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It’s official: Alto Pharmacy is a great place to work! We’re honored to join the community of Great Place to Work-Certified™ companies based on team member feedback and a rigorous assessment of our company’s culture and benefits.

Join us in delivering our industry-leading pharmacy care to millions of people across the country. As a member of the team, you’ll play an integral role in improving our customers’ quality of life and redefining what’s possible in pharmacy. 

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Read the latest Alto blog posts covering healthcare, family health, managing diseases, and other Alto highlights.

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We are honored to announce that for the second year in a row, Alto Pharmacy has been recognized by Forbes as one of America’s Best Startup Employers. This award celebrates our commitment to employer reputation, employee satisfaction and growth.

Alto Pharmacy Announced as One of Forbes Best Startup Employers for the Second Consecutive Year!

When Alto’s founders set out to transform the pharmacy experience, they outlined a vision whereby our work could improve the quality of life for everyone who needs medicine. Through this foundation grounded in helping people, we have built a company culture centered in care, inclusion, and impact. 

We are honored to announce that for the second year in a row, Alto Pharmacy has been recognized by Forbes as one of America’s Best Startup Employers. This award celebrates our commitment to employer reputation, employee satisfaction and growth. 

This recognition follows Alto Pharmacy's recent admission as a Great Place to Work-Certified™ company – awarded based on employee feedback and a rigorous assessment of Alto’s culture and benefits. Given the impact we strive to make on the communities we serve, we are humbled to share this most recent recognition alongside other accolades over the past year, including: 

The Healthcare Technology Report: Top 100 Healthcare Technology Companies of 2021 

The Healthcare Technology Report: Top 25 Consumer HealthTech Executives of 2021

The Healthcare Technology Report: Top 25 Women Leaders in Consumer HealthTech of 2021

These recognitions and achievements are only made possible through the hard work and dedication of the entire Alto team. If you are passionate about shaping the future of pharmacy, join us as we deliver our industry-leading pharmacy care to millions of people across the country.

For the full employers list and an overview of the selection methodology, head to the Forbes site.

Alto’s mission is to improve the quality of life for all who need medicine, building a pharmacy experience that serves people of all backgrounds. As we work toward a more inclusive and accessible healthcare system, we recognize the importance of diversity among physicians, pharmacists, nurses, and other public health figures. In honor of Black History Month, take a moment to learn about five influential Black healthcare leaders past and present — those who paved the way and those who continue to break barriers today

Five Black Healthcare Leaders to Celebrate

Alto’s mission is to improve the quality of life for all who need medicine, building a pharmacy experience that serves people of all backgrounds. As we work toward a more inclusive and accessible healthcare system, we recognize the importance of diversity among physicians, pharmacists, nurses, and other public health figures. In honor of Black History Month, take a moment to learn about five influential Black healthcare leaders past and present — those who paved the way and those who continue to break barriers today. (For additional inspiration, revisit the first post in this series.)

Dr. M. Jocelyn Elders: the first Black U.S. surgeon general

As a Black woman born to farmers in a rural, poverty-stricken area of Arkansas, M. Jocelyn Elders encountered numerous obstacles on her path to becoming the first Black U.S. Surgeon General in 1993. At 16, she met a doctor for the first time, but she didn't consider a profession in healthcare until she connected with Edith Irby Jones, the first Black person to attend the University of Arkansas Medical School, during college.

Throughout her career, Dr. Elders balanced clinical practice and research, increasing the public’s awareness of adolescent health issues. In 1987, Bill Clinton, then the governor of Arkansas, appointed Dr. Elders as head of the state’s Department of Health. The Arkansas state legislature mandated sexual education and substance misuse prevention programs in the K-12 curriculum in 1989 in large part because of Dr. Elders’ advocacy. During her tenure as Surgeon General, Dr. Elders continued to champion progressive policies, advocating for better sexual education programs, distribution of condoms in schools, and abortion rights. She remains active in the field of public health as a professor emeritus at the University of Arkansas School of Medicine.

Bernard J. Tyson: former CEO of Kaiser Permanente

As chairman and CEO of Kaiser Permanente, Bernard Tyson transformed the company’s services to account for social determinants of health like food access and affordable housing as well as the importance of mental health and wellness. He was also instrumental in the development of the Kaiser Permanente School of Medicine, which trains physicians to be not only clinicians, but patient advocates and innovators, too. By shining a spotlight on how social determinants of health contribute to disparities in health outcomes, Tyson leaves behind a legacy that reaches far beyond Kaiser’s services.

Nadine Burke Harris: first surgeon general of California

A physician, researcher, advocate, and California’s first surgeon general, Dr. Nadine Burke Harris has transformed how our society responds to childhood trauma. While running a health clinic in an underserved San Francisco neighborhood, she observed that preventative health practices and quality treatment didn’t resolve her patients’ risk for poor health outcomes. Drawing upon research from the CDC and Kaiser Permanente on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), which linked early adversity to higher rates of chronic illness later in life, Dr. Burke Harris studied her own patients and found that more than 67% had experienced at least one ACE. She has helped increase public awareness of ACEs and toxic stress, advocating for universal screening of children and adolescents for signs of trauma. Her 2014 TED Talk, “How Childhood Trauma Affects Health Across the Lifetime,” has been viewed more than 7.5 million times, and she published The Deepest Well: Healing the Long-Term Effects of Childhood Adversity in 2018.

Dr. Patrice Harris: first Black female president of the American Medical Association

Despite not knowing any doctors while growing up in West Virginia, Dr. Patrice Harris’ passion for medicine started early. The board-certified psychiatrist initially planned to pursue pediatrics but shifted her focus after discovering an interest in psychiatry during medical school. Her focus on child psychiatry allows her to merge her passion for children with her expertise in mental health. Throughout her career, Dr. Harris has focused on the role of implicit bias within the medical profession and how unconscious biases among healthcare workers influence health disparities.

