February 23, 2026
Written by Andrew Haines
Gail King graduated from the St. Louis College of Pharmacy in 1974. She was encouraged to pursue pharmacy by her father, a pharmacist and St. Louis COP alumnus (Class of 1949), who told her the profession would offer stability, the ability to support a family, and flexibility should she choose to have children.
During pharmacy school, Gail worked at a compounding pharmacy, an experience she thoroughly enjoyed.
Early Career
After graduation, she began her career at St. Joseph Hospital in St.Charles, MO, home to the first IV compounding room in the state. She later joined Northwestern Hospital in Chicago, IL, where she participated in investigational studies of IV nitroglycerin.
Gail then moved to Florida and worked at All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg in an outpatient pediatric oncology setting with Dr. Jerry Barbosa.
Supporting children and their families through treatment was deeply meaningful to her, especially because her own sister had passed away from leukemia.
Florida Pursuits
When Gail and her family decided to relocate to Inverness, Florida, she worked at Citrus Memorial (now HCA Florida Citrus Hospital) as staff pharmacist and then director.
She moved to Jacksonville in 2001 and worked at Orange Park Medical Center in roles including Assistant Director and Clinical Coordinator, plus precepted students from UF, FAMU, and Nova.
It was there that she and her supervisor chose to pursue additional education, leading Gail to earn both her Pharm D degree and MBA.
Meaningful Accomplishments
In her final career move, Gail became the Director of Pharmacy at HCA Florida Putnam Hospital, a 99-bed facility in Palatka, FL. Aware of the challenges ahead, she was determined to develop the department into a model of excellence in pharmacy practice.
Among her most meaningful accomplishments were establishing and sustaining a PGY1 residency program—one of the first in the nation at a hospital with fewer than 100 beds—and launching a pharmacy technician–based medication history program.
Gail credits pharmacist Steven Tran, PharmD, BCIDP, for his leadership in developing the residency program as well as Christian Calderon and Jared Cardoza, her first residents.
Many of these achievements occurred while she was raising her daughter and caring for her parents.
Ethics of a Pharmacist
Of her 51 years as a licensed pharmacist, Gail has spent 46 in management and leadership roles. She is guided by a strong work ethic rooted in service and sacrifice. She believes that pharmacists work for their patients and to support fellow healthcare professionals—physicians, nurses, and others—placing their needs before our own.
Honoring "Family"
Gail would like to honor her father Earl Gent, a community pharmacist who managed a pharmacy in St. Louis and later opened his own pharmacy in Boonville, MO.
She also wishes to recognize several of her pharmacy instructors, including Dr. Zimmer (chemistry and one of the developers of the Coca-Cola formular), Dr. Haberle (compounding), Dr. Mercer (weeds and seeds aka pharmacognosy), Dr. Evelyn Becker and Dr. Taylor Lindhorst, (microbiology).
Additionally, she expresses her appreciation to Jerry Kelley, who hired her for her first hospital pharmacy management position.
Gail has one daughter and considers her colleagues to be her “work family.” She is a member of Fruit Cove Baptist Church, and she has participated in numerous musical activities, including choir and flute performance—a skill she has cultivated since second grade.
Involvement with FSHP
Gail’s favorite part of FSHP is the summer meeting as well as the committees and councils. She enjoys the networking, continuing education opportunities, and the support of Tamekia Bennett.
She has served on the Legislative and Legal Affairs Committee and is a PAC contributor. Gail is a passionate advocate for pharmacists attaining provider status.