About Cynthia Chioma Nwaubani, PharmD, BCGP, CEO & Founder
Dr. Cynthia Nwaubani is a visionary healthcare executive driving PharmD Live’s growth strategies and organizational goals, with a focus on expanding innovative clinical pharmacy solutions across U.S. healthcare verticals. As an entrepreneurial and analytical leader, she excels in problem-solving, streamlining operations, and optimizing productivity to deliver cost-effective, patient-centered outcomes.
As the founder of PharmD Live, Dr. Nwaubani introduced a groundbreaking virtual clinical pharmacist solution that leverages clinical pharmacist care managers and proprietary AI-driven technology to manage chronic disease and medication therapy. This solution has consistently improved patient outcomes, reduced healthcare utilization and costs, and enhanced value-based care profitability.
A creative and resourceful decision-maker, Dr. Nwaubani is adept at assessing complex clinical scenarios and crafting actionable strategies for optimal results. Her expertise spans value-based care models and digital health solutions, including Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM), Medication Therapy Management (MTM), Chronic Care Management (CCM), and Transitions of Care. She also brings strong leadership skills in quality assurance, business development, strategic planning, P&L management, clinical operations, and product development.
In addition to leading PharmD Live, Dr. Nwaubani serves as a Board Member at PatSom Medical, a Strategic Advisor at The Center for Advancing Innovation, and an Advisory Board Member at Mind the Class.
Her commitment to patient-centered care and technological innovation has positioned her as a leader in health tech, driving successful partnerships and improving quality measures. As a Board Member at PharmD Live, she continues to guide the company’s strategic expansion and market positioning.
Dr. Nwaubani holds a Doctor of Pharmacy degree (with honors) from Temple University, a Graduate Certificate in Clinical Research, and a Graduate Certificate in Leading with Finance from Harvard University. She resides in northern Virginia with her family.
About PharmD Live
PharmD Live is a leading innovator in virtual clinical pharmacist solutions, dedicated to revolutionizing chronic care and medication management. Founded with a vision to improve patient outcomes and streamline healthcare delivery, PharmD Live combines the expertise of clinical pharmacist care managers supported by cutting-edge AI technology to provide scalable, quality care solutions. Our platform empowers physicians with actionable clinical intelligence, enabling them to deliver high-quality, personalized care while enhancing revenue through participation in value-based care programs. https://www.pharmdlive.com/
Medical Travel & Digital Health News: Please tell us about yourself and how you got started with PharmDLive.
Cynthia Nwaubani (CN): I am Cynthia Nwaubani, founder and CEO of PharmDLive, a telehealth startup company dedicated to transforming patient care through virtual services.
As a board-certified geriatric pharmacist with over 15 years of experience, I’ve witnessed firsthand the gaps in cardiac care management, medication management and medication adherence.
The turning point came for me when I saw patients tragically die from avoidable medication overdoses. This deeply impacted me and drove me to found PharmD Live. Our mission is to empower pharmacists to deliver proactive, personalized care and prevent similar tragedies from occurring.
My passion for healthcare began in Nigeria, where I am originally from. My frequent bouts of malaria as a child piqued my interest and curiosity about how medications work. After graduating from Temple University School of Pharmacy in Philadelphia, I specialized in caring for high-risk elderly patients across various settings.
Over the years, I have developed medication management solutions for large managed care organizations, patients and accountable care organizations (ACOs). These solutions are aimed at improving patient outcomes, reducing utilization and hospitalizations, enhancing quality measures and meeting CMS quality measures.
My mission is pretty clear – to empower patients and prevent medication-related issues in these patients.
On a personal note, I live in Northern Virginia with my husband and our three wonderful children.
MTDHN: How would a pharmacist’s approach to chronic care management differ from other healthcare providers? What is the key differentiator?
CN: The key difference lies in our expertise with medication. As pharmacist care managers, we look at our patients through multiple lenses and consider the social determinants of health (SDoH) that are present.
Along with the expertise of pharmacist care managers, we leverage AI-driven technology to address critical healthcare challenges, such as adverse drug events (ADEs), chronic disease management and medication adherence. Chronic conditions, such as diabetes, hypertension and heart disease, often require complex medication regimens that increase the risk of ADEs, which are a significant threat to patient safety and contribute to over 770,000 injuries and deaths annually.
Our solution is designed to address these challenges head-on. By embedding pharmacist care managers into healthcare teams, we help providers improve medication management and prevent ADEs. Additionally, this combination of expertise and AI-driven predictive analytics allows for real-time identification of at-risk patients and personalized interventions to prevent medication errors.