Dr. Harris’ involvement in the professional healthcare community spans many leadership positions at state and national organizations. She became the first Black woman elected as president of the American Medical Association in 2020. During her tenure, she focused on a variety of health issues, from opioid addiction to COVID-19. She previously chaired the AMA’s Opioid Task Force, providing evidence-based recommendations to clinicians with the goal of ending the opioid epidemic.

Betty Smith Williams: first Black graduate of the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing

Betty Smith Williams was the first Black student to earn a nursing degree from Cleveland’s Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, in 1954, and the first Black individual to teach at a higher education institution in the state of California, but her individual accomplishments are only a part of her legacy. Williams has helped ensure that today’s aspiring Black healthcare professionals have the opportunities and support to break down barriers of their own. She was instrumental in developing the National Black Nurses Association and the National Coalition of Ethnic Minority Nurse Associations, Inc. — initiatives that have elevated the voices of Black nurses within the profession. In uniting Black nurses, Williams hoped to create better health outcomes among the Black community. In her own words: "We had no voice, but we understood our culture and our unique needs better than anyone else.”

Join us in delivering our industry-leading pharmacy care to millions of people across the country. As a member of the team, you’ll play an integral role in improving our customers’ quality of life and redefining what’s possible in pharmacy. View our current openings.

This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

In honor of National ERG Day, which falls on November 17 every year, we’re highlighting the important work of Alto’s six ERGs. 

Celebrating National ERG Day at Alto

The history of employee resource groups (ERGs) in the U.S. dates back to the 1960s, when a group of Black employees at Xerox self-organized to discuss their experiences of workplace discrimination and advocate for more inclusive policies. At the time, these networks of employees united by a shared identity or experience were known as affinity groups.

Today, ERGs can be found at companies of all sizes and industries where they play an important role in shaping an inclusive culture and fostering a sense of belonging in the workplace. In honor of National ERG Day, which falls on November 17 every year, we’re highlighting the important work of Alto’s six ERGs. 

At Alto, we believe that every perspective matters, and that diversity fosters creativity and leads to innovation. Our six ERGs are part of our broader commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), both in creating our company culture and delivering an exceptional pharmacy experience.

"At Alto, we’re committed to building and sustaining an inclusive workplace that both supports our employees and helps us deliver on our mission to improve the quality of life for everyone who needs medicine,” shared Ty Bledsoe, Head of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. “Our ERGs help foster authentic relationships, offer safe spaces for education and conversation, and celebrate the incredible diversity of our Altoids and our communities."

By building community, providing support, and contributing to an individual’s personal and professional well-being, these groups help ensure that every Altoid feels a sense of belonging each day at work and that we appreciate the diversity of the customers we serve.

Here are just a few ways that each Alto ERG contributes to a more inclusive culture and pharmacy experience.

Umoja’s mission is to inform, educate, and empower Black Altoids and allies. The group has deepened Altoids’ understanding of the Black experience by sharing educational resources in support of Black History Month, Juneteenth, and Pride.

They also help our team explore the intersection of identity and healthcare as it relates to our services. After Dr. Reverend Stacey Edwards, founder of Fertility for Colored Girls, spoke at Alto about the fertility journeys of Black families this spring, Umoja continued the conversation by inviting Dr. Temeka Zore, OB GYN and reproductive endocrinologist at Spring Fertility, and Esther Ebeuhi, a licensed doula and birth equity analyst, to speak on Black motherhood.

Alto Auténtico aims to build community among Latinx Altoids and ensure that they have a voice at Alto. In addition to facilitating company-wide learning about the Latinx experience and the diversity within Latinx culture, Alto Auténtico’s mentorship program connects junior and senior Latinx team members for coaching sessions and professional development. The group is also working with Alto’s operations, product, and marketing teams to establish a bilingual team to better support Spanish-speaking individuals using our pharmacy services across our communities.

Proud unites LGBTQ+ Altoids and allies in creating an environment where all Altoids can be their most authentic selves. The group has led Alto in celebrating important LGBTQ+ awareness days with events such as drag queen bingo nights for Pride and LGBTQ+ history month. Two Proud members who identify as bisexual gave a talk for Bi Visibility Day on September 23 and also shared their experiences of coming out in in observance of National Coming Out Day on October 11.

Proud also invites experts to speak at Alto about a range of LGBTQ+ issues. They recently hosted a session with Chris Tompkins, author of Raising LGBTQ Allies: A Parent’s Guide to Changing the Message from the Playground, and a fireside chat with Dr. Lisa Capaldini, who has focused on HIV since the beginning of the epidemic.

Women of Alto + Allies (WOAA) helps create an inclusive community for women at Alto with mentorship and networking opportunities that advance their leadership potential. Their newly launched initiative, WOAA Project Spotlight, celebrates female-identifying team members who have helped us deliver on our mission while living our values, and a quarterly webinar series shares how various self-identifying Altoid women launched their careers.

Working Parents + Allies facilitates discussion and collaboration in celebration of our working parents. The ERG has led Alto in supporting working parents with a variety of initiatives, including a community event with the Kids & Art Foundation’s Purvi Shah in honor of Bereaved Parents Month this July; an “Ask a Parent Anything” Slack advice hotline for parents, caretakers, and allies; and free access to Outschool’s live online classes for kids ages 3-18.

And with their second annual Holiday Giveback Program, which donates gifts to kids and families in need through Marine Toys for Tots and the Boys & Girls Club of America, Working Parents + Allies is an example of how our ERGs look for opportunities to give back and show support beyond the immediate Alto community.

