John Lepto, director of pharmacy, is retiring after nearly 40 years at Akron Children’s, and he’s leaving with a prescription for more family time and travel, with no side effects and as many refills as he would like.
“This has been such a special place to work,” John said. “Everybody works to help sick kids get better, and that’s what’s kept me here. Children’s hospitals are light and bright. I’ve been in adult health care; I liked this much better.”
John’s favorite memory in his career happened shortly after he started working here in 1987. A patient having febrile seizures needed a special medication that wasn’t in stock. John and his team went above and beyond, working extra hours to source the drug.
“I still remember the look on the mother’s face,” John shared. “She was so happy and grateful we got the medication so quickly, so she could bring her baby home.”
From that moment, John knew he was in the right place. “There’s just something special about children’s hospitals. It’s easy to get your hands around the mission of taking care of kids and treating them like we would treat our own children.”
John Lepto with the new Omnicell Carousel, a high-density medication storage device that allows for storage of medications in a small space.
Sourcing “orphan” or rare and expensive new drugs continued to be a focus for John throughout his career. In 2023, he led a team that brought a new FDA-approved gene therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) to an Akron Children’s patient.
But that doesn’t mean the work is without its challenges.
“Pharmacy serves so many different parts of the organization,” John said. “Trying to balance and prioritize can be hard, but we focus on the children, and have patience and politeness. Everyone works hard for the kids.”
On June 7, John’s work as director of pharmacy will come to an end. He’s looking forward to traveling to all 50 states (15 down, 35 to go) and instead of tracking down medications, he’ll be on a different kind of treasure hunt visiting flea markets and estate sales.
What brought you to Children’s? Who gave you your start?
I began my career in pharmacy while in 1976. A friend of my father gave me a job in a drug store while I was a junior in high school and I decided to go to pharmacy school after my experience working there. I graduated from West Virginia University School of Pharmacy in 1982 and began working at a community hospital in South Charleston, WV.
After 5 years there, I applied to and was accepted for a position at Akron Children’s and have been here ever since.
Have you always worked in the same department and role?
I started at Akron Children’s in April 1987 as a staff pharmacist, was promoted to supervisor in 1988 and then manager in 1990. When my boss left in 1997, I became the director of pharmacy and have served in that role until now.
What have your biggest contributions been while here?
I have been fortunate to work with a great team of pharmacists and technicians. Together we grew the pharmacy department to serve the needs of our patients from a single pharmacy in 1987 with 25 full-time employees to 105 full-time employees in 4 pharmacies on two campuses serving 6 regional health centers and 50 + primary and secondary locations throughout Ohio.
One of our biggest achievements has been the creation and operation of our specialty pharmacy program. Specialty pharmacy staff serve over 800 patients per year, obtain prior authorization for 10,000 prescriptions each year and can provide these medications within 3 days of receiving the prescription. Most outside specialty pharmacies take up to 3 weeks to do the same work. The team is very proud of being able to get these needed medications to children in such a short time.
Other than new buildings and construction, is there anything about the way that Akron Children’s has changed that you notice since you started here?
Yes, When I started in 1987, we were a small children’s hospital and operated only in Akron. We have grown to a major children’s hospital serving many patients in northeast Ohio. Our growth in service is a testament to our mission and the many fine employees who work for Akron Children’s.
John poses with a Redfish on his annual October trip to Hackberry, Louisiana with pharmacy colleagues and mentors.
What do you look forward to the most in retirement?
Being with family and friends. My sons live in Grand Junction, Colorado and Atlanta, Georgia and I’m looking forward to visiting them. I want to visit all 50 states and have trips to Europe and the Galapagos Islands planned. I also want to play lots of golf and love to go fishing. Lastly, I plan on volunteering at Children’s in the Food Farmacy and in the NICU as a baby cuddler.
