Who's Who In the College of Pharmacy: Dr. Uroza

September 27, 2021

This week, Dr. Uroza answers a few questions about her pharmacy journey and her time with us here at Lipscomb University College of Pharmacy!

How were you introduced to pharmacy? 

"My dad and my aunt are both pharmacists, but they do not do “traditional” pharmacy so I had a very skewed picture of what a pharmacist was as a child. My dad is a clinical pharmacist who teaches med students, pharmacy students and medical residents. My aunt worked for Merck and was a regional manager over drugs reps for most of my life. 
I also had a vision of what a pharmacist was from our family pharmacist. It was an independent pharmacy and I loved going because they always gave me M&M’s when I went with my parents to pick up their medications."

How was the transition from pharmacy student life into pharmacy professional life when you graduated? Did you feel prepared? Has your view of the profession changed any as you've gotten more experience? 

"I was nervous about the transition from student to pharmacist, so I decided to do a residency that would give me a little more experience while still under the supervision of a pharmacist.  This was a great decision because I gained so much experience in that one year of practice. 

My perception of this profession has changed significantly post-graduation. I knew there were a lot of job opportunities, but those have grown even since I have been in practice. I have so many pharmacy friends with unique jobs; pharmacists are able to do more and more every year. It is an amazing profession with so many opportunities."

What motivated you to come to Lipscomb? How has that experience been?

"When I was doing my residency, I was asked to be the part of the Lipscomb University College of Pharmacy admissions committee. That was my first exposure to Lipscomb and it instantly felt like the place I should be. I actually had a job lined up after my residency but once I realized I wanted to move back to Middle Tennessee a few years later, the first place I called was Lipscomb. Just from my limited exposure as an admissions committee member, I knew it would be a great fit. Everyone truly cared about the students and each other. It felt like a family instead of a job. It has been the best decision of my life and I look forward to many more years working with my best friends."

What do you like about living in Nashville?

"Nashville is a great city. You can do almost anything here. There are lots of arts venues, music, sports, great food, and tons of outdoors activities. It is one of those small big cities that has everything you could want but still feels like a tight-knit community."

Are there any special topics that interest you? Do you have a favorite subject to teach? 

"I love teaching and learning more about Women’s Health.  The funny thing is, before I began teaching it, I never considered myself an expert in women’s health.  After realizing that students had lots of questions regarding women’s health, I decided I wouldn’t mind learning more and helping to teach some of that material. I slowly added more and more lectures to that content and this year I am actually adding a Women’s Health Elective to the curriculum."  

If you were to give a piece of advice to incoming students, what would it be? 

"Obviously, it is important to make good grades and study hard, but have fun in pharmacy school. It was the best time of my life. The friends I made then are still some of my best friends. The things I remember most from pharmacy school are not the tests or assignments, but the relationships I built with other students, faculty, and staff. I also highly recommend joining a few student organizations. These are the places you will be able to network regionally or nationally. My favorite times were traveling to pharmacy conferences with my best friends, networking with students from around the country. Those people I met are now my colleagues and I am able to call up people in other states that I met years ago and work with them on projects or ask for advice. Work hard and play hard."  

What inspired you to choose pharmacy? Are you glad you did? 

"I knew that I wanted to be in healthcare but I was not very excited about blood and guts. Pharmacy was the perfect combination of healthcare and the critical thinking skills that I enjoyed.  It was really important to me to get to know my patients and have good professional relationships with them. Pharmacy lets you use both your communication skills and those critical thinking skills. I am so glad I chose pharmacy. The longer I have worked in pharmacy, I have realized just how many different job opportunities you can have within this profession. I love that there is so much flexibility and opportunities available."

What changes would you like to see in the pharmacy profession in the next several years? 

"I am excited to see the progression of pharmacy as we get recognized as providers with more and more entities. With this recognition will come opportunities for pharmacists to develop more business models that do not strictly revolve around dispensing a medication.  This will allow pharmacists to work at the top of their licenses and provide the medication knowledge we have while optimizing patient health and helping the overall healthcare system. This recognition is also going to open lots of jobs for new graduates."

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