Full Name
Karen Staniforth
Job Title
Chief Pharmacy Officer
Company Name
Rite-Aid
Speaker Bio
A Rite Aid veteran who has spent more than two decades with the company, Staniforth is currently Chief Pharmacy Officer. In this role, she oversees enterprise pharmaceutical purchasing, market access strategy and relations, analytics insights, healthcare revenue administration, pharmacy services, and pharmacy acquisitions. She also manages clinical services and initiatives, centralized pharmacy services, which includes central fill, mail order and specialty, and Rite Aid’s pharmacy operations.

Prior to her current role, Staniforth was senior vice president, clinical and operational pharmacy services. Staniforth previously led the planning efforts and transaction services agreement for the Rite Aid’s asset purchase agreement with Walgreens and she led the systems conversion of the acquisition of Bartell Drugs in Washington in 2021. In 2014, Staniforth was promoted to chief operating officer of Health Dialog, a Rite Aid subsidiary and leading provider of population health management solutions. In this role, she was responsible for executing the strategic vision and managing day-to-day operations of the company.

Staniforth started her career in pharmacy as a pharmacist in Johannesburg, South Africa. She later joined Sandoz, now a part of Novartis Pharmaceuticals, overseeing retail sales operations for the company in Cape Town, South Africa. She subsequently joined Rite Aid after moving to the United States. During Staniforth’s tenure with Rite Aid, she has continued to take on roles of increasing leadership and operating responsibility, including regional pharmacy vice president, division pharmacy vice president and group vice president of pharmacy initiatives and clinical services.
Karen Staniforth