Not only do we look at medication, but we also look at the specific disease states involved. We identify gaps in chronic care disease management and medication management, along with opportunities to support patients’ social needs.
MTDHN: How can pharmacy solutions of pharmacist care managers change the patient experience? How will patients benefit from this, especially those managing multiple chronic conditions?
CN: For patients managing multiple chronic conditions, our pharmacist care managers provide a critical lifeline and go beyond the role of traditional pharmacists. Throughout my career, I’ve seen many patients struggle with complex medication regimens. Too often, I’ve encountered cases where medications that should have helped the patients have instead created new problems due to drug interactions, incorrect dosing and efficacy issues.
With PharmD Live, patients gain immediate access to medication experts who conduct comprehensive reviews of their medications. We look at the entire regimen ensuring that every drug on the list is not only effective and safe but also affordable – both now and in the long term. This is especially valuable for the Medicare population since affordability can become an issue when they reach the coverage gap.
This approach relieves the burden on both the patients and their caregivers who no longer have to navigate complicated instructions or worry about dangerous interactions on their own. Patients can reach out to our pharmacists at any time. We provide continuous, proactive support and address concerns such as side effects, dosage changes or interactions without the patients needing an in-person visit to the doctor’s office.
Our model offers real convenience and peace of mind, especially for patients who may have -limited access to healthcare providers. Regular check-ins help our patients stay more engaged and in control of their health, directly improving medication adherence as well as their confidence in managing chronic conditions and medications at home. This ultimately makes patients feel more empowered and reduces the stress around medication navigation for caregivers, ultimately improving the patient’s overall quality of care.
By providing consistent access to our pharmacists, we help patients avoid potential health crises and ensure that they feel supported every step of the way.
MTDHN: You mentioned affordability. Does PharmD Live help patients find generic medication or ways to pay for their prescribed medications?
CN: Absolutely. A big part of what we do is find and identify ways patients can afford their medications. As we review the patients’ medications, we identify opportunities for them to take a more cost-effective regimen or identify prescription assistance opportunities for those who suddenly find themselves in a position where they must assume a significant cost for their medication.
We work with manufacturers to put patients on these programs that would help offset medication costs. Looking at the costs of medications from different angles and identifying alternative solutions reduces the patient’s medication burden as well as the cost of those medications.
We have a range of resources that we’re able to tap into in order to identify cost-saving opportunities and streamline patients’ medication regimens, making them both affordable and manageable for our patients.
MTDHN: What is your opinion on biosimilars and these emerging medications?
CN: Biosimilars are a valuable and safe option, as they undergo the same rigorous FDA approval process as brand-name biologics. When a transition to a biosimilar equivalent is appropriate, we collaborate closely with patients and their physicians to facilitate a seamless switch.
Our team actively supports physicians in guiding patients through the transition, carefully monitoring to ensure they experience the same therapeutic response as with the original brand-name medication. This includes assessing patients’ tolerance to the new medication and confirming that the efficacy remains consistent with their prior treatment.
MTDHN: How does PharmD Live get involved with cell and gene therapies, if at all?
CN: Our involvement in gene therapies primarily focuses on pharmacogenomics—ensuring that medications are compatible with the patient’s genetic profile for optimal effectiveness and safety. We offer a variety of FDA-approved pharmacogenomic tests to guide treatment for specific medications.
For instance, we analyze whether a patient is a fast or slow metabolizer, as individual responses to medications can vary greatly—highlighting the importance of precision in gene-based therapies. We partner with organizations providing these therapies, assisting physicians by interpreting the patient’s genetic data to predict medication response and recommend tailored dosage adjustments based on the patient’s genetic profile.
MTDHN: What kind of training or certification do your virtual pharmacist care managers undergo to ensure they are equipped to handle complex patient cases?
CN: All of our virtual pharmacists hold a Doctor of Pharmacy degree and are also certified in disease management, with additional specializations in chronic disease management and SDoH management. This broad expertise is why we refer to them as pharmacist care managers – because they are equipped to address these areas.
At PharmD Live, we provide ongoing training in chronic disease management, population health management and the latest advancements in telehealth technology. This continuous professional development equips our pharmacists with the skills needed to identify and manage high-risk patients and optimize their care plans effectively.
We’re all about continuous learning and development which are important to ensure our pharmacists remain up to date with evolving treatment guidelines so that they’re fully prepared to manage the complexities of each patient they care for.
