Matthew Scherrer, PharmD is the Pharmacy Manager at UP Health System — Marquette.

What is your official title?
I am the Pharmacy Manager at UPHS — Marquette.

What was your inspiration for getting into healthcare?
Ever since I can remember, I was always interested in healthcare. My path turned towards pharmacy when I began working at a local drug store back home in Kentucky. I remember enjoying the environment and the opportunity to work directly with patients. During pharmacy school, I had the opportunity to work alongside clinicians as an intern at the University of Kentucky Medical Center. Shadowing with those clinical pharmacists solidified my desire to pursue a career in hospital pharmacy.

What’s a typical day like for you? What is it like working in this field?
What we do in the Pharmacy Department every day depends on what requests or what drug orders come into our work queue. Still, there are certainly regular day-to-day tasks that I complete. Right now, those are more focused on operationalizing, monitoring, and reporting of COVID-19 therapies. Outside that, we are constantly working with our inventory team and providers to work through drug shortages, optimize medication use protocols, and review new drug therapies.

How long have you been employed here? Have you always been in the same position?
I started out as a pharmacist when my wife and I moved to Marquette in October of 2017. About a year ago, I transitioned to my current role as Pharmacy Manager.

What are some of the big changes you have experienced in this position?
A few months after I moved into my current position, the COVID-19 pandemic began to take center stage. At the beginning of this pandemic, there were new possible treatment options being discussed weekly or sometimes daily. The team and I have been constantly shifting our focus from drug to drug in order to keep up with all the available information as we learned more about this novel virus. As the months have passed, we have learned so much about how to best treat COVID-19. While the updating of information may not be as rapid these days, we are still experiencing change within the pharmacy as we operationalize some of these novel therapies.

What are some of your interests outside of work? What is your favorite local gem?
Outside of work I am typically spending time with my wife and two kids reading books, building towers, or racing cars. I also enjoy being outside hiking, playing golf, or just spending time at camp. Some of my favorite local gems include camp on Lake Independence and Blackrocks Brewery.

What do you enjoy most about working at UPHS – Marquette?
My favorite part of working at UPHS – Marquette is the people. Over the last few years, I have developed many great working relationships and friendships.