Jim Kirby
PharmD, BCPS, FAPhA

As the chief commercial officer for Kroger Health, James is responsible for developing and maintaining relationships with strategic partners, suppliers, providers and payers; generating alternative profit through innovative healthcare ventures; overseeing Kroger’s Prescription Benefit Manager; implementing a comprehensive Food as Medicine strategy; and creating an interprofessional, interoperable healthcare ecosystem to deliver population health solutions.

James joined Kroger in 2002 as a clinical coordinator. In 2006, he briefly left the company to help establish a specialty pharmacy. In 2008, he rejoined Kroger as a pharmacist in the Cincinnati division and became clinical coordinator again in 2010. Then in 2013, he came to Kroger’s General Office to lead clinical strategy and services for the company. His role gradually expanded to include oversight of The Little Clinic, Kroger Health Connect and the dietitian team. He was promoted to his current role in 2021.

James has delivered more than 50 presentations and publications, led Kroger in becoming Top Chain for providing Medication Therapy Management and played an instrumental role in creating both PGY1 and combined PGY1/2 community pharmacy residency programs with the University of Cincinnati. He is a board-certified pharmacotherapy specialist, adjunct professor at the University of Cincinnati and a Fellow of the American Pharmacists Association. He is a board member of the Pharmacy Quality Alliance and the Community Pharmacy Foundation.

James earned his pharmacy degree from the Ohio State University in 1998 and his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Cincinnati in 2002.