Dr. Rola Kaakeh founded and leads Salus Vitae Group, a company on a mission to strengthen the world's health workforce. She is a fellowship-trained pharmacist that has worked in clinical practice, industry and served as a university faculty member at leading schools of pharmacy, medicine, and public health (including Northwestern University, University of Michigan, and the University of California, San Diego). She has received several awards for her work as a pharmacist, entrepreneur, and author.

Dr. Kaakeh has worked with dozens of organizations around the world on areas critical to shaping healthcare's future, including health workforce development, medication access, healthcare decision-making, capacity building, and cost-containment strategies. She has served as an advisor to companies, academic institutions, health systems, startups, NGOs (including the United Nations), and professional associations. Her research has helped shape national healthare policy and has been cited more than 400 times. She is also the author of two books on pharmacoconomics and leadership — "The Art of Pharmacoconomics" has been embraced in pharmacy, public health, medicine, health sciences, and business schools across the globe, while "Moments that Build" honors the subtle reflections and choices that shape resilient and authentic leadership.

She started university at the age of 10 and moved on to become one of the youngest pharmacists in the world. She holds a Doctor of Pharmacy from Purdue University and completed a Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Health Services Research at the University of Michigan.