Leigh Luna Email and Phone Number

I have been a pharmacist for over 30 years, and what I like best about pharmacy is that it is always changing. Every year there are new drugs approved, novel procedures developed, new diseases discovered, and new people to meet. I have seen pharmacy change from a profession primarily of community pharmacies, to an explosion of opportunities for pharmacists in fields such as research, home care, consulting, teaching, and medication management. I have worked as a pharmacist in many different environments, and feel that I learn something valuable from each setting. In hospital pharmacy, I learned about diagnostics and pharmacokinetic monitoring, in retail I learned about medication costs and patient insurance plan requirements, in home infusion I learn about new therapies and patient-caregiver dynamics as well as marketing and reimbursement. With each new skill or interaction, I feel I come away with a richer understanding of how to perform my job. As time goes on, it is exciting to think about the ways pharmacy will change during the rest of my career.I didn’t originally want to be a pharmacist. I started pharmacy school as a stepping stone to a research degree. I started working in a hospital during my first year of pharmacy school, and actually did not find the pharmacist’s work appealing. After that school year, I quit pharmacy school, thinking that I was better suited for business school, however my preceptors at the hospital requested that I stay on. During that summer, they provided me with a rich experience throughout the hospital clinics, compounding lab, investigational drug office, and outpatient consulting. After that summer, I rejoined my pharmacy class, and the rest is history. I love being a pharmacist!