The passion behind precision health — Verily clinical pharmacist, Denise MacKenzie’s journey

Since the nineties, Denise MacKenzie, CDCES, Pharm D, RPh and a Verily Clinical Pharmacist, has dedicated her career to creating relationships with patients, and helping to improve their health outcomes through pharmacy services and medication therapy management. In her role, she often serves as the linchpin between complex treatment regimens and individuals navigating life with chronic conditions, such as diabetes. Beyond her clinical acumen, what sets Denise apart is her empathy — not only from her training as a pharmacist, but also because of her experiences managing her own health with type 1 diabetes.

“My care philosophy has always been underpinned by the notion of meeting people where they are in their life and health journey,” says Denise, “This aligns with Verily solutions, like Onduo and soon-to-be Lightpath's personalized approach to chronic condition management. As part of the comprehensive care team, I see myself as a partner and bridge — connecting our members to the tools, resources, information, and support they need to feel empowered about managing their medication and daily self-care, along with greater hope for leading a healthier life.”

Denise’s career was shaped by pioneering initiatives like the Diabetes Ten City Challenge, conducted by the American Pharmacists Association with support from GlaxoSmithKline, which she participated in throughout the Chicagoland area. These programs revealed the transformative potential of pharmacist-led, supplementary care for diabetes in between provider visits with demonstrated impacts to outcomes and medical costs. Through these forward-thinking efforts, Denise worked with employers to provide their employees quarterly medication and condition-management consultations at the workplace, providing a convenient, real-life setting to meet with people to foster diabetes literacy, support medication adherence and close gaps in care.

“One of the most memorable — and noteworthy — parts was how personal the conversations became,” Denise reflects. “Sometimes the most revealing discussions didn’t happen during our appointments, but rather, in casual moments, like walking back to the elevator. That’s when many patients opened up about what really impacted their health, such as stress at home and financial confounders, as well as their unique motivators.”

These experiences cemented Denise’s belief in the importance of building rapport and breaking down any intimidation that can come with traditional healthcare encounters. Whether it was conducting foot exams or discussing lifestyle adjustments, Denise’s approach to clinical support always centered on creating a comfortable, relatable atmosphere for her patients. And this ability to connect with people on their terms eventually attracted Denise to Verily virtual care programs.

For Denise, diabetes care isn’t simply a professional commitment — it’s personal. Diagnosed with type 1 diabetes after experiencing gestational diabetes with two of her children, she’s navigated the realities of managing a chronic condition while raising a family and advancing her career.

“Being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes was an absolute shock,” Denise admits. “I had managed gestational diabetes during my last two pregnancies, and I have a family history of type 2 diabetes, so a type 2 diagnosis would’ve been more common, but type 1 was totally unexpected, as it is for so many.”

Denise first discovered her blood glucose was abnormally high from checking it at home as part of a diabetes educator certification program. But she muses that most people don’t have the advantage of these early signs and deep condition and care knowledge. This dual perspective as both a clinician and a patient has fueled Denise’s passion for improving diabetes screening and education. Denise explains, “Most diabetes management is self-management that happens in the day-to-day outside of clinical interactions.” As such, she focuses on arming patients with knowledge and next steps tailored to their readiness, lifestyle, social determinants, culture and other factors. 

“Living with diabetes has deepened my understanding of what my patients face each day.” says Denise, "It's not just about following a treatment plan and taking medication; it’s also about dealing with the everyday emotional and practical challenges that come with coping with a chronic condition.” She adds, “Because of this burden and burnout associated with caring for yourself or others, sound support isn’t about overwhelming someone with information. It’s about finding the right moment, addressing their specific concerns, and helping them take manageable steps towards positive behavior change that can last.”  

Verily programs enable Denise and the entire care team to support members in this way with more frequent, quality touch points to help inspire them with proven behavior-change modalities, such as setting SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound) goals.

Chronic conditions also affect the whole family, and that’s true of Denise’s husband and three kids. She reflects, “When I was first diagnosed, it was scary for them. But just like a person gaining diabetes resilience, so do caregivers and loved ones — our programs help with this, too. Now, my kids are adults, and they have more insight. For example, my daughter always recognizes when my blood glucose is low, often before I engage with my device, so I can take action.” 

As part of Verily’s care programs, Denise provides medication therapy management and pharmacist support to members with diabetes and its comorbidities, such as hypertension and obesity. And she has also embraced new management tools, like continuous glucose monitors (CGMs). 