During Asian American Pacific Islander month, the Asians ERG shared resources for individuals like Modern Health's Healing Asian Communities Circles and highlighted community groups for volunteerism and donations.

To learn more about any of our employee resource groups, contact the emails below.

Women of Alto + Allies: womensERG@alto.com

Working Parents & Allies: parents@alto.com

Visit alto.com/careers to learn more about our open roles and join us in delivering industry-leading pharmacy care.

We’re excited to welcome Ramiah Martin to Alto as Vice President, Operations & Supply Chain. Here’s more on what drew him to Alto and the opportunities he’s most excited about, in his own words. 

Meet Ramiah Martin, VP, Operations & Supply Chain

We’re excited to welcome Ramiah Martin to Alto as Vice President, Operations & Supply Chain. Prior to joining Alto, Ramiah was Senior Director of Operations at Amazon, where he developed the strategic vision for the company’s operations and led a cross-functional team in implementing new processes and technologies to streamline use of resources.

His dedication to continually improving the customer experience is matched by a passion for healthcare change, and we could not be more thrilled to have Ramiah on the team. Here’s more on what drew him to Alto and the opportunities he’s most excited about, in his own words. 

Welcome to Alto! What inspired you to join the team?

When I first learned about Alto, its mission and values stood out to me first and foremost. I immediately felt a strong connection with the company’s mission of improving the quality of people’s lives through medicine and its commitment to putting customers first.

I was compelled by the opportunity to truly make a positive impact and help transform an industry that is both in need of improvement and slow to evolve. Through my previous experiences in operations management at Amazon and UPS, I know that streamlined processes can have a massive impact on a company’s results. At Alto, all of those efforts to innovate and maximize efficiency are in the service of driving broader change within pharmacy and healthcare.

I also appreciated that Alto is intentional about investing in talent representative of the communities we serve. As we continue to grow, and our customer base diversifies, it’s critical to have that diversity represented in the people building our new model for pharmacy care.

What is the focus of your role and what opportunities are you excited about?

As Vice President of Operations & Supply Chain, I’m focused on creating a scalable and sustainable organization, ensuring that as we grow, we continue to deliver an exceptional experience for our customers.

We have a great opportunity to ensure that individuals who have been historically underserved by medicine receive the standard of care that they deserve. I believe in the product — we make it as simple as possible to manage your health and learn more about medication and pricing, and our customers’ medication adherence rates are far above industry standards. I know there’s a lot more we can accomplish, and it’s a privilege to lead a team that’s united by a bold vision for healthcare.

I love movies, except for horror (Michael Jackson's “Thriller” video and Children of the Corn scarred me). I will go to the movies by myself as long as I have my Cherry Coke. It’s my way of shutting off my brain for an hour or two and relaxing.

You can find more information about Ramiah or connect with him directly on LinkedIn. If you have any questions about Alto, or are interested in joining our team, please visit alto.com/careers.

October is American Pharmacist Month, a time to celebrate the critical role that pharmacists and pharmacy technicians play within healthcare.

Celebrating American Pharmacist Month At Alto

October just might be our favorite month of the year, and for a good reason: it’s American Pharmacist Month, a time to celebrate the critical role that pharmacists and pharmacy technicians play within healthcare.

Pharmacists are one of the most accessible healthcare professionals, seeing people 5 to 8 times more frequently per year than primary care providers. And as such, they are integral to your overall health and well-being. 

You may not realize all the responsibilities that a pharmacist’s role encompasses. In addition to filling your prescriptions, they also educate on medication usage, advocate for changes that improve care, and problem solve clinical, ethical, managerial, economic, and legal compliance issues, becoming a trusted resource to the individuals they care for. Extensive training and education are required to enter the profession: a pharmacist must earn a doctorate in Pharmacy and complete state-specific licensing requirements before becoming licensed to practice pharmacy.

At many traditional retail pharmacies, each pharmacist is expected to tackle a broad assortment of tasks that often leave them feeling overwhelmed and stressed, like managing transactions for customers, answering questions about where non-pharmacy items are stocked, and contacting insurance companies on top of ensuring prescriptions are dispensed properly and safely. At Alto, however, pharmacists align with one of several practice areas — fulfillment, customer care, and onboarding — so that they are able to focus on specific aspects of pharmacist practice and deliver exceptional care to Alto’s customers.

Fulfillment pharmacists are responsible for inventory management, medication preparation, physical quality checks, and dispensing, all to make sure the right medication arrives at your door, on schedule. Our customer care pharmacists review prescriptions for accuracy and for potential complications with other medications on file; provide individualized consultations on dosing, side effects and other concerns; and partner with healthcare providers on clinical recommendations. And our onboarding pharmacists — a relatively new role at Alto — are a bridge to an individual's broader team, supporting healthcare providers and ensuring continuity of care between prescriber and pharmacy.

“At Alto, we are proud of our customer-focused services and forward-thinking means of providing those services,” shares Ashley Lee, Onboarding Pharmacist. “Being a pharmacist at Alto gives me the unique opportunity to not only practice patient care, but also to design it to be meaningful to as many individuals in need as possible. The innovation never stops here at Alto.”

How Alto pharmacists serve our communities

There’s no shortage of opportunities for a pharmacist to support an individual with their medication needs or to be a partner in their health journey alongside their doctor’s office, family and other support networks. Here are just a few of the many roles that Alto pharmacists fulfill.

Literally. Our pharmacists are educators who mentor other pharmacists-in-training. Sandra Aziz, Pharmacy Compliance Program and Training Manager, is responsible for training new Pharmacy Managers and Supervisors at our dispensing sites, ensuring they have the resources needed to be effective managers and to oversee their pharmacy location’s compliance program and daily operations.

