Speakers
Thinking Outside the Vial is led by functional pharmacists Lara Zakaria and Suzanne Keys. This dynamic duo have been leading voices for the integration of functional medicine in the pharmacy world. Learn more about them below.
Lara Zakaria, RPh, MS, CNS, CDN, IMFCP
Lara is a Functional Pharmacist and Clinical Nutritionist based in New York City. A graduate of the Earnest Mario School of Pharmacy, at Rutgers University, she spent 20 years in community pharmacy practice. After developing an interest in nutrition, she earned a MS in Nutrition from the University of Bridgeport and subsequently qualified as a Certified Nutrition Specialist (CNS) as well as an Institute for Functional Medicine Certified Practitioner (IFMCP). Lara currently practices as part of a multi-disciplinary Functional Medicine practice and supervises a professional mentorship program for nutrition and FxMed. She is co-owner of Pharmacy Evolutions, a FxMed education platform and consulting group focused on professional development for pharmacists. Lara is also adjunct professor of nutritional biochemistry at the University of Bridgeport.
Lara is passionate about prevention and reversal of metabolic and autoimmune disease and working with pharmacy professionals to leverage their unique expertise in medication management, drug-drug/drug-nutrient interactions, and genomics to optimize patient medical and nutritional programs.
Suzanne Keyes, PharmD, IFMCP, FACA
Dr. Suzanne Keyes is a community pharmacist with over 20 years’ experience in various areas of the industry and has been on the professional speaking circuit for the last 6 years. Her passion for root cause analysis led her to become the 7th PharmD to receive certification through the Institute for Functional Medicine. The training she received in Functional Medicine has helped Suzanne grow a large appointment-based consultation practice within her community pharmacy.
Dr. Keyes integrates her pharmacy education with her knowledge of functional medicine to identify critical drug-induced nutrient deficiencies, genetic anomalies and deficits in nutrition to impact patient outcomes. It is her belief that “with the proper stools and support, the body has an innate ability to heal itself.”
Suzanne views chronic disease in a 'systems biology’ approach rather than a 'symptoms-based algorithm’; her mantra is simply put, "...we are the culmination of seven biological SYSTEMS and NOT hundreds of SYMPTOMS". Dr. Keyes utilizes advanced point of sale testing, in-depth patient histories and her training in the biological pathways to specialize in the development of comprehensive lifestyle protocols that maximize patient vitality.