51社区

Alumna Amanda Epp drove full speed into her career path in health-care administration her junior year at 51社区, where a year-long internship with CEOs helped spark her entrepreneurial and compassionate spirit.

Now she's CEO of her own company, , where she is committed to helping patients get quick access to the medications their doctors prescribe 鈥� no matter where they are in the United States.

"I have spent 13 years in health care and have had the opportunity to be part of teams that are, quite literally, helping millions of patients across the United States. Even before I knew I wanted to be an entrepreneur, helping people was always a goal for me. I鈥檓 a positive person by nature and thrive on connecting with people, getting to know them, supporting them, and advocating for them," she said.

"To find a career that also lets me help them lead healthy lives is more than I could ever ask for," said Epp, who is also creator and co-founder of , a nonprofit that empowers women to accomplish their "biggest, boldest dreams."

Since 2017, ScriptDrop has been delivering medications to patients' homes by coupling its medication access expertise with its coast-to-coast delivery network, a robust technology platform, and first-class customer service. Epp said access to medicine became increasingly important during the COVID pandemic as doctors' offices shifted away from in-person visits.

"We made our first delivery from a telehealth integration to a patient's home in Athens, Ohio, working with one of our consulting pharmacies, Shrivers Pharmacy," said Epp, who earned a B.S. in Health Services Administration from the College of Health Sciences and Professions in 2008.

Before founding ScriptDrop, which is based in Columbus, Ohio, Epp was one of the first employees at CoverMyMeds, a healthcare IT company also based in Columbus. She played an integral role in the company鈥檚 exponential growth during her eight-year tenure, and eventually became director of new product implementation.

"51社区 had such an impact on my life and is the reason I am where I am today," Epp said. "I am so grateful and only want to continue to give back. OU attracts amazing minds and innovation, but also people that enjoy life and want to have fun. Because of this, I want to support the students at OU in as many ways as possible including giving, participating in the OHIO Alumni Entrepreneurial Advisory Board, and engaging with students and grad students."

How did Epp go from loving the OHIO dance team a lot, and chemistry not so much, to leading a high-tech medical services company?

Image

Q&A with Amanda Epp

Q: What path did you follow to get where you are today?

A: My path was my intuition. People always want to hear about the intention behind a career path, but mine was unintentional. I never thought I would be a CEO, nor did I strive for it. My intuition told me to say "yes" at the right times, work hard, look for opportunities in everything, meet people, learn, be curious and kind, lean on friends and family for support, and always remember that I can do hard things. My path unfolded the way it did because I followed those core tenets of my intuition.

Q: What was your major? And what activities were you involved in?

A: My major was Health Services Administration, however I didn鈥檛 find that out until about junior year 鈥� despite my father telling me that should be my major years prior! I suppose my intuition led me there, too. I really connected with the program, materials, and instructors. I also have a minor in dance and was on the OU Dance Team. (Go DT!) Being on the team taught me so much about being a leader 鈥� how important it is to manage your time and to show up for your teammates.

Q: Did you have any internships or other experiential learning opportunities?

A: I had several internships. One of my most memorable experiences was in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. My professor Lisa Yehl shared the opportunity with our class one day, and I gravitated to it because the job was a perfect blend of wellness, exercise, and administrative work. I spent a year in Hilton Head because I loved it so much! I also got to meet and coach some major CEOs and executives through my time there.

I look back and think that it may have been my positive interactions with those CEOs that actually helped me be more comfortable with the role I am in today.

Q: Who were your favorite professors and how did they make an impact on your life? 

A: Lisa Yehl really helped me fall in love with health care administration and find my internship. I also really loved working with Dr. Becky Barlag. I was in several chemistry classes in my early days at OU while I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do, and they were very challenging for me. Dr. Barlag was an amazing professor who didn鈥檛 take herself too seriously but also held students accountable. I felt comfortable asking her for help.

I think about her a lot in my day-to-day as CEO. I want ScriptDrop鈥檚 employees to know my door is always open, there are no stupid questions, and that it鈥檚 100 percent possible to have fun at work and also be accountable.

Q: What was your ah-ha moment at OHIO鈥攖hat point where you said to yourself, 鈥淚鈥檝e got this!鈥�?

A: When I finally leaned into my major in health care administration. It had been a few years of really finding my footing in terms of what I wanted to do. It was almost one of those things where once you stop looking, the right thing finds you. It has led me to where I am today and I think deep down even then I knew that decision had changed my life. Everything just clicked into place after that.

Q: What was the hardest hill you had to climb (not counting Jeff Hill) at OHIO? And how did you overcome challenges or obstacles in your path?

A: It was in a dance class! I had been dancing my entire life, but when I started in the Dance School at OHIO, I realized my previous training was much different. I was a competitive dancer, so my style needed to change into that of a modern dancer. There were a lot of physical and mental barriers for me to overcome as my original training had been so ingrained in me. I needed to tap into my creativity and find myself all over again. I completed a capstone project as a freshman, and I chose to do a piece without music to a poem I wrote about my mom. I performed it flawlessly and shocked my professors. I felt so good in that moment that it gave me the confidence to enter the world of modern dance as a true artist.

Q: What are your favorite OHIO memories?

A: I loved performing for the OU basketball games where I was on the dance team! Every game I would make sure I looked into the crowd as I performed the fight song and took in the energy they were exuding. In the moment, I was so grateful for the experience and the opportunity to dance for a school I loved.

My favorite moment was at my final OU basketball game. The OU dancers and I had become pretty close with the drumline, and we decided to team-up on senior night to perform the first ever drum-line and dance team halftime performance to 鈥淭wo Princes'' by the Spin Doctors. That was memorable to me because it was an idea I had helped come up with, executed, and it was one of my mom鈥檚 favorite songs! She was in the audience, which made it even more special.

I am excited to see that the tradition continues to carry on, so I am proud of the trail myself and the team of '07 left behind!

Q: What鈥檚 the one thing you would tell a new OHIO student not to miss? 

A: Well of course鈥� an OU basketball game! In particular the one where the dance team and band perform! The energy is unmatched.

.

Editor's Note: Read more about OHIO's leadership in health education.

See more health-related alumni profiles.