Her Story
About Imani
Imani Ann Walton is a Pharmaceutical Sales Professional and Territory Manager with nearly eight years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry. She began her career at Bausch Health shortly after graduating from the University of New Haven with a Bachelors degree in Biology. She worked at Bausch Health’s Ortho Dermatologics where she worked closely with Dermatologist promoting a diverse portfolio of topical prescription therapies treating a variety of dermatological disease states. After a year and a half in that role, she transitioned from Dermatology to the Gastroenterology to work at Bausch Health’s Salix Pharmaceuticals. She has spent the last six years partnering with primary care providers across Connecticut supporting healthcare practices regarding patients with gut health issues and patients suffering through complications from liver disease. Using her medical knowledge and expertise, she has been able to initiate early screening protocols, provide disease-state education and pharmaceutical therapies for primary care offices throughout the state.
Imani originally pursued a pre-med biology education because she knew she wanted to make a meaningful contribution to healthcare. During college, however, she realized that hands-on clinical work with patients was not the path she wanted to pursue. She still wanted to make a difference in patients’ lives, but from a different place within the healthcare system. That realization ultimately led her to discover pharmaceutical sales.
Since then, her career has been centered on combining her scientific background with communication, relationship-building, and sales expertise to create meaningful value within healthcare practices. She attributes her success to resilience, dedication, and personal accountability, particularly in an industry that is constantly evolving. For Imani, success means consistently showing up, learning from setbacks, expanding her knowledge, and building genuine relationships within healthcare.
She is also passionate about encouraging women entering the pharmaceutical industry to recognize their value and embrace their confidence. She believes that leading with integrity, staying in the know, and building a strong professional reputation are essential to creating a successful and lasting career. At the heart of Imani’s philosophy is a simple belief: success isn’t just about what you sell—it’s about the value you bring, the trust you earn, and the difference you help make!
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Imani
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to a combination of resilience, dedication, and personal accountability. The medical and pharmaceutical industry is constantly changing, so being successful requires me to remain adaptable and continue showing up every day, even when I encounter setbacks. I have learned not to allow challenges to discourage me. Instead, I try to use setbacks as opportunities to learn, grow my knowledge, and improve.
I also believe that my success in this industry comes from my ability to build meaningful relationships with healthcare providers. Understanding their needs while remaining knowledgeable and credible allows me to provide genuine value and be a trusted resoure.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I received was to step outside of my comfort zone. I believe the only way you truly grow as a professional is by being willing to learn, challenge yourself, and embrace new opportunities—even when you don’t necessarily feel ready.
You never know what you’re capable of or what might be possible if you always stay within what feels comfortable. When I look back on my career, some of my most meaningful moments of growth came from challenging myself and saying yes to opportunities I had never experienced before. Those moments taught me to trust myself, embrace the unknown, and recognize that sometimes the biggest opportunities for growth come when you’re willing to take that first step outside of your comfort zone.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My advice to women entering this industry is to know your value and never be afraid to take up space. Confidence is incredibly important when building relationships and communicating with healthcare professionals, and one of the best ways to develop that confidence is through knowledge. Know your science, be an expert on your products, know your business, and understand the competitive landscape you’re working within.
Ultimately, your success will come from the value you bring to healthcare practices and the reputation you build for yourself. Move with integrity and remain committed to being knowledgeable and prepared. Those qualities will help you earn the trust of healthcare providers and build the lasting relationships that are so essential to succeeding in pharmaceutical sales.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
One of the biggest challenges is simply keeping up with how quickly healthcare is changing. There’s always new clinical data, emerging therapies, changes in access and insurance reimbursement. You have to stay informed and adapt while also making sure you understand the challenges healthcare providers face when caring for their patients.
At the same time, that constant change creates a lot of opportunity. It gives you the chance to keep learning, build new relationships, and share information about updates on treatments and guideline based care that may benefit patients. One of the most rewarding parts of the role is knowing that the trust you build and the knowledge you share can have an impact beyond a single conversation.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values that are most important to me are integrity, empathy, and authenticity. I believe in doing the right thing even when no one is watching, treating people with respect, and being genuine in every relationship I build.
In my career, integrity is especially important because your reputation is everything. I want healthcare providers to know that when they work with me, they’re getting someone who is knowledgeable, honest, and committed to bringing value—not simply someone trying to make a sale. Empathy is equally important because everyone has their own challenges, priorities, and experiences in life. Taking the time to listen and understand where someone is coming from can completely change the way you connect with them.
Personally, I try to carry those same values into everything I do. I believe that how you treat people and the relationships you build along the way are ultimately what matter most. For me, success isn’t just about what you accomplish-it’s about who you are while you’re accomplishing it and the impact you leave on the people around you.
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