Interview with Norrie Thomas

Abstract

Norrie Thomas was born in Detroit, Michigan but grew up in Rochester, Minnesota. She completed two years at a junior college in Rochester and transferred to the University of Minnesota in 1971. She earned her bachelor’s in pharmacy in 1976. She worked as a staff pharmacist at Saint Mary’s Hospital and the Mayo Clinic before returning to the University of Minnesota as a graduate student. She earned her master’s and doctorate in pharmacy administration in 1980 and 1983, respectively. She made important strides in developing the field of pharmacy benefit management (PBM) over the course of her career, co-founding one of the first PBM companies, Clinical Pharmacy Advantage, in 1990. Over the course of her career, Dr. Thomas has held senior management positions at all of the following companies: MedCenters Health Plans, Aetna, McKesson, PCS, Eli Lilly, St. Jude Medical, Schering-Plough, and Magellan Health Services. She also helped establish the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy. From 2009 to 2010, Dr. Thomas served as an adjunct professor at the University, coordinating Dialogues in Managed Care Pharmacy Leadership, which sought to highlight leadership within the pharmacy profession. She currently serves president and managing director of Manchester Square Group.