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Washington State University
Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Doctor of Pharmacy

Love of chemistry transforms to career in rural health

First-year student pharmacist Bradley Brown, age 22, is one of five students in the inaugural class in the rural health track. The track is part of the college’s Rural Health Initiative to recruit, educate, and embed pharmacists in rural communities across Washington state.

I was raised in Rochester, Washington the youngest of 13 children, where I grew up in a 100-year-old farm house. Rochester is a rural agricultural community with a population of about 2,500 situated between Seattle and Portland. Like many rural communities, everyone in Rochester willingly lends a hand to help a neighbor. This town has raised me as much as … » More …

Veteran pursues PharmD to help rural communities

First-year student pharmacist Michael Sauseda, age 40, is one of five students in the inaugural class in the rural health track. The track is part of the college’s Rural Health Initiative to recruit, educate, and embed pharmacists in rural communities across Washington state.

I applied for the rural health track because I want to help underserved communities, which has been a consistent driving motivation throughout my life. Our motto as a US Special Forces Operator was De Oppresso Liber which translates to, “To Free the Oppressed.” In my 20-plus year military career, I spent 11 years as a Special Forces Medical Sergeant stationed … » More …

Former firefighter finds passion for pharmacy

First-year student pharmacist Amanda Whitehead, age 33, is one of five students in the inaugural class in the rural health track. The track is part of the college’s Rural Health Initiative to recruit, educate, and embed pharmacists in rural communities across Washington state.

As someone who has always lived and worked in rural areas throughout my life, I am truly passionate about bringing much needed health care resources to underserved populations. Living in a close-knit, small town has always been a great comfort to me and I want to support the people in my community in my future pharmacy career in a rural … » More …

Getting to know your new APhA-ASP national president

Kennedy Erickson, class of 2023, was sworn in as the American Pharmacists Association – Academy of Student Pharmacists (APhA-ASP) national president during the APhA Annual Meeting and Exposition in San Antonio, Texas in March. Erickson shares what she plans for her presidency and why she believes finding the “Courage to Change,” the theme of her presidency, is crucial to student pharmacists and the field of pharmacy today.
Can you tell us about your presidential theme?
My presidential theme “Courage to Change” was inspired by several events throughout the pandemic. The first being the exaggeration of pre-pandemic problems facing our society when the pandemic … » More …

From farm to pharmacy

Tyler Young grew up in Oakesdale, Washington, a town of about 400 people, and a 45-minute drive south of Spokane. He graduated from high school with only 11 other students in his class and his first job was on the wheat farm where he spent summers from ages 14 to 20 spraying weeds in 90-degree heat, driving a tractor, and harvesting the crop. » More ...

Bringing health and wellness education to the Spokane community

Over the month of February, pharmacy student volunteers from the Washington State University College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences spent a few hours each Saturday at the Mobius Discovery Center teaching children and families in the Spokane community about health and wellness. The activities were arranged by Spokane chapters of the American Pharmacists Association – Academy of Student Pharmacists (APhA-ASP) and Kappa Psi (a professional fraternity).

Olivia Hiskey, class of 2023, served as the primary organizer and communicator between the college and Mobius, and helped organize the supplies and volunteers needed to successfully host the activities each week. Hiskey shares her experience and why … » More …

Personalized Medicine and the Future of Pharmacogenomics

Pharmacogenomics, a budding field of personalized medicine, is the study of how genes influence an individual’s response to treatment with medications. Drug-related morbidity and mortality due to unoptimized medication therapy is estimated to cost the United States $528 billion annually. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, adverse drug events (ADEs) have been categorized as a leading cause of preventable death in the United States. » More ...

Student Spotlight: APhA-ASP regional member at large Tajana Vujic

Second-year pharmacy student Tajana Vujic was recently appointed in the American Pharmacist Association Academy of Student Pharmacist (APhA-ASP) as regional member at large, a national position, where she will be able to advocate for her peers. Vujic shares how she hopes to help the profession and why she encourages future pharmacy students to get involved with student organizations.

What does the regional member at large do? 

The regional member at large position makes sure that we are … » More …

From Doctor of Pharmacy to Doctor of Love

As the associate dean of external relations, Julie Akers has helped to connect people in more ways than one. When she is not advocating for the pharmacy profession or teaching a class on pharmacy law and management, she officiates weddings. Most of the weddings have been of student pharmacists who meet their life partners while in the WSU doctor of pharmacy program.

“In pharmacy school, you get to meet people more intensely than you would in undergrad. Our students spend three didactic years together where they have every class together, meet with the same people, every day, every year, for three years. It pushes you … » More …

WSU and Mobius educate community on healthy lifestyle habits in February

Mobius Discovery Center in Spokane will be teaming up with Washington State University’s College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Dr. Universe to educate children and the public about health and wellness each Saturday in February. Along with sharing the basics of healthy lifestyle habits and understanding the human body, the event aims to inspire children in STEAM-related subjects. Families can also sign up for the Dr. Universe club, which hosts regular podcasts, videos, and … » More …