Sandra also manages our internship programs for pharmacy students. Alto offers an immersive 10-week Pharmacy Operations Management summer internship program for eligible students at Howard University’s School of Pharmacy (HUCOP). The program provides an opportunity to gain a breadth of experience across clinical pharmacy care, operations, and business development. Students also have the opportunity to actively influence Alto’s software development and implement ideas that further preventative healthcare and pharmacist involvement in community health.

Sandra also launched our Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences (IPPE) and Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPE) programs, which allow students from pharmacy schools across the country to select Alto as a practice site. While at Alto, they are exposed to highly skilled and entrepreneurial pharmacists, engineers, and operations experts with whom they can partner to challenge, reinvent, and improve pharmacy. 

“It’s been really rewarding to see more pharmacy students expressing interest in our programs,” Sandra said. “We have a rare opportunity to give students an experiential learning experience that you won’t find at any other pharmacy. At Alto, our pharmacists work cross-functionally across operations, engineering, and design to build a better, more intuitive community pharmacy from the ground up. We focus on challenges faced by patients, providers, and payers, and find solutions that optimize experience, transparency, and health outcomes.”

Read our previous post, 'From Pharmacist to Professor: Sandra Aziz Spotlight'.

They’re also here to teach you! Our pharmacists are happy to chat on the phone for however long you need to offer individualized support. Many customers use these one-on-one consultations to learn how to give themselves injections as part of fertility treatment or diabetes management or to confirm special storage or dosing instructions, but our pharmacists are happy to share their expertise on any question related to your prescriptions or health needs.

For example, did you know that our pharmacists are experts on managing side effects? As a bridge between you and your doctor, our pharmacists review all of your current medications to identify any potential symptoms or medication interactions, and they’re available to talk through any questions or concerns.

Lawmakers in several states have recognized the accessibility of pharmacists and their potential to play an even larger role in healthcare, specifically in the HIV prevention space. California became the first state to allow pharmacists to prescribe HIV prevention medication like pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) in 2019, and Colorado became the second in November 2020. 

“As healthcare providers in the community, there is a big opportunity for us as pharmacists to play a critical role in HIV prevention and help increase accessibility to medications like PrEP and PEP,” explains Susan Sun, Specialty Pharmacist. “It’s been wonderful to see growing recognition of a pharmacist’s impact even outside of the healthcare community, and the recent legislation that allows pharmacists to prescribe in some states is just a start. It’s a privilege for pharmacists to be a part of these exciting changes and make HIV prevention easier for others.”

In honor of American Pharmacist Month, we’d like to say a big and heartfelt thank you to our incredible team of 175+ pharmacists. Each of you plays a critical role in the wellbeing of our customers, the strength of our provider relationships and the quality of our service — we’re grateful for your hard work all year long. 

Here are just a few of the faces responsible for providing exceptional pharmacist care at Alto!

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in October 2021 and has been updated for accuracy and completeness.

October 11 marks National Coming Out Day, an opportunity to celebrate all those who have come out as LGBTQ+ and recognize the courage they’ve demonstrated by choosing to be their authentic selves.

Celebrating National Coming Out Day at Alto

October 11 marks National Coming Out Day, an opportunity to celebrate all those who have come out as LGBTQ+ and recognize the courage they’ve demonstrated by choosing to be their authentic selves. In honor of this annual celebration, we sat down with two Alto team members — Ben Romero (he/they), Business Operations Manager for Health Plans and Travis White (he/him), Senior Software Engineer — who generously shared their experiences of coming out as bisexual/queer. Here are their stories, in their own words.

Ben: Like a lot of folks, I avoided coming out for most of my life. I grew up knowing that I wasn’t exactly straight and later recognized that I’m bisexual. I remember my entire experience around my sexuality being wrapped in shame. I would reluctantly conform to heteronormativity just to avoid the fear of being outed or questioned. It wasn't until college that I first felt like I could open myself up to the experience and validation that I deserved. By the time I graduated from college, I had a refreshed sense of my place in the world, but I was still hiding my sexuality from my family.

Five years after college, I was finally ready to be open with my family about being bisexual, and it was the first time I felt as if I had to “come out.” At the time I was engaged to my non-binary/queer partner. My family knew my partner as a woman, but my partner was also beginning to validate their nonbinary gender experience. All I could think about was how much of a disservice it would be to our identities as a queer couple if we started our marriage having to assume more invalidating heteronormative assumptions. I first told my closest family members — my younger brother and parents — who supported me unconditionally and showed me so much love. Not every family member was as accepting of my sexuality, which was really disappointing, but I had more than enough support from my chosen family to finally overcome the fear that I had held on to for so long. 

Travis: I realized I wasn’t completely straight at some point in high school. Growing up Catholic, I was always taught that men are attracted to women and that being gay was a sin. So when I found myself attracted to both girls and guys during high school, I wondered what was wrong with me. I brushed it off and ignored that aspect of my sexuality for a long time, which I would later come to regret since it definitely fed into ongoing anxiety and depression in college.

I first came out to my closest friends during my junior year of college. By that point, I had fully accepted that I wasn’t straight, but I had never acted on my bisexuality. I had only dated girls, so my friends saw me as completely straight. I couldn’t quite figure out how to tell them, and it ended up happening organically while hanging out on a Friday night. We were playing a game around the table that required everyone to share something no one else knew about them. Something came over me and I decided to throw caution to the wind with a, “by the way… I’m bi.”  

I came out to my parents several years later when I was working my first engineering job out of college, living in Silicon Valley and loving life. I knew that if they chose not to accept me, it was going to be their loss. After a night out (and an amazing prime rib dinner) when they were in town, I told them that there was something I wanted to tell them about myself - that I am bisexual. My dad’s first response was, “What does that mean?” I informed them that it means I am attracted to both men and women, though more recently, I’ve come to think of myself as being attracted to interesting people regardless of the gender they identify as. My parents were very supportive, but truthfully I had reached a point where I could be accepting of the worst-case scenario. 

