Mary Deeman Is the Newest Anteaters in Pharmacy Board Member
Mary Deeman has joined the Anteaters in Pharmacy board, alongside Lilian Allahverdian and Amanda Tran, as the newest member!
Deeman graduated from UC Irvine in 2008 with her B.S. in Biological Sciences and earned her Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree from Loma Linda University in 2013. She is a pharmacy manager at Albertsons Pharmacy and serves as a volunteer assistant clinical professor in the UCI School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences.
Where do you work? Tell us what a typical day in your shoes looks like.
“I have worked in the field of pharmacy for the past 14 years and have been a pharmacy manager for eight of those years, and I have to say, I LOVE WHAT I DO! I currently work at Albertsons Pharmacy. I love managing an amazing team of pharmacy associates, I love being a part of executing clinics, and last but not least, I love connecting with my patients and the trust that I establish with them.”
What interests you the most about your current work? Are there any special projects you are working on?
“I would have never dreamed back in pharmacy school that I would have the opportunities that I have been given thus far in my career. I feel that community pharmacy is constantly innovating itself year after year and has completely transformed in the last 10 years. Having the opportunity to educate students, as well as model, and now become a clinical professor to teach these pharmacy changes, has been nothing short of rewarding. The most recent special project I just finished working on is establishing an Annual Vaccine Clinic with Catalina Island, where my team goes out every other month to help immunize the local residents. It has been nothing short of rewarding, exciting, and fun all in one.”
Who/what inspires you?
“A few people definitely inspire me. First and foremost, my husband and daughter, who have always been supportive in telling me to take a chance/risk and not to worry. Also, Dr. John Jones has been my professional inspiration, and I consider him my mentor. All the conversations on what he has accomplished have always inspired me to go after a new goal or reach for a new height in my career. I always look to him for support, advice, or just to chat with and converse about how we see pharmacy changing in the future.”
If you could go back in time to your UCI days, what advice or lesson would you give yourself to prepare for the future?
“I would tell myself to be open-minded to all opportunities and network, network, network as early as possible. Also, don’t be afraid to take a chance — it will pay off.”
Share a favorite UCI memory, person, place, or thing.
“What can I say about UCI? It truly is where my life started. I met my amazing husband there, it’s where I decided to choose pharmacy as my future career, and it’s where I started to train to become an avid runner, and now I teach a course at UCI — a full circle moment if you ask me.”
What is your message to current students?
“Have fun, make the most of your college career, and don’t worry — it will all work out!”
To learn more about Anteaters in Pharmacy and join the alumni chapter, visit pharmsci.uci.edu/alumni today.