By Seth Humble

Melissa Merrell Rhoads is PCCA’s Director of Formulation Development. She manages and oversees every single aspect of the over 9,000 formulations that constitute PCCA’s formula database. Compounding formulas are the bedrock of pharmacy compounding. They exist for one, shining purpose: to help people. From the moment we begin our conversation, it is clear that Melissa has a heart for community — life spent together. There is a lack of self-fascination, a humble genuineness.

“I was just kind of boring,” she says, laughing at herself when I ask her about her time in high school and college. “You know, I feel like I peaked in pharmacy school; after that, I just became a more confident person.”

Melissa’s journey into compounding came with a simple question from her grandfather, a pharmacy owner, who asked her what she wanted to do when she went to college. Melissa wasn’t sure and conveyed that to him. He responded, “I think you need to go to pharmacy school.” That sounded promising to Melissa, who made her way to Mercer University in Atlanta, Georgia. And it was only after gaining employment at a pharmacy that she fell in love with the work.

“That’s where it became my passion,” she says.

It’s with that passion that Melissa has built a formulations team at PCCA, about which she enthusiastically proclaims, “I have the best team in the world.”

The PCCA Formulation Development department is a dedicated group of formulation scientists, pharmacists and specialists who develop, test and update a massive number of formulas used by PCCA member pharmacies around the globe. No matter if it uses a new base or is a tried-and-true formulation, Melissa’s team helps ensure that those formulas are trustworthy and consistent.

“Why are formula reviews important?” I ask.

“Lots of reasons,” she responds. “It creates a consistent level of reliable quality for pharmacies and their patients. Ultimately, a formula, from idea to development to delivery, is a long chain that starts with PCCA and ends with the patient. Our formulations team does the full research, finding all the relevant data that’s available. We ascertain what calculations are needed, how the testing needs to be performed, and then we take that data into the lab and test — and test — until we are absolutely certain the formula does what it says it will do.”

She continues, unashamedly giving credit to the members of her formulations team who specialize in ensuring consistent quality that leads to consistent results. “I couldn’t do my job without them,” she says.

That quick yet detailed approach to formula testing is available to her team because of Melissa’s implementation of our formula management system (FMS). The FMS is the digitized record of every PCCA formula, including the tests they have undergone and the notes that ensure every detail about those almost 10,000 formulas are correct and up to date.

“It took years to develop, but the FMS has worked so well, it’s now used by multiple teams within PCCA. We’re very proud of that. And that system works because our formula team works so smoothly together. They really are the best. They are great communicators, a great team. It makes me very proud to sit back and watch them work, seeing how effective they are at ensuring our formulas remain updated and trusted.”

Again, the genuine humility shines through Melissa, constantly redirecting my questions about her into statements about her team.

“In a word,” I begin, “how would you describe your team?”

Her smile appears. “Family.” She nods at me, the smile growing.

I laugh at the sheer confidence of the way she says the word, without hesitation. “Unpack that word for me,” I say.

“We look out for each other. We work so well together because we are invested in one another, and each of us is invested in the same vision, the same mission of caretaking the formulas our pharmacies trust to help their patients. There is never any competition. Problems are approached with trust and respect and,” she pauses again, her mind searching for a word.

I know what it is before she says it. It’s the word that’s characterized our entire conversation, a word that sums up Melissa’s love for her team, but also the woman herself.

“Appreciation,” she says.

This is Melissa Merrell Rhoads.

The director of PCCA’s Formulation Development team who, having every opportunity to soak up the spotlight, chooses to be a mirror, letting that light shine on the people who make her job a home away from home. She is a pharmacist, a leader, a mother, a wife, a daughter and more. To PCCA’s formulation department, she’s the calm, knowledgeable, guiding hand that makes our formula database the backbone of pharmacy compounding solutions across the globe.

Learn more about our formulation development process on The PCCA Blog: "What PCCA Formulas Mean for Compounders."