Ben: I was most grateful for the sense of relief I experienced. Despite facing criticism and homophobia from some of my siblings after coming out, I couldn’t shake the sense of pride I felt from allowing myself to be unapologetically queer and visible. I’m finally allowing this part of me to flourish and grow. It’s liberating to be radically honest with yourself and others, regardless of what anyone else may think. I’ve now come to identify with the term queer in addition to bisexual. Part of the growth I’ve experienced involves unlearning so much of what I’ve been socialized to believe about the gender binary, and I’m just now starting to understand where I exist outside of it.  

Travis: When I came out to my friends during college, we stayed up talking until very late into the night. I left feeling a huge weight lifted off of my shoulders — and so full of love and support from some of the people I was closest to.

And later when I came out to my parents, they accepted me with open loving arms, for which I’m grateful, but I was also prepared to move forward with my life even if they did not accept me as my true authentic self.

What resources, support groups, or communities did you rely on when coming out? 

Ben: The isolation of being in the closet can sometimes lead to stories or expectations of yourself that aren’t necessarily helpful, or true. For me, as a bisexual, some of those expectations sounded like “I’m not queer enough,” “I don’t fit into the queer community,” or “people won’t believe I’m bi/queer.” I looked to my queer friends and even to LGBTQ+ advocates on social media and was relieved to find that they had many of the same fears about coming out as I did. I found that learning from other people’s experiences could help validate my own feelings, even if we had a different orientation or gender. As a queer Latinx, I also sought validation from people who shared similar intersections around my identity, which helped me navigate the concerns I had about coming out to my family.

Travis: My friends were very supportive so I was really able to lean on them. It was also helpful to just search online for other people’s coming out stories. Before I could tell my family, I knew I had to reach a point where I would be secure in my identity regardless of the outcome of that conversation. Part of the reason it’s so important to share coming out stories is because hearing other people’s experiences helps inspire you to do the same.

What advice would you give to others considering coming out? 

Ben: Above all, put your safety first. Try your best to not take on the burden of guilt for not being your authentic self — that is not a reflection of you, but a reflection of how our environment can fail to provide the validation we deserve. Take your time and build your comfort with folks who will validate your experience. There’s a whole community of people who will back you up and care for you if someone you come out to is hurtful or invalidating. 

Travis: Do it if, and when, you’re ready. You can never control how others will react, so just accept that other people’s responses have nothing to do with you. It took me years to reach that point with my family. It can be incredibly tough, and you can never know in advance how anyone will respond, but if they cannot accept you for your true authentic self, there are plenty others out there who will.

Do you have any suggestions for allies? 

Ben: I would stress the importance of familiarizing yourself with queer history and how our struggle for acceptence has evolved over the years. The LGBTQ+ community and allies have so much to be proud of today, like the repeal of “Don’t ask, don’t tell” (a former U.S. policy that directed military applicants to not disclose their sexual orientation), the legalization of gay marriage, and more queer representation on our screens — just to name a few.

At the same time, while all of those are certainly celebratory milestones, I ask that allies also recognize that our pride comes from so much more than a handful of legislative victories over the last decade. Our pride comes from the queer folks who came before us and fought for our visibility by rallying voices to speak out against injustice. Allies can research events such as the Compton’s Cafeteria riot, the Stonewall uprising, or the works of the Combahee River Collective. Understanding this historical context is important for also understanding the intersectional nature of the LGBTQ+ struggle for acceptance and restorative justice. Even though we have much to celebrate, our struggle continues as we fight for those who are still excluded or marginalized. 

Travis: Listen. The number one thing you can do is to listen and accept what someone in the LGBTQ+ community is telling you as their truth. It may change in the future — and that’s okay! Sexuality and gender are not a binary, and both can be incredibly fluid.

For parents: how you discuss sexual orientations and gender identities at home can leave a lasting impact on your children. I remember asking my mother about her thoughts on gay marriage, and she shared a more traditional view of marriage as a union between a man and a woman. That stuck with me for a long time and is a key reason I waited so long to tell them who I truly am. Read your toddler a book about a gay couple that gets married, teach your teens about prominent members of the LGBTQ+ community (and why they’re important), and if your LGBTQ+ child asks you to drive them to gay prom, treat the scenario as completely normal — because it is.

Why is it important for you to work at a company that values diversity in all forms? 

Ben: For me it’s a requirement that a company I work for prioritizes diversity and inclusion. I appreciate that Alto provides visibility into the progress that we’ve made towards building a diverse team that reflects the diversity of the patients we build solutions for. We also hold space to identify the work that still needs to be done. It’s really validating to have your background recognized at company celebrations and events or in spaces like employee resource groups (ERGs)*. It’s also important that we do all we can in our everyday actions to foster a collaborative and inclusive environment — one where people feel comfortable enough to be their authentic selves and not like they have to mask their gender, race, neurodivergence, or any other part of their identity. 

Travis: The U.S. — and the world — is made up of so many different people. There’s diversity of thought and beliefs, educational experiences, socioeconomic status, gender, race, A homogenous company that doesn’t mirror that diversity  will never be able to serve the entire population, and will miss out on a lot of opportunities. Alto’s mission is to fulfill medicine's true purpose — to improve quality of life — for everyone who needs it. The key word to me is everyone, and to truly fulfill the promise of that mission, we need a company as diverse as our customers. I personally find it rewarding to work at a company that values diversity and has strong representation of many identities, because that’s how the best ideas come to fruition and ultimately how the most positive impact is achieved.

