Ask an Alumnus – Rolla Sweis, PharmD ’02, MA, BCPS
Rolla Sweis, PharmD ’02, MA, BCPS
Vice-President of Operations, Administration
Advocate Christ Medical Center
Dr. Rolla Sweis is currently the Vice President of Operations at Advocate Christ Medical Center. She is responsible for the operations of the medical center and driving growth within all service lines. Before taking that role, Rolla served as the Executive Director of Pharmacy where she oversaw multiple advocate hospitals, specialty pharmacy, and ambulatory pharmacy services. Rolla was the Director of Pharmacy at Christ Medical Center and Children’s Hospital-Oak Lawn from 2012-2017. At Christ Medical Center, from 2009-2011 Rolla served as the clinical manager and from 2004-2009 Rolla was the ED Clinical Coordinator. Throughout her experience, Rolla set up clinical services in the ED, optimized and expanded clinical services throughout both hospitals, started the ED Pharmacy residency program, led the pharmacy renovation and expansion, and implemented automation in the pharmacy. Many of these initiatives resulted in several million dollars in savings annually. Prior to starting at Christ Medical Center, Rolla started her career as a pharmacist at South Suburban Hospital. Rolla received two ASHP Best Practices Awards for her work in the ED in 2006 and 2008. Rolla holds a Doctorate of Pharmacy from the University of Illinois and a Master’s in Organizational Leadership.
Q: As a Pharmacist, how can I best prepare to adapt to the inevitable changes ahead in the next 20 years?
A: [Pharmacists] need to remain flexible. Healthcare is constantly changing and need to be able to take the foundation we gain and be able [to] apply and re-apply it to a variety of situations. There isn’t one way to do things, and what works today may not be relevant tomorrow.
Q: What excites you about the profession of pharmacy?
A: Its growth over the years and the ability of pharmacists to be successfully embedded in a variety of areas and disciplines.
Q: What are you working on right now, and what have you learned from it?
A: [I am presently] working on numerous projects at the hospital.
Q: What have you learned from your numerous leadership positions?
A: The main thing I have learned is that the people involved and you lead need to be engaged at the highest level – that is what determines your success.
Q: How does your pharmacy degree inform your leadership style?
A: As pharmacists, we are trained to identify/understand a problem and develop a solution/care plan. My leadership style is dependent on building relationships, and being understanding is key, which is a key skillset as a pharmacist.
Q: What words of wisdom would you share with current students?
A: Always be open. Don’t think you know exactly what your career will be like [from the onset].
Q: What does it mean to you to be an alumnus of the UIC College of Pharmacy?
A: Staying connected and engaged. Its key to be able to continue to serve the college, whether as a preceptor, mentoring, being involved, giving back financially to help others, etc.
Q: What motivates you to support the College?
A: [I am] very proud of the education I received and lucky to have had great professors and mentors. I owe it to the college for helping me get to where I am at today. [It is] not a difficult choice to support what you care about.