Mark Garofoli, PharmD, MBA, BCGP, CPE

My father told me that having two jobs was basically slacking, while three jobs was just about right.

GPS Morgantown, West Virginia

Typical Day Wake up, espresso, workout, cup of joe, head to the University, mold the minds of future healthcare professionals, head to our pain center, safely maximize patients’ pain management treatments within an interprofessional team, field an interview or present a CE program, family dinner, playtime, bedtime routine, watch a show and chat with my wife, work on presentations/consults, bed.

Persona My father taught me that having two jobs was basically slacking, while three jobs was just about right. My in-laws (ironically also pharmacists) built upon that to invigorate me to find and follow my true passions. My beautiful and intelligent wife, Dr. Gretchen Garofoli, and my son Luke are my life, my rock. I’ve been on-deck my whole life, now it’s the bottom of the ninth, bases loaded, and I’m ready to be at the plate.

Social Media Habits I post nothing to Facebook but enjoy updates on the lives of friends/family. I’ve tweeted the Pope, that’s about it. He seems to be a rather busy gentleman, so I understood his lack of reply. Instagram and Snapchat are for my young nieces. I do however frequently post on LinkedIn and enjoy the professional interactions amongst colleagues across the globe.

Contribution Coordinating my state’s pain management guidelines (sempguidelines.org), personally developing a 21-hour pharmacist pain management CE certificate with www.freece.com, and being given a PAINWeek microphone have all been wonderful, but nothing beats the kind words of a patient or an audience member after a presentation. No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care.

People It truly takes a village. Whether advice from a parent, support from my wife, cookies from an aunt, a beverage with a buddy, or a recommendation from a colleague, all have made me who I am.

Words My daily reads are dominated by The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Llama Llama, and The Pout-Pout Fish intermixed with pain articles and general best-sellers revolving around the “war on drugs.”

Popcorn Rocky IV, hands down. If PAINWeek were a boxing match (hey, it is Vegas!), I’d listen to the motivational Rocky IV soundtrack before getting on stage.

PAINWeek PAINWeek is the prime cut of healthcare conferences. Every detail is top notch, whether the scanning of badges in lieu of treating professionals like 4-year olds with mundane CE codes, or the fact that presentations are depicted in posters created by a truly gifted artist. The faculty are not only experts, but actually know how to educate as well, which does not often intertwine. I have yet to even find a better lip balm than the conference marketing product used a few years ago. Every detail, every time. And did I mention Vegas?