At Alto, we believe in a world where every perspective matters. Diversity fosters creativity and creates innovation, and we welcome candidates of all backgrounds, skill sets, and experiences. To learn more, read Why We Prioritize Diversity at Alto. 

For more information on how to make your workplace safe and equitable for LGBTQ+ team members, read 11 Simple Ways You (Yes, You!) Can Make Your Workplace More LGBTQ Inclusive. 

If you or someone you know is considering coming out, we encourage you to review these resources:

Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) Recommended Reading: Coming Out

*ERGs are meant to empower community groups within an organization by directly linking decision makers and implementing policies that support the group’s specific needs. The groups often center around a shared identity or experience and focus on building community, providing support, and contributing to its members’ personal and professional well-being. By creating an open forum for employees to come together, discuss challenges and opportunities, and foster a sense of belonging, ERGs help both individuals and organizations thrive.

We’re excited to welcome Christopher Tidball to the Alto team as Director of Product Management, Supply Chain & Fulfillment. Learn more about his passions both in and outside of work and what drew him to Alto.

Introducing Christopher Tidball, Director of Product Management - Supply Chain & Fulfillment

We’re excited to welcome Christopher Tidball to the Alto team as Director of Product Management, Supply Chain & Fulfillment. Most recently, Christopher led a large team of product managers, engineers and program managers at Amazon to power the company’s most complex fulfillment operations. 

As Alto continues to expand our geographic footprint and customer base, Christopher’s nearly 20 years of industry experience will support us in scaling our systems, so that we can continue to deliver the same high standards of care and service to even more communities.

We recently sat down with Christopher to learn more about his passions both in and outside of work, what drew him to Alto, and the operational opportunities he’s most excited about. 

Before a recruiter ever reached out to me about a role at Alto, my wife and I were very satisfied customers. We had been on a long journey of trying to start a family, and that ultimately led us to a fertility clinic that recommended Alto. We had a great experience from day one: the app was easy to use, the same-day deliveries from couriers were always on time, and Alto’s pharmacists walked us through the various medications in our delivery and answered all of our questions. 

Alto’s focus on the customer experience was immediately clear, and I made a mental note that this was the type of company I’d like to work for. Fast forward a few months later, a recruiter reached out and introduced me to the leadership team whose passion and experience sold me on leaving Amazon to come here.

As the Director of Product Management - Supply Chain and Fulfillment, I'll focus on the technology investments that can help us continue to grow and offer exceptional service to our customers. “Supply chain” covers a lot of ground: procurement, inventory, pharmacy operations, delivery, and more. There are tons of opportunities to automate processes to make it easier for Altoids to run the business, especially as we grow and expand. 

What areas of the business are you most excited about?

The operations side has always been exciting to me—it's where the magic happens. At the end of the day, if we don't have sustainable, efficient ways to fulfill the promises we make to our customers, we won't survive. 

Alto has a great business model, and many happy customers to show for it, but there’s always room to continue to innovate and improve the delivery experience. It's one of the few in-person interactions we have with the customer and we want to make it exceptional.

Tell us about life outside of Alto. Are you doing anything interesting at the moment?

I'm a pilot in training — I'm about 75% of the way to getting my single-engine license. I live in Seattle so the aerial views of the city, Puget Sound, and the Cascade Mountains are absolutely breathtaking. Flying gives you a sense of freedom that reminds me of when I first got my driver's license.

You can find more information about Christopher or connect with him directly on LinkedIn. If you have any questions about Alto, or are interested in joining our team, please visit alto.com/careers.

The Next Evolution of Our Company Values

A lot has changed at Alto since Matt and I first set out to transform the pharmacy experience back in 2015. (For one thing, we no longer work out of a storage closet.) In the past two years alone, we’ve quadrupled our team to more than 1,000 Altoids and opened new locations in Denver, Las Vegas, Seattle, New York City, Houston, Dallas, San Jose and San Diego.

Our mission — improving the quality of life for everyone who needs medicine — will never change, but a team of 1,000 needs a different recipe for success than one of 100. And as our team continues to grow, along with our geographic footprint, we’ve revisited our core values so that we can move forward with intention and clarity during this next phase of Alto’s journey.

Here are the values that guide our work today.

This was at the top of our founding values, and it’s still here. In fact, our resolve to put patients first has only gotten stronger — not because it’s what is best for the business, but because it is our only reason for being in business. Each member of our team strives to build a world where healthcare companies truly prioritize the needs of their patients, and we’ll do everything in our power to make that a reality.

My personal favorite of all our new values, dancing in the storm is about embracing the bumps in the road — and there are many when you’re taking on challenges within healthcare — and recognizing that you can always choose joy. We strive to help our teammates do the same by infusing a little bit of levity and laughter into the workday. It only takes one person to start a dance party!

Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less. Nor is it the absence of strong opinions, but the willingness to learn and change our minds. Sometimes our ego takes over — that’s only human. But we try to be mindful of it, and willing to let go of our ego and instead put our mission, customers, and teammates ahead of ourselves.

We view ourselves as creators of our circumstances, responsible for our actions and our own well-being. When we don’t like an outcome, we don’t project blame onto others or ourselves, but rather take radical responsibility for how we created the situation. More than any other value, this is an opportunity for deep internal reflection, and by practicing it consistently, we can maximize our own individual growth.

We say what is true for us in the moment, even when it is uncomfortable. We support our teammates to do the same by recognizing the validity of their experience and not taking it personally. Leading with candor isn’t always easy, but it feels much better to live authentically and honestly and to work with others who do as well. Candor doesn't have to be angry or hurtful - it can be kind and binding, compassionate and respectful.