“CGMs have been a game-changer,” Denise notes. “Also speaking first-hand, they provide real-time data that can help individuals see the immediate impact of their choices, whether it’s diet, exercise or medication. That visibility often sparks healthier habits we’d struggle to influence with our members, otherwise. I’m excited about our future solution, Verily Lightpath, partly because of the CGM-forward programs for even richer data and more informed, more precise interventions, along with better program engagement, self-management and subsequent outcomes.” 

The virtual model has also allowed Denise to reach patients who might not otherwise have access to specialized pharmacist services. “We know pharmacists help improve outcomes, but like many healthcare professionals, our availability and reachability is often strained. Solutions like Onduo and Lightpath allow us to connect with more people when and where they can make the time,” she says. “And through video calls, I can pick up on visual cues and build even greater trust and relationships with our members — just like those casual, elevator moments.”

Denise has seen diabetes medications evolve alongside technology. But with exciting treatment breakthroughs for metabolic conditions, such as GLP-1s, she’s also witnessed new obstacles, such as the negative effects of incomplete or false drug information. 

According to Denise, “Connecting more people with sound education and counseling is more imperative than ever with people turning to so many different channels for medical information. It’s difficult to discern and ensure their reliability. For example, GLP-1s may be the key to helping individuals with obesity reach their weight loss goals. But these are complex, expensive drugs with serious warnings that need to be taken correctly, and under clinical supervision. At Verily, we offer holistic support to optimize medication literacy, adherence and outcomes.”

Denise brings deep understanding and experience to helping real people reach their health goals. From a working mother managing diabetes while raising children, to a seasoned pharmacist guiding patients through medication complexities, she’s always observed the individual behind the chronic condition — that they aren’t diabetics or hypertensives. “Like me, they’re parents, spouses, friends, coworkers, caregivers and more that deal with all of life's ups and downs alongside serious health issues,” says Denise. 

One story that stands out to her involved a patient who struggled with his medication, but didn’t communicate what was going on to his providers because of certain personal barriers. After months of inconsistent glucose readings, Denise discovered that he had been storing his insulin improperly at work, rendering it less effective. 

“The fix wasn’t difficult,” she recalls. “But it required asking the right questions and creating a setting where he felt comfortable sharing. Some people are simply embarrassed that they don’t understand their drug regimen, diet requirements and more. We create a safe, private and nonjudgemental space to be vulnerable and real, which doesn’t always happen with twice-a-year, in-person appointments.”

Looking forward to Verily’s future care solution, Lightpath, Denise is excited about the potential of AI and data-driven features to enhance her work for more chronic diseases, starting with diabetes and other metabolic conditions, such as obesity. 

“AI will help us identify the right members, at the right time, and highly-individualize our outreach based on their specific needs,” she explains. “It’s not about replacing the human touch but amplifying it, making sure we identify those who need the most support, and then triage to ensure we meet with them quickly to help get ahead of complications, such as connecting them with a pharmacist or an Onduo P.C. endocrinologist.”

For Denise, the ultimate goal is to continue bridging the gap between clinical innovation and human expertise. To her, ideally the future of healthcare is not only more accessible, but also deeply personal — a vision she’s already helping to make a reality as part of Verily.

Denise fills her own life with quality, family time, including her husband of 27 years and her three grown, busy kids. “No matter how old, they’re still our kiddos, and we love watching them mature — they’re funny, smart and keep us entertained,” shares Denise. The family also loves furry members: cocker spaniel, Zeke, and Jordan the cat who had feline diabetes and recently passed. She confides, “For seven years, I administered insulin to myself and Jordan — we coped together!”

When Denise gets a little “me time”, she loves to run, and recently started swimming. She adds, “As mentioned, CGMs and other diabetes devices, like my insulin pump, have enabled myself and  others with type 1 diabetes to be more active with less fear of lows. I get to take better care of my physical and mental health with more confidence.“  

Denise also enjoys relaxing with a challenging puzzle, and finds gardening and bird watching calming and therapeutic.

Disclaimers 
*Verily Lightpath will be available for open enrollment in 2026

The information contained on this page is intended to outline Verily’s general product direction and is not a commitment or legal obligation to deliver any functionality. Product capabilities, timeframes and features are subject to change and should not be viewed as commitments.

Verily Life Sciences LLC (“Verily”) offers virtual care management programs for eligible individuals, as further described in these materials and within the Verily Lightpath solution page within this website. Verily collaborates with Onduo Management Services LLC (“OMS”), Onduo LLC, and a network of affiliated Professional Entities to offer the services. These services are meant to be used in conjunction with regular in-person clinical services and not intended to replace routine primary care.

Statements related to Rx treatments are for members receiving telemedicine services with licensed health care providers through Onduo P.C.

Testimonial is in regard to the Verily Onduo program The opinions reflect our members' personal experiences with the program. Results may vary and are not guaranteed.