Founding Class President Alexander Chau Shares Insight on Journey Through PharmD Program at UCI
Q: What year are you in the PharmD program at UCI?
I am currently in my second year of the PharmD program at UCI.
Q: Why did you choose to pursue your PharmD at UCI?
When I learned that UCI was starting its school of pharmacy, I was extremely excited because I saw this as a wonderful and unique opportunity to help the pharmacist profession and contribute to the advancement of future pharmacists.
There are many challenges when caring for patients and I strongly believe that future generations of pharmacists are better equipped to face them when they have strong foundations and learn from their predecessors. With the UCI PharmD program being completely new, I wanted to grow alongside it while helping lay the foundations to what I know will be a premier PharmD program.
Q: What do you enjoy most about the PharmD program thus far?
What I enjoy most about UCI’s PharmD program is the constantly growing community that we have built. I greatly cherish the moments I spend with fellow student pharmacists, faculty, staff, mentors, and preceptors because we share similar aspirations and strive to do our best for those in our care.
I had the incredible honor to be elected as the founding class president of the inaugural cohort (class of 2025) by my peers. With this appointment, I aimed to facilitate an optimal environment for student pharmacists in my cohort, as well as future cohorts, to grow academically, professionally, and socially. I have gained a wealth of knowledge and had many experiences that I greatly enjoyed as my peers and I navigated through our pharmacy journey at UCI.
I have also really enjoyed all the practical experiences I’ve had so far, especially my pharmacy practice rotations. These experiences have allowed me to challenge myself by applying what I have learned into practice. In addition, UCI’s PharmD program has provided many opportunities to interface with healthcare professionals from other disciplines as well as explore the multiple paths available to pharmacists through discussions with experts in traditional and non-traditional pharmacy.
Q: How has your experience in the PharmD program at UCI contributed to your growth?
I believe accumulated experiences throughout life defines a person and I was able to live this belief in my PharmD program. One of the lessons we learned early on was that an individual’s emotional quotient was just as important as their intelligence quotient, if not more.
Through my involvement in the program and the leadership endeavors that I volunteered to undertake, I can easily see how much I have grown as an individual these past two years from how I approach and overcome obstacles. This was especially true during my appointment as the class president. My lived experiences from my leadership positions have provided me with immense growth. The support from my peers and mentors at UCI have, without a doubt, also contributed to this.
Q: What do you hope to do after earning your PharmD?
I hope to be an exceptional pharmacist that improves the health outcomes for all my patients, to make positive impacts on the pharmacist profession, and to inspire and elevate future generations of pharmacists so that they can continually improve pharmacy practice and provide the best care possible.