PHARMACY

Graduated in 2007
Executive Director, Interprofessional Collaborative Practice,
Office of the Provost
Director of AHEC and Health System Experiential Partnerships,
UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy
Associate Professor,
UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy

Q: Why did you choose WSU?

A:  I was honored to receive a Presidential Scholarship from Wayne State, which provided 128 credit hours of full tuition. The Presidential Scholarship paid for my prerequisite coursework at WSU and part of my pharmacy degree. Wayne State’s Doctor of Pharmacy program also had a great reputation so my decision to attend was a no-brainer!

Q: What inspired you to pursue this career?

A: Growing up I always had a strong passion for health care. I wanted to work in a profession where I had the opportunity to make a difference and improve health outcomes for patients – especially in underserved populations with barriers to access to care. I also wanted to have a career that offered work-life balance because I knew that I wanted to have a career and a family.

Q: Who was your most memorable instructor?

A: This is easy – Dr. Dennis Parker! Dr. Parker made learning fun! I’ll never forget the CNS Survivor neurology-based trivia show that he created, in collaboration with other faculty, as a review session before one of our module exams. The winner received a prize, which was this plastic wrestling belt that had been modified with a brain on it. I still vividly remember my classmate Jonathan Jones wearing the belt and posing for a picture as the champion! Dr. Parker had a talent for teaching the content in ways that made learning fun.

Q: What was your most challenging class?

A: My most challenging and most rewarding class would have been the first semester of Advanced Pharmacotherapeutic Problem Solving or APS coordinated by Dr. Maureen Smythe and Dr. Denise Rhoney. This was a fall class in the third year and was the epitome of a flipped classroom before that even became a thing in pharmacy education! The fall offering of this course was especially challenging, as it required students to transition their role in learning from receipt of knowledge to engagement in self-directed learning and solving pharmacotherapy problems. I can still vividly remember a pre-class quiz where most of our class did not stop phenytoin in a patient presenting with phenytoin induced hypotension. While we couldn’t argue those quiz points back at the time, I sure have never forgotten that medication-related side effect throughout my entire career!

Q: Can you share some reflections about your time at Wayne State?

A: I am extremely fortunate to have completed my pharmacy degree, post-graduate training and my first faculty job at Wayne State. WSU was instrumental in helping me to develop core translatable skills that have made me successful in each professional opportunity I have pursued. These translatable skills in the areas of pharmacy practice, education and leadership have also allowed me to pivot my career several times, always applying what I have learned from one position to the next.

Q: In your opinion, what is one of the biggest changes that has occurred in the profession since graduating?

A: I think one of the biggest changes has been the way students are differentiating themselves while in the PharmD program. When I graduated in 2007, it seemed many graduates solely focused on the PharmD degree and pursued full-time employment, with a relatively smaller number of students completing residency training. Today, I see a significant number of students in the PharmD program pursuing differentiated pathways such as enrollment in dual degree programs (MBA, MPH, PhD), certificate programs (rural, ambulatory care, business of health care, etc.) or pharmacy research honor pathways. Additionally, many more students are pursuing post-graduate training and nontraditional careers in industry and/or managed care. I have even observed some students leaning into their innovative and entrepreneurial skillsets to create new jobs in the workforce. Students truly are diversifying to make themselves more competitive for employment. It is amazing to watch their success and accomplishments!

Q: What advice would you give current students?

A: I have several nuggets:

• Understand the difference between a long-term career goal and the available first-destination job that can help you get there! While you are in the PharmD program, focus on preparing yourself for that first-destination job.
• Work with career service-focused faculty and staff at the college to take a core values assessment as part of your career journey. When evaluating potential pathways to pursue post-graduation, focus on those positions that align with your core values.
• It is OK to pursue direct-to-hire positions following graduation. Post-graduate training is not for everyone!
• Maximize every opportunity to learn as much as you can related to pharmacotherapy. Even if you pursue a nontraditional career, it will be those pharmacotherapy translatable skills that will make you competitive in industry or managed care fields.
• Focus on doing good things in what you are doing today. Don’t focus on what is the next position/title/accolade. If you focus on doing good things today, others will recognize your work and opportunities will naturally come to you.
• Finally, learn and grow from failure. Everyone will fail at some time in their career. But have a growth mindset and accept constructive feedback as a blessing to make you better and learn from it!

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The Doctor of Pharmacy program at Wayne State University is a four-year curriculum in the heart of Detroit. Approximately 100 students are enrolled in each year of the program. WSU Applebaum information meetings for prospective students take place at 6 p.m. on the first Tuesday of each month. The application process or the Doctor of Pharmacy program begins each July.

An anchor in urban health care

The Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences is built on more than 100 years of tradition and innovation in the heart of Detroit. We have grown deep roots in our city, harnessing its powerhouse hospital systems and community service organizations as vibrant, real-world training grounds for students, with an ongoing focus on social justice in health care. And our research at all levels – from undergraduates to veteran faculty members – translates into creative solutions for healthier communities.

Wayne State University is a premier urban research institution offering approximately 350 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to nearly 24,000 students.