Introduction
Dr. Margareth Larose-Pierre earned her PharmD from Florida A&M University College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. She is the Founding Campus Dean, Director, and Professor of Pharmacy Practice at Florida A&M University’s Rural Pharmacy Education Campus. With over 30 years of experience, her expertise spans critical care, infectious disease, and mental health. She is passionate about emotional intelligence, professional identity, and health equity. Dr. Larose-Pierre has contributed to numerous publications and secured significant grant funding throughout her career. Learn more about her work here.
Why Pharmacy
In elementary and high schools, I was always interested in science and math. I was specifically fascinated by chemistry, including biochemistry, and the specifics of algebra, trigonometry, and physics. After high school, I obtained a bachelor's degree in chemistry. When I was recruited to go to pharmacy school, I thought that was the best option for me. Medicine intrigued me as well, but studying pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, put me right into the candy store. I was fascinated by how drug works to effect their action on the body, and how the body reacts to the effect of drugs. Fast forward to new developments in pharmacogenomics, I think this is the best time to be a pharmacist. With the advancement in new technologies, I believe that the sky is the limit. I want to be around to learn more and to continue to teach the next generation of pharmacists.
Career Journey
After completing my doctorate degree in pharmacy, I went on to complete a pharmacy practice residency at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, Florida. Most of my residency training was concentrated in critical care, infectious disease, pharmacokinetics, drug information, and administration. While I did obtain experience in pediatrics, inpatient hospital, and ambulatory care, my future positions were primarily in critical care pharmacy practice and infectious disease. Later on, I went on to teach in those specific areas. My career in pharmacy practice led me to continue to teach in those areas while I perform my administrative duties. My days are always busy and quite interesting. I enjoy teaching students because it helps me to continue to learn. My administrative duties, preparing for lectures, conducting my research and grants and advising students leave me completely satisfied with the decision I made to attend pharmacy school many years ago. I always tell my students that people get sick, they will see a physician or other professionals to diagnose their illnesses, but no sick person can get better without the knowledge and skills of a pharmacist. Pharmacists are well-trained and extremely knowledgeable in disease state management, treatment approaches to all known diseases, and are the best assets available to their patients. Pharmacists can provide education to health care professionals, their patients, and health care givers. During the pandemic, pharmacists served on the front line to save thousands of lives by providing immunization and information to their customers. I am proud to be a pharmacist.
Current Role and Responsibilities
As a professor of pharmacy practice, I spend many hours preparing lectures, which requires me to be well-versed in new drugs, new developments in medicine, new infectious diseases, new diagnostic tests, new treatments, etc. Preparing exams, meeting with students, grading can occupy some days pretty quickly. I also serve as a preceptor for students on rotations.
As part of my position of Director of Pharmacy Practice, I am responsible to oversee the placement and performance of students on rotations, and to supervise the activities of preceptors, and faculty members. I also serve on residency advisory boards, after having worked as a residency preceptor and a residency director for several years.
As an administrator, the day-to-day activities can be taxing, but nonetheless challenging and motivating. I supervise faculty and staff. I oversee all campus activities, from student performance from admission to graduation, faculty and staff performance as well, and preparing reports, monthly, annually, for College, University, and accreditation organizations.
As a researcher, the day is never boring, from collecting data, to overseeing grants, to publishing in peer-reviewed journals. I also get the students involved in conducting research, presenting at national meetings, and writing manuscripts to be submitted to pharmacy journals.
Challenges
Recently, I have been dedicating time to emotional intelligence, professional identity, and mental health and wellness. What I have learned and am still learning is that each individual comes with a set of culture and understanding of life and work that nobody else can fully understand. It is difficult to understand people fully. Therefore, we need all the skills and intelligence that can help us meet people where they are at. Supervising people who may fall at all levels in the playing field requires leaders and managers with extreme emotional intelligence and mental well-being.
Rewards
The most exciting part of my job is the learning and teaching. I believe that when you teach one person, you are contributing to the current and future society that he/she will live in, but you can impact eternity. Always teach while you can.
Advice for Students and Aspiring Professionals
First of all, I would like to tell a current student pharmacist to be inquisitive about the knowledge of pharmacy. I have learned to ask myself questions about why things are, and to never take things at face-value. The beauty of pharmacy as a profession is the ever-ending asking about how we can make things better for others. In order to accomplish that, we have to acquire knowledge, and no one acquires knowledge by accepting things as they are. The thirst for knowledge is what contributed to man going to the moon, and to develop AI (artificial intelligence). Someone had to be curious enough to find out and to invent how to change life.
I would recommend a student pharmacist to complete a residency, a fellowship, or some other post-graduate training that can lead them into a successful practice, and/or a teaching position. I said and/or, mainly to say that no one goes through life without teaching someone. However, to be an expert in any field, one has to take the extra step to teach any specific topic. I developed a love for critical care and infectious disease.So I take every opportunity to learn anything published on those topics. If it interests you, it's probably worth the extra work.
Finally, I positioned myself to be offered opportunities, and when the opportunity doesn't come, I prepare myself so I can be seen. I volunteered to do certain work, i.e. present at national meeting. Suddenly, I get invited to work in a group. Before you know it, you are on the national stage because someone offered you an opportunity.
Don't limit yourself. Don't be afraid to ask for what you want. Don't be afraid to serve. Some people are chosen because of the free time they have offered to help someone else.