UPPER PENINSULA, Mich. – Aspirus Health is proud to announce that Ryan Greenley, PharmD, has been elected as the President of the Michigan Pharmacists Association (MPA) for its 141st term. As the Manager of Pharmacies for Aspirus Health in the Michigan Region, Ryan’s leadership is a testament to his commitment to pharmacy and patient care.
Ryan’s passion for medicine was ignited at a young age. When he was just 14, his father was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Shortly thereafter, his father participated in an early-stage clinical trial for a medication that would eventually be known as Gleevec (imatinib). This daily pill extended his father’s life, allowing him to witness significant moments in Ryan’s life.
“My father was supposed to be gone before I was 15 and a single pill taken daily allowed him to teach me to drive, to see me graduate, to see me get married, to meet his first grandchild and so many more incredible events,” Greenley said. “The power of medicine could not have been more strongly imprinted on someone than it was on me and as I grew to understand the health care field, I think I was always pulled toward the field which studied and understood the power of those medications best – pharmacy.”
Greenley’s fate in the pharmacy profession was sealed at 17 when he met a young woman named Jill Bianco, whose family were third generation independent pharmacy owners. The two would later marry.
“Her drive for academic excellence demanded that I find enjoyment in studying if I wanted to spend time with her,” he said. “An influence that would pay dividends for years to come in pharmacy school together.”
That drive for excellence has culminated with Greenley becoming the Michigan Pharmacists Association’s 141st president. Greenley will be sworn in early next year. He hopes that during his year as president he can help invigorate others in the profession to discover the power of being an influential member of MPA.
“Unfortunately, the word ‘influencer’ is now more closely associated with social media,” he said. “We have lost the realization of how important our mentors, professional connections and associations are to our lives, careers and profession.
“I challenge you to realize the influence you can have on others beyond your personal contribution to MPA. I challenge you to find the next ‘you,’ to find the next president of MPA, introduce them to the importance of your current activity and help them to see what their future activity can and will create. It only takes one simple meaningful event, one meaningful conversation, one influential moment to create a ripple effect of influence.”
Greenley began his pharmacy career by walking into the local ShopKo Pharmacy, where he asked if he could shadow the pharmacist there while working his way through the pre-med program at Michigan Tech University. The manager asked him to run the cash register regularly and he agreed.
Two years later in 2008, he was accepted into Ferris State University’s pharmacy program. Shortly after, he received a congratulatory phone call from Dave Poirier, who served as MPA’s president in 2001. Poirier asked to meet Greenley in person to discuss the importance of being active and involved in the profession.
At that meeting, Poirier told Greenley joining MPA was the best way for a pharmacy student to be involved and guaranteed he wouldn’t regret becoming a member.
“To say that he was right would be an understatement,” Greenley said. “Nearly my entire career path has been influenced by relationships gained as an active MPA member. Relationships that have earned me mentors, support networks and professional contacts that continue to influence me today. These relationships have offered me the opportunities for promotions within my career, as well as invaluable resources at my fingertips to help me be successful.
“The value that I have personally gained from MPA has been incredible, and I can only hope to return, in some small part, a value back to the MPA by continuing to be an active member.”
Greenley graduated with his Doctor of Pharmacy from Ferris State in 2012 and was also the recipient of MPA Dean’s Professionalism Award. He is currently the regional pharmacy manager for Aspirus Health System.
Greenley previously served on the MPA Local Association Development Committee, MPA Professional Affairs Committee, the Michigan Pharmacy Foundation Board of Trustees, the Michigan Society of Community Pharmacists Board of Directors and the MSCP Member Education and Communication Committee. Greenley also served as president of the MPA Upper Peninsula Division and as a member of the Pharmacy Advocacy Response Team. He was elected to the MPA Executive Board in 2019 and was inducted into the MPA Hall of Honor in 2019.
For Greenley, however, it’s not about the badges, pins or plaques he’s received during his time at MPA.
“Those items are nice because they serve as reminders of the confidence placed in me,” he said. “However, the items from my career that I value the most sit in a folder inside my desk and not on my wall or my coat. They are the letters of gratitude I have received from coworkers and the thank you letters for being a support resource when someone needed it most, even when they did not know until later. Simply, I am most proud of the positive influences I have provided to others, similar to having Dave Poirier push me in the right direction.”
