A Journey to Pharmacy Innovation
Mentorship and the UNC community shaped Nate Peaty’s path to starting OrbitalRX
Story by Sarah Clark | Photo Courtesy of Nate Peaty | Published December 3, 2024
Growing up surrounded by health-care professionals, Nate Peaty, PharmD ’05, always knew he would go into health care, too. But what he didn’t know was how vast the world of pharmacy was – that is, until he became a part of the Pharmily in the early 2000s.
Nate’s journey began during his undergraduate career at UNC Asheville, where he fell in love with chemistry and became interested in how pharmaceutical science shapes the practice of medicine and the lives of every patient.
It progressed through a summer NCI research program at UNC Chapel Hill under the supervision of Dr. Iris Hall, a professor of medicinal chemistry and a great mentor to Nate. It was in this lab that Nate was initially introduced to the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy.
Through the counsel of Dr. Hall and other supportive faculty, Nate learned that pharmacy is deeply intertwined with his original love of patient care. This encouraged Nate to apply and enroll in the School to pursue his PharmD degree.
Fast forward to Nate’s fourth year, when his plan to focus on oncology was set… until his Pharmacy Administration rotation where he met Dr. Rowell Daniels. Dr. Daniels, who is now the Chief Operating Officer for UNC Hospitals, introduced Nate to the world of pharmacy leadership, administration, and systems.
“[Rowell] really opened my eyes to what is possible and the scale of what you can accomplish with a mindset for servant leadership alongside sound operations and systems thinking experience” says Nate. “Anything I can do to actually help providers be more fulfilled, feel like they’re not fighting bureaucracy or systems… [that] they’re being empowered by the tools they use every day and they’re being positioned to do their best is good for everybody. So, the opportunity to help make processes better, make systems better, build good teams, all of that just really resonated with me because I believe this is the foundation of how you deliver outstanding patient care.”
After graduation, Nate gained over 10 years of hands-on experience in the field, completing a Health-System Pharmacy Administration Residency in Wisconsin and then returning to NC at Wake Forest Baptist. Nate combined his passion of patient care and love of supporting pharmacists with advanced automation in 2017 when he took the leap and started his own business, OrbitalRX.
Nate designed OrbitalRX Shortage Manager to be a software solution that supports drug shortage management teams and hospital pharmacy leaders with fast centralized access to their inventory and procurement data alongside essential documentation, workflow, and communications tools. OrbitalRX first launched at the University of Virginia but is now in use at more than 20 health-systems across the country, including UNC Health.
One of the primary features of OrbitalRX, and likely a key to its success, comes from incorporating Nate’s hands-on experience in pharmacy operations leadership and automation systems to design a pharmacy-centric solution. Unlike many of the tools and technologies that Nate encountered during his career, this platform is made by pharmacists, for pharmacists.
While Nate’s journey took unexpected and exciting turns, he embraced new experiences and the Carolina community to find what path worked best for him.
When asked to share what current pharmacy students should take away from his journey, Nate emphasizes the strength of the Carolina community and the expanse of opportunities within pharmacy. “Your career is longer than you think it will be and there are so many paths in pharmacy to explore. Take your time, figure out who you are, and learn as much as you can from every experience along the way,” says Nate. “Lean on your mentors and network!”