WHO WE ARE
What We Build
LEADING SOLUTIONS
aPHP's Path to Impact
About The Academy of Population Health Pharmacy® (aPHP)
Founded in Los Angeles, aPHP is a learning institute advancing pharmacy through regulatory-aligned, equity-driven population health strategy, with a focus on Black health. Our mission: build a culturally responsive workforce that solves Black health challenges and drives equitable outcomes across systems of care.
Black populations experience a disproportionate burden of chronic disease and mortality, making this focus a critical driver of pharmacy-based population health strategy. The insights generated through this work strengthen care models, improve quality performance, and translate across diverse patient populations.
aPHP integrates regulatory readiness, quality assurance, and population health execution to ensure pharmacy strategies are compliant, scalable, and performance-driven. This approach strengthens inspection readiness, supports accreditation standards, and embeds equity into everyday care delivery.
aPHP positions pharmacists as system-level operators, advancing outcomes through chronic disease management, preventive care, and culturally informed engagement within compliant, high-performing care models. Our applied, performance-driven learning models build capability in data-driven care, cultural intelligence, and clinical precision to translate directly into measurable performance and scalable population health outcomes.
By centering Black health and operationalizing pharmacy strategy, aPHP redefines how care systems execute equitable, high-performance outcomes.
ABOUT THE FOUNDER
La Kesha Y. Farmer, PharmD, BCACP, AAHIVP, APh
Chief Pharmacy Officer | Founder & President of FARMER & ASSOCIATES, PLLC
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DBA The Academy of Population Health Pharmacy®
Previous Roles
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Pop Health Clinical Pharmacist
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Pharmacy Manager (FQHC)
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Lead Long-term Care (CA PIC)
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HIV Pharmacy Manager
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HIV Clinical Specialist
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PRN Hospital Pharmacist
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MTM Pharmacist
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Travel Pharmacist
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Veterinary Compounding Specialist
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Community Pharmacy Practice
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Hospital Nutrition Representative
Certifications
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Board-Certified Ambulatory Care Pharmacist (BCACP)
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Advanced Pharmacist Practitioner (APh)
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American Academy of HIV Pharmacotherapy (AAHIVP)
KNOW MORE
Biography
“At best I strive to excel at business goals, but at least I can ensure I achieve them.”— La Kesha Y. Farmer, PharmD, BCACP, AAHIVP, APh, (2021)
Dr. Farmer, a USC Mann Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) graduate, is described as an “extremely talented” individual whose work is “advanced”, “excellent”, and “out-of-the-box”. A three-time recipient of the “Most Compassionate” employee award as an HIV clinical pharmacist, she is driven to make a difference by being the difference. Her former employer describes her as a “great talent multiplier”, a testament to her passion for creating opportunities that foster mutual benefit and professional development.
This drive for excellence continues in her mission to address Black health inequities by leveraging pharmacy to drive systems-level change. As a former Level II Managed Care Clinical Pharmacist at one of the largest Medicaid managed care organizations, Dr. Farmer’s expertise in population health pharmacy shaped onboarding programs and industry best practices. Her ability to translate complex healthcare needs into actionable solutions earned her recognition, with her work becoming the standard for onboarding new hires.
Guided by initiative and drive, she actively contributed to director-level meetings, played a key role in developing local and out-of-state RFPs, advanced corporate SDOH research projects, including a proposed CAL-AIM collaboration, attended NCQA health equity accreditation meetings, presented clinical best practices to the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), and co-presented with a psychiatric regional medical director on behavioral health topics during and beyond clinical rounds. Still, there is more to what she does.
Dr. Farmer often anticipates industry shifts as well. Her former employer noted, “She also took the initiative to advance the health equity of our member base before it was a business focus”. Dr. Farmer’s leadership skills and SDOH expertise established her as a rising organizational leader. Yet she left the corporate world to embark on a new journey, one rooted in equipping pharmacists and health systems to better serve Black communities through culturally relevant population health strategies.
She describes herself as a purpose-driven leader and aligns with Tal Shnall’s definition of purpose-driven leaders:
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“Leaders who are driven by their purpose are no longer seeking a [sic] just a paycheck, but instead seek significance in adding value to people, which they identify with their purpose in life.”
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In 2021, Dr. Farmer stated, “Ultimately, I would like to bring value added to the success of the clinical pharmacy team, but also to other population health teams as well”. Through grit and self-motivation, Dr. Farmer’s 2021 vision has become her 2024 reality, leading efforts to strengthen population health pharmacy programs that center Black health, restore visibility to Black pharmacists, and challenge structural exclusion through strategic, culturally responsive training.
ESTABLISHED
Leadership Roles
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AAHIVM Pharmacist Mentor
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California Pharmacy Student Leadership (CAPSLEAD), USC Mann
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CPhA-NCPA House Delegate
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CSHP Healthcare Reform Committee
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CA & NV Pharmacy Compliance Lead
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National Pharmaceutical Association (NPhA) Delegate
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NPhA Pharmacist Mentor​
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NPhA Dr. Henry Lewis III, Leadership Development Institute, Group I Cohort
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Population Health Clinical Operations (PHCO) Leadership Advisory Council
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SafeMed LA Pharmacy Practice Action Team (PPAT) Committee Lead
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Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) School of Pharmacy ImPaCT APPE Preceptor
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STATPearls Pharmacy Board Review Content Contributor
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UCSF Training and Health Equity (THE) Collaborative Advisory Council
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UCSF Training and Health Equity (THE) Collaborative HIV Leadership
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Western University of Health Sciences & West Coast University APPE Preceptor
Accomplishments
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ACCP Ambulatory Care Standard Setting Panel Participant
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Global Medi-Cal Drug Use Review (DUR) Board Meeting Presenter on Clinical Pharmacy Best Practices
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Nominee to The Panel for the Guidelines for Prevention and Treatment of Opportunistic Infections in Adults and Adolescents with HIV
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Matriculation into the GTI Data Analytics Program based on Success as Program Manager of HEDIS Medi-Cal Rx Outreach
Presentations
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Asthma: Best Practices to Improve Clinical Outcomes
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Asthma Self-Care & Medication Management Strategies
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Best Practices in Managed Health Care
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Cannabis Impact on the Brain, co-presenter psych MD
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Chronic Disease States: Moving Members Away from Emergency Departments to Patient Centered Medical Homes
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Developing Effective Strategies to Improve Clinical Pharmacy Outcomes: Troubleshooting Medication Access Issues
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HEDIS Medi-Cal Clinical Pharmacy Adherence Program
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HEDIS Medi-Cal Clinical Pharmacy Outreach: An Overview
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Health Net Opioid Workgroup: The Intersection of HIV/HCV & SUD
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Improving The Provider Experience: Pharmacologic Management of CBP and CDC with Focus in Severe Mental Illness
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Managing and Reinforcing Change: Change Management
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Medication Documentation
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Pharmacist-led Transitions of Care Interventions
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Release of Soluble Nucelotidases by the Sympathetic Nerves of the Rabbit Vas Deferens: Modulation by Sodium Orthovanadate
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Shift To Value-Based Care: How Patient Engagement Connects to Disease Management
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SPRAVATO™ for the treatment of Treatment-Resistant Depression, co-presenter psych MD
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Trends of The Opioid Epidemic
MISSION
Our Values & Goals