It’s easy to become paralyzed by fear, overwhelmed by all of the possibilities in a complex situation. So unless a decision involves customer or employee safety, we don’t wait for perfect information. We trust our intuition and common sense and simply forge ahead, knowing that mistakes are in fact one of the best ways to learn.

There are no shortcuts or silver bullets in an industry as complex as healthcare. The way to achieve transformational change is through continuous improvement over a long period of time. When we’re overwhelmed by the magnitude of what we’re trying to accomplish, we remember that what each of us does adds up — one step at a time, one customer at a time — and that with small but steady progress we can accomplish great feats.

As a company grows, issues no longer affect a few customers, but a few thousand. It’s tempting to only look at trends and aggregates, but we know this is a trap. Greater distance from individual examples creates more opportunity for misunderstanding, bias, and incorrect assumptions. So we look beyond surface-level data and dive deep into the details. Only then can we fully understand an issue to its core.

Values themselves are just words, and the words themselves are not that important. What’s important is how we live them day in and day out, and the culture they support. In the months ahead, we’ll continue to integrate these values into the fabric of our company processes, our products, our customers’ experiences, and our work lives. And this work is not something just a few leaders or HR team members do - every Altoid has a hand in bringing these values to life and co-creating our culture.

Build Tomorrow’s Pharmacy with Us — Join Our Team

If you are passionate about creating a great company culture, join us in delivering our industry-leading pharmacy care to millions of people across the country. As a member of the team, you’ll play an integral role in improving our customers’ quality of life and redefining what’s possible in pharmacy.

View open roles in design, engineering, IT, sales, patient care, and more.

The Providers Team at Alto is charged with building the tools and service components necessary to deliver an exceptional pharmacy experience for healthcare providers. Read on to learn more.

Get to Know the Team That Has Doctors Calling Alto “The Pharmacy of The Future”

Editor's Note: The post was updated on November 8, 2021 to reflect the rebrand of AltoMD to Alto Connect.

Alto Pharmacy’s mission is to fulfill medicine’s true purpose — to improve quality of life — for everyone who needs it. The healthcare professionals who prescribe medications to Alto and the clinical teams that support them are critical partners in making our mission successful. To this end, the Providers Team at Alto is charged with building the tools and service components necessary to deliver an exceptional pharmacy experience for healthcare providers.

Every day, clinical teams -  including prescribers and other clinical staff like nurses, practice coordinators, and billing specialists - spend hours tracking down insurance information, coordinating approvals and appeals, discussing options with their patients, and playing phone tag with pharmacies. The Providers Team enables these healthcare providers to spend more time on patient care and less time on back office tasks. 

Alto’s provider communications platform, Alto Connect, and related services, including insurance benefits coordination and prior authorization management, remove clinical blockers that traditionally slow down or prevent an individual’s access to treatment. Practices that share Alto with a majority of their patients can save three or more hours per day on pharmacy and insurance administration tasks, with less time spent waiting on hold, fewer faxes and improved employee satisfaction (not to mention happier patients!). 

Anu Kashyap, a Product Manager on the team says, “I joined Alto to make a contribution to people’s health using technology, and the Providers Team is working on specific, painful healthcare problems that are critical to solve. These challenges have been incredibly fulfilling to work on.”

How does the Providers Team play into the overall growth of Alto Pharmacy?

The Providers Team is fairly new, as they were originally part of a larger Growth team within Alto. Kjersten Elias, Engineering Manager, explains: “Alto's growth model is driven by conversations about pharmacy choice in the doctor’s office, and in the fall of 2020, we dedicated an engineering team to optimizing our product offerings and improving the experience for the healthcare providers having those conversations.”

Anu adds, “The key for our business’ continued growth is having healthcare providers trust that we are the best pharmacy for their patients and leverage us as their pharmacy of choice. This type of growth channel is much more powerful than anything direct to the consumer. We can only do this however, if our providers have an excellent experience with us, and we’ve only scratched the surface here.” 

Being part of a newer team has distinct advantages. Software Engineer Dereck Quock notes, “We have unique opportunities to modernize how we build apps and define our infrastructure and technical needs. With the freedom to utilize cutting edge tech and new frameworks, there is so much room for innovation.”

What is the culture of the Providers Team like?

The engineers each raved about a small-but-important recurring calendar invite each Friday: Team Time. This protected time is a space to catch up, banter about anything other than work, and, if folks are feeling brave, face off with Anu, former Teen Tournament champion, in a rousing game of Jeopardy.

It's not hard to see why Kjersten and her team light up when they talk about team culture. Amy Chen, a Software Engineer on the team, shared that  “Kjersten is an incredible manager. Everyone is empowered to ask for and share feedback, fine-tune our processes, and check in with each other.”

“When I joined, I could tell right away this team really lifted each other up and had each other’s backs,” said Dereck. “It’s one of the greatest teams I’ve worked on.”

The Providers Team is hiring! Learn more about open positions here.

In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, which takes place from September 15 - October 15 every year, Alto is highlighting the important work of Alto Auténtico, our Latinx employee resource group (ERG).

Get to Know Alto Auténtico, our Latinx ERG

In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, which takes place from September 15 - October 15 every year, Alto is highlighting the important work of Alto Auténtico, our Latinx employee resource group (ERG)*. Below, Robert Barahona, Provider Success Specialist and co-leader of Alto Auténtico, shares more about the group’s origins, current initiatives, and plans for the future.

Robert: “Auténtico” means authentic in Spanish, and authenticity is central to the ERG’s mission. The group was created to ensure that Alto’s Latinx team members have a presence and a voice within our company culture, and that they are supported in their professional development with meaningful opportunities to grow at Alto.  

