For a parent, one of the hardest things to listen to is the sound of your child struggling for air. Unfortunately, wheezing is not entirely uncommon in our house. My 5-year-old son, Oliver, has asthma. Despite the fact that his asthma is relatively mild and well-controlled, it still affects our day-to-day lives. 


As I think about our journey in managing and living with a child who has asthma, I am thankful to serve as a patient advocate for Oliver. It has and will continue to shape my interactions as a student pharmacist, and I hope our story—through its do’s and don’ts—will help others in the profession to provide better care to patients. 


The opioid crisis is making headlines across America. According to CDC, between 1999 and 2010, pharmacies, hospitals, and physicians’ offices bought four times the amount of prescription opioids. The iatrogenic misuse of opioids has led to different approaches by health care providers to address the opioid epidemic. As a student pharmacist and future health professional, I recognize that I will play an important role in helping to stop the opioid crisis. I believe the pharmacists’ approach to the opioid epidemic is unique because of practitioners’ expertise in medication.

As a future medication expert, I hope to apply my knowledge for the appropriate use of medications, and work collaboratively with physicians, dentists, and physical therapists to end the opioid epidemic