Elizabeth "Betsy" Nolan
U.S. Navy 1979 – 2005
Elizabeth “Betsy” Nolan is a retired U.S. Navy Commander and pharmacist whose 26-year military career helped transform naval and joint-service pharmacy operations. A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, she earned her Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from Duquesne University and accepted a direct commission as an ensign in 1979. Early assignments at Naval Hospitals in Philadelphia, Treasure Island, and Pensacola shaped her leadership philosophy and broadened her understanding of pharmacy as both a clinical and managerial profession. She later served as head of the Navy’s Pharmacy Technician School at the Naval School of Health Sciences in Portsmouth, Virginia, where she helped modernize curriculum during the Gulf War and coordinated with Army and Air Force counterparts on joint-training initiatives. At the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, she oversaw major reforms to pharmacy benefit management and information systems, including the Pharmacy Data Transaction Service, improving patient safety and financial accountability across the Department of Defense. Commander Nolan was the seventeenth—and first woman—Chief Pharmacy Officer of the U.S. Navy. Now residing in The Villages, Florida, she continues her service as president of Tri-County Women Veterans and as a member of the Florida Women Veterans Advisory Council, advocating for women’s visibility and care within the veteran community.
Full Interview
Interview Summary
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Introduction: Early life and decision to join the Navy (0:46 – 4:13)
Commission as a pharmacist and first duties (4:13 – 7:00)
Second tour and community pharmacist role (7:00 – 8:25)
Leadership growth at Naval Hospital Pensacola (8:25 – 10:28)
Pharmacy technician training and curriculum (10:28 – 21:39)
Joint service pharmacy benefit management (21:39 – 27:51)
Post-9/11 impact and pharmacy operations (27:51 – 32:30)
Automation and pharmacy workflow improvements (32:30 – 34:38)
Team leadership and vision setting in pharmacy (34:38 – 37:26)
Joint service collaboration and leadership (37:26 – 38:45)
Naval School of Health Sciences role and transition to civilian career (38:45 – 41:58)
First woman Navy Chief Pharmacy Officer (41:58 – 43:38)
Leadership of Tri County Women Veterans (43:38 – 51:04)
Proudest moments and achievements of Naval career (51:04 – 52:30)
Advice for young women considering military service (52:30 – 56:34)