Robert: Our focus is both internal and external. In addition to developing a Latinx community at Alto, we also shape Alto’s product and services so that we’re better serving our Latinx users (more about that later). Much of that work involves building awareness of Latinx history and cultural contributions, as well as bringing attention to negative stereotypes that we want to dismantle.

We use holidays and events like Day of the Dead (November 1st and 2nd) and Cesar Chavez’ birthday (March 31) to share educational resources with our team members. On Cinco de Mayo, we hosted a Zoom happy hour and a taco lunch for all our pharmacies.

For last year’s Hispanic Heritage Month, we invited Dr. Robert Rodriguez, the president of diversity consulting firm DRR Advisors and a thought leader in Latinx talent management, to speak at Alto. He shared about his own journey of repressing his background to assimilate in the workplace to fully embracing his heritage and empowering other Latinx employees to be their authentic selves.

How are we celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month this year?

Robert: We’re focusing on celebrating Latinx intersectionality. It’s important to recognize the diversity within Latinx culture and the important perspectives of Latinx women, LGBTQ+ individuals, and those of mixed heritage, including our Black and Asian members who also identify as Hispanic or Latinx. Every week during Hispanic Heritage Month, we’re educating the full Alto team about a specific group within the broader Latinx community, with resources for additional learning.

What can team members look forward to from Alto Auténtico in the future? 

Robert: We’re really excited to continue to help shape Alto’s services and resources for customers, making our offerings as inclusive as possible. We’re currently working with the operations, product, and marketing teams to establish a bilingual team to support Spanish-speaking individuals using our pharmacy delivery services across all of our communities. 

We’re also launching a mentorship program in which Alto’s junior Latinx team members will be paired with senior Latinx team members for coaching sessions. This is another important step in continuing to invest in our Latinx team members’ professional development.

How can allies recognize Hispanic Heritage Month?

Robert: Great question! I think learning is key. Simply taking the time to educate yourself about the Hispanic and/or Latinx experience — particularly about our diversity as a group — goes a long way toward building trust, which is key to true allyship.

Interested in learning more about the Alto Auténtico employee resource group? Reach out to altoautentico@alto.com and visit alto.com/careers to learn more about our open roles. 

In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, which takes place from September 15 - October 15 every year, Alto is highlighting the important work of Alto Auténtico, our Latinx employee resource group (ERG)

Reproductive endocrinologist Dr. Guy Ringler — a former faculty member at UCLA and an advisory board member at Men Having Babies — was one of the first doctors in the world to help gay men have children through assisted reprodutive technology.

Spotlight on Men Having Babies & Dr. Guy Ringler

There are many ways to start a family and raise a child. And as recent decades have brought forth milestones in marriage equality and the fight for LGBTQ+ rights, the options for LGBTQ+ family building have also expanded.

According to 2019 data from the Williams Institute, almost 29% of people who identify as members of the LGBTQ+ community are raising children, up from 16.2% between 2014 - 2016. That includes a growing number of gay men who’ve had children through surrogacy, a process in which a woman who is not related to the child — a gestational surrogate — carries a baby who is biologically related to one of the fathers and an egg donor.

Breaking down barriers to LGBTQ+ family building

Reproductive endocrinologist Dr. Guy Ringler — a former faculty member at UCLA and an advisory board member at Men Having Babies — was one of the first doctors in the world to help gay men have children through assisted reprodutive technology. Throughout the twenty-five years that he’s been in practice, he’s seen how scientific advances and cultural changes have broken down barriers for gay men interested in parenthood.

“Over two decades ago, when I began my career, people barely understood the concept of surrogacy for gay men,” he says. “It wasn’t as easy to find women who wanted to become surrogates for gay couples. There was still fear about HIV, and there were questions about the impact of surrogacy on a child’s development.”

The landscape looks a lot different today. Thanks to cultural shifts and greater understanding of the science behind surrogacy — and to awareness-raising organizations like Men Having Babies — there are now more options than ever to become a parent regardless of your sexual orientation or gender identity.

“Greater acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community and marriage equality has opened people’s minds and allowed them to see that gay families can thrive, just like any family,” Dr. Ringler says. “Gay men are now able to plan for a future that we once didn’t know was possible.”

Getting to meet prospective fathers at Men Having Babies’ annual conferences is one of Dr. Ringler’s favorite things about working with the organization. He’s observed a greater number of gay men pursuing parenthood at an earlier age.

“I’m so inspired by the next generation of gay men, who are planning their families in their twenties. That simply wasn’t an option when I was their age.”

Men Having Babies and financial assistance for IVF and surrogacy

There are many steps on the road to parenthood for LGBTQ+ individuals and couples: fertility treatments, legal consultation, and financial planning are all required to start a family.

“Having a baby doesn’t just happen for gay men,” Dr. Ringler says. “It takes thoughtful planning and there are many decisions along the way.”

That’s why support from organizations like Men Having Babies is so critical. The organization started as a program at The Center (formerly the NYC LGBT Center) in 2005 and officially became a nonprofit in 2012. Today, Men Having Babies supports thousands of gay men and couples around the world in starting their families through surrogacy, with monthly workshops, annual conferences and financial resources. 

Determining how to pay for IVF and surrogacy is an important part of planning your family. As part of the process, Dr. Ringler suggests mapping out a vision for your family. Knowing how many children you want can help you prepare for the cost: “When you’re making the commitment to start a family as a gay man, think about how you will financially support the decision. It may feel overwhelming, but it’s similar to the process of buying a house. If it’s really important to you, you can find a way to make it work.”

There are many resources to help alleviate the cost, including Men Having Babies’ Gay Parenting Assistance Program (GPAP) . The program offers different forms of financial support, including:

Discounted and free services donated by more than one hundred leading IVF, surrogacy, egg donation, and legal service providers to prospective parents (Stage I support)

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