PITTSBURGH — Rite Aid Corp. pharmacy chief Robert Thompson is slated to deliver the commencement address this weekend at Duquesne University’s Mylan School of Pharmacy graduation ceremony.
Thompson, executive vice president of pharmacy at Rite Aid, is scheduled to speak to the pharmacy college’s class of 2012 graduates on Saturday, May 19. About 190 pharmacy students will be receiving their degrees at the 85th annual event.
At Rite Aid, the nation’s third-largest drug chain with nearly 4,700 stores, Thompson oversees pharmacy operations, including development and implementation of the company’s pharmacy strategy as well as pharmaceutical purchasing, managed care, government affairs, regulatory compliance, pharmacy technology, practice standards and quality assurance.
He has served as Rite Aid’s executive vice president of pharmacy since September 2009, when he was promoted from the post of senior vice president of pharmacy operations. He joined Rite Aid in July 2004 as vice president of pharmacy business development.
A graduate of the University of Georgia College of Pharmacy, Thompson began his career in 1978 as a pharmacist in an independent pharmacy setting before joining Revco Drug Stores. He spent 20 years at Revco, including as including vice president of pharmacy operations for the 2,500-store chain.
Duquesne University, which also has a Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Science, plans a $13 million upgrade of its science and pharmacy laboratories. The project is expected to be completed in three years.
