By Edward Lynn
Editor
DES MOINES, Iowa – Local pharmacist and business owner Andrew Wagner, PharmD, has been appointed to the Iowa Pharmacy Association (IPA) Board of Trustees as the Region 4 representative, following a year in which his grassroots advocacy helped spark statewide reform.
Wagner, who owns and operates Eagle Grove Pharmacy—the same store where he got his start as a teenage employee—has become a leading voice in the fight to protect Iowa’s small and rural pharmacies. Earlier this year, a Facebook post Wagner wrote detailing the challenges facing independent pharmacies went viral, drawing widespread public and legislative attention to the issue.
The post helped catalyze momentum behind a bill in the Iowa Legislature aimed at reigning in abusive practices by pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), which many local pharmacists say threaten their survival. Wagner’s firsthand testimony caught the eye of local legislators, and growing public support played a crucial role in advancing the legislation.
In a series of articles published by The Eagle, Wagner outlined how large insurance middlemen manipulate prescription reimbursements and force local pharmacies into impossible financial situations—all while steering patients toward mail-order options owned by the insurers themselves.
“This isn’t just about my pharmacy,” Wagner told The Eagle this spring. “It’s about every small-town pharmacy that keeps rural Iowa healthy. If we don’t push back, we risk losing access to local care.”
Now, as a trustee of the Iowa Pharmacy Association, Wagner will bring his rural perspective to the forefront of state-level pharmacy leadership. In this new role, he will help guide the association’s mission, shape policy positions, and serve as a voice for pharmacists across Region 4, which includes much of north-central Iowa.
Wagner’s journey from local employee to small business owner, and now statewide trustee reflects both his personal efforts, and the vital role hometown pharmacies play in communities like Eagle Grove.
Wagner was officially installed alongside other newly elected trustees at the 2025 IPA Annual Meeting held in Des Moines. The incoming board includes President-Elect Heather Ourth, PharmD, BCPS, BCGP, FASHP of West Des Moines; Speaker of the House Ryan Jacobsen, PharmD, BCPS of Iowa City; Region 2 Trustee Dana McDougall, PharmD, BCPS, BCOP of Hudson; At-Large Trustees Omobola Thompson, RPh, MPH of Clive, and Mylo Wells, PharmD of Bloomfield; Pharmacy Technician Trustee Kimberly Metcalf, CPhT-Adv of Cedar Falls; Honorary President Greg Johansen, RPh of Cumming; and student pharmacist representatives Stacy Johnson of Drake University and Ian Patterson of the University of Iowa.
The IPA Board of Trustees is the governing body tasked with advancing the goals and objectives of the association, facilitating communication between IPA and its members, overseeing the budget, and guiding the strategic direction of pharmacy practice in Iowa.
