providers to always put patients first.”