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Becoming a pharmacist hadn’t crossed Jae Yi’s mind when his family arrived in the U.S. from South Korea in 2002. Jae was 19, and the path ahead was unknown. But the family saw a path offering hope and opportunity — things they hadn’t had in a while. 

In the late ’90s, financial crisis gripped many Asian countries. The South Korean economy collapsed, and Jae’s parents — who’d invested their savings to expand their business — were bankrupted. Jae and his brother dropped out of school to help support the family.

Jae later earned a high school equivalency diploma and certification for a job with an online auction company. But times were still tough. 

“My parents asked if we wanted to make a fresh start somewhere else,” Jae says. “When my mom got a job in the U.S. with an electric power company, I was excited for more opportunities.”

Dramatic life changes 

The family settled in Virginia, and after receiving their permanent resident visas, Jae found work. Things were going well until one especially long workday changed everything.  

“I’d worked a 12-hour shift and fell asleep on the way home,” Jae recalls. “My car hit the median and crashed. That’s all I remember.” 

His injuries were extensive. While he was in a medically induced coma for two months, Jae’s family waited by his bedside. 

When Jae woke, he was on a breathing tube and unable to speak. At first, his family shared a few details about the accident. Days later, when he regained his speech, they shared the extent of his injuries.  

“I’d lost my left leg, and my right arm was locked in a bent position,” Jae says. “I cried. I was only 21.”

After nearly two years of rehabilitation to learn to walk with a prosthesis and physical therapy for his arm, Jae started attending a community college. He set his sights on an engineering degree and earned an associate’s degree on his way toward that goal.  

Then Jae’s life took another traumatic turn — one that changed his career aspirations.   

While getting his left arm checked after a fall at a restaurant, Jae was referred for surgery to help him regain mobility in his previously injured right arm. That surgery gave him more range of motion, but the incision became infected. With this complication, his doctors mentioned amputation might be necessary.  

Jae couldn’t bear that thought. He remembers telling his doctors, “I’ve already lost my leg. You must save my arm.”  

A pharmacist making rounds suggested sending tissue from Jae’s arm to Johns Hopkins Hospital to be analyzed. The test showed Jae was allergic to one of his antibiotics.  

With a change in medication and skin grafts, his arm healed, and that changed Jae’s career aspirations in the process.  

A new road forward 

“After my accident, I thought about how I could use an engineering degree in prosthetics. But that was no longer my path,” Jae says.

“I was inspired by the pharmacist who helped save my arm. I thought I could help more people as a pharmacist.”

Jae moved to Nashville after his family relocated there and started pharmacy school at Belmont University. He earned his Doctor of Pharmacy degree in 2019, passed the national pharmaceutical certification exam, and earned licenses to practice in Tennessee, Texas, and Georgia. 

His first role was with another health insurer as a clinical pharmacist. He worked with members who were on multiple medications for long-term conditions as well as consulting with their physicians.   

“The patients I helped said they appreciated what I did for them,” Jae recalls. 

In early 2024, Jae joined BlueCross as a clinical review pharmacist. He evaluates prior authorization requests for medications used to treat complex, chronic or rare health conditions.  

“I check diagnosis information and lab results to make sure they support the medication prescribed,” Jae says. “I check if other medications have been tried that could work as effectively.  I also look at the benefits of the medication versus risks of side effects.” 

Jae’s reviews also include requests for prescription pain medications known as opioids which can be addictive if not prescribed or taken correctly. His experience as a patient taking many medications following the accident and arm surgery helps him understand what many members are going through.  

“I’ve been in the same boat as many of our members and understand their struggles and concerns,” Jae says. “It’s a privilege to be in a role to make sure prescribed medications are the best and safest choice for them.”

Tying it all together 

Perhaps unsurprisingly, as someone who had a life-threatening experience, today Jae embraces all life has to offer. He and his wife, Olivia, love to travel. They’ve visited England, Japan, France, Italy, Mexico and South Korea, where he enjoyed showing her where he grew up.  

“We like to see the world,” Jae says. “Every country has such different culture.” 

He’s also discovered a passion for deep sea fishing.  

“I love to go way out on the water,” he says, adding with a laugh, “Olivia prefers waiting for me at the pier.” 

These adventures challenge him, inspire him and remind him of the important work he does on behalf of BlueCross members  – and the possibilities that exist for them. 

“It’s my desire to use my personal experience to bring the patient perspective to what I do,” Jae says.

“We put our members first, and I always want to help with that.”