Alumni Profile
Michael Sipala Class of ’74
Michael Sipala is Executive Director of Administrative and Ancillary Services for CharterCARE Health Partners*, a devoted husband and father, and a proud University of Rhode Island alumnus and donor. A Class of ’74 graduate of the College of Pharmacy, Sipala left URI to develop an extensive career in hospital pharmacy—beginning as a clinical pharmacist and venturing into administrative positions—and returned only to give back to pharmacy students and the future of the profession.
Sipala is firmly focused on improving patient care, an objective largely dependent upon successful communication and cooperation between program personnel and practitioners within the hospital system. “The toughest part of the job is getting people to come to the table—physicians, pharmacists, and nurses—to work on the same wavelength for the benefit of the patient,” Sipala says. “To be successful, you have to be able to bring everyone together.”
But bringing people together is only part of the job. Sipala’s challenge is inspiring interest among employees—pharmacists in particular—by specializing their work. “We put our pharmacists on different committees. The reason we do this is because pharmacists might find a niche for themselves. If they enjoy what they’re doing, they’ll want to become more involved with it and it becomes a project.”
Sipala also oversees student internships at St. Joseph designed to round students’ experiences in the medical field and offer future pharmacists an additional path—hospital pharmacy. When asked what he hopes to teach students working at the hospital, Sipala replied, “We don’t want students coming in saying ‘I’m in pharmacy because of the money.’ The money isn’t the reward; the reward is what you’ve done for your patients.”
Despite all he does as an administrator, there is one thing he misses from his time as a clinical pharmacist: “It is very rewarding when you are working in a hospital, a physician calls upon you for a pharmaceutical recommendation for a sick patient, and that patient gets better.”
Outside of the office, Sipala is an avid sports fan. “My wife and I love sports. She’s the Superintendent of the schools in Narragansett, so we’re both very busy and we like to spend time together when we are home.” He recalls fond memories of playing baseball at URI and of coaching his daughter in soccer.
Sipala has three children, all of whom are students of URI: Lindsey, who graduated with a degree in pharmacy; Christine, who graduated with a PhD in psychology; and Michael, who is working towards a PhD in biology.
Chad Lamoureux, Pharmacy Student, Class of 2015