MTDHN: Has PharmD Live helped patients avoid hospitalizations and emergency room visits? Can you provide an example of a time when you achieved this?
CN: Yes. We’ve had many impactful success stories, but one in particular stands out involving a patient managing both diabetes and heart failure. This patient was struggling with a complex and frequently changing medication regimen and required a rolling walker to prevent falls.
One of our pharmacists stepped in to identify gaps in the medication plan and worked with the patient’s physician to resolve drug interactions that were worsening his heart condition. Additionally, the patient needed guidance on adjusting his diuretic for heart failure management. Our pharmacist provided essential education, helping him safely manage the diuretic to prevent fluid overload that could otherwise lead to hospitalization.
By closely collaborating with the patient and physician, our pharmacist was able to optimize the therapy, stabilizing the patient’s health and drastically reducing hospital admissions—from seven prior hospitalizations to just two after we began working with him. This intervention made a profound impact on his quality of life.
Beyond medication support, our pharmacist also assisted the patient in obtaining the rolling walker he needed, significantly reducing his risk of falls. In his testimonial, the patient expressed heartfelt gratitude, saying, ‘You’re a lifesaver. I can’t thank you enough for helping me get a walker, sorting my medications, and assisting with my Medicaid application.’
Stories like these showcase the proactive dedication of our pharmacists—they go above and beyond to address our patients’ unique needs. Ultimately, that’s what we’re all about: seizing every opportunity to improve our patients’ health, quality of life, and overall well-being.
MTDHN: Have you encountered any instances where people are uncomfortable using technology to help?
CN: We have – particularly among older adults who may be hesitant to use technology. This was more common before the pandemic. However, the pandemic pushed many of us, including technology-averse senior patients, to engage more with digital tools.
That said, PharmD Live respects patients’ preferences and prioritizes their comfort. We offer support through multiple channels, which include telephonic patient engagements and coordinating with their caregivers. Some patients might bring a family member or caregiver to navigate technology or some might prefer to communicate via the telephone instead.
Our pharmacists take the time to guide patients step-by-step through virtual platforms. In addition, we help the clinics that we partner with to enroll patients and sign them up for the patient portal. We coach them on how to interact with the clinic staff and our team through the patient portals.
Our goal is always to make the patient experience as user-friendly as possible, regardless of a patient’s comfort level with technology.
MTDHN: Can you tell us about your relationships in the industry? Do you see potential partnerships with other telehealth companies that may expand your reach and influence?
CN: We primarily work with hospital-affiliated and hospital-owned clinics, health systems, accountable care organizations (ACOs) and payers, including those in self-insured, Medicare and Medicaid groups.
We also partner with some telehealth organizations that lack medication expertise or virtual pharmacist support. We see synergy in partnering with them because our services become their competitive edge and enable them to deliver a more comprehensive care experience.
We’re also open to partnering with employers and other organizations looking to enhance patient outcomes through pharmacist-led care.
MTDHN: Can you speak to the cost-effectiveness of using PharmD Live’s outsourced solution compared to hiring pharmacists in-house?
CN: Absolutely. Our expertise has been carefully honed, and we’ve refined our model and program to deliver a high level of efficiency and effectiveness. Many organizations have attempted to bring on in-house pharmacists, but often struggle to achieve the same outcomes due to gaps in processes, patient workflows, and training. PharmD Live’s virtual pharmacist care managers undergo specialized training and follow streamlined workflows that ensure both efficiency and impactful results.
When it comes to ROI, organizations that have tried managing this internally frequently encounter a negative ROI due to the resource-intensive nature of setting up and maintaining in-house programs. By partnering with us, they gain a fully optimized, outsourced solution that seamlessly integrates with their team and is ready to deliver results from day one.
MTDHN: Is there anything else you’d like to convey to our readers?
CN: Yes, our services are essential. With medication as the cornerstone of disease management—treating and managing 95 percent of health conditions—the need for effective medication management has never been more critical. The rapid increase in medication approvals, combined with an aging population and a shortage of healthcare providers, underscores the importance of virtual pharmacy services like ours in employee wellness programs.
We’ve seen significant interest from self-insured employers and HR professionals who are integrating our chronic condition management solutions into their employee benefits. Our program benefits both employees and employers by reducing healthcare costs, enhancing workforce health, and boosting productivity. Additionally, our solution is highly scalable and adaptable to diverse healthcare settings and patient populations, making it a flexible choice for organizations with varied needs.