The Student Perspective: Year 2

Daisha, UCSF PharmD Class of 2024

Hometown: Gardena, Los Angeles County, California

Road to PharmD: As an undergraduate, I studied international development and economics, where I learned more about underserved communities around the world. I also have a master’s degree in education from UCLA. These experiences inspired me to pursue a career path where I could actively use educational tools to improve accessibility to medicine and health care.

Faculty support and an innovative curriculum

When I began the PharmD program, there was a lot of new information in our first therapeutics theme. Different faculty members took the time to meet individually and have a dialogue with me to help me refine my understanding. Through those conversations, I was able to make connections with the material and synthesize everything to continue through that block.

It’s also very helpful that the curriculum is organized by therapeutic specialty, because I’m able to dig into different subject matters. It allows me to investigate and synthesize very specific information to deepen my knowledge.

Maintaining balance and overcoming challenges

The main thing that I practice is adhering to a very specific schedule. Each day is very important in this curriculum, because there’s a lot of required coursework and sessions covering different topics every single day.

It’s been a significant transition coming to San Francisco for pharmacy school. I’ve lived in Los Angeles my whole life and most of my family and friends are there. Working to build a community here has been challenging, but through the organizations I’m involved in, as well as the work and research opportunities I’ve had, I’ve been able to build closer connections with some of my classmates.

I also like to get out and explore the environment. Being able to see different communities and do different activities in other parts of the Bay Area has been great.

Getting involved in student activities

I have been active in the Student National Pharmaceutical Association (SNPhA). Last year, I served as the P1 committee chair for the fighting diabetes initiative. This year, I am a board member serving as the director of finance. I’ve been able to get to know fellow classmates better and talk about coursework or other things going on outside of school.

As a paid health equity curriculum intern, I meet with faculty members each month to discuss ways the UCSF PharmD program can improve its teaching materials with an eye towards responsibly addressing diversity, equity, and inclusion. Since I worked in education before starting pharmacy school, I’ve been very eager to combine my passion for both health care and education. Being able to bridge my experience in higher education with the pharmacy curriculum has been a major highlight for me going into this academic year.

Next: The Student Perspective: Year 3