“My family migrated from Mexico and labored in fields up and down the Southwest. They were active participants in the Grape Boycott marches led by Cesar Chavez demanding basic rights for all farm workers. Growing up in a Hispanic household, I often served as the translator for my family during appointments,” shared Gabriela (Gaby) Perez, a fourth-year student pharmacist in the UC Irvine School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences.
“These experiences gave me insight into the challenges that non-English-speaking patients face and inspired me to pursue pharmacy to better serve underserved communities through bilingual care.”
Born and raised in Oxnard, CA, Perez began her studies in community college before transferring to UCI, where she completed her BS in Chemistry.
During her time in the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program, Perez has focused on her interest in ambulatory care pharmacy. Her accomplishments include participating in the California Society of Health-System Pharmacists (CSHP) and American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) and completing a project with Dr. Mahtab Jafari and postdoctoral scholar Dr. Alex Shahverdian in which they studied hair and blood mineral analyses of UCI Health patients.
Additionally, for the last four years, she has volunteered at Lestonnac Free Clinic, which provides healthcare to many Spanish-speaking patients and other underrepresented minority populations.
“My grandparents were given multiple medications. When I was younger, I would ask my mother and my grandparents what they were for, and they did not know. They said it was hard to understand what the doctors would tell them,” she stated. “Being able to do medication reconciliations at Lestonnac Free Clinic is very rewarding, especially when patients feel comfortable talking to me. The best part is when they come back and the small interventions we made in past visits made a difference.”
Perez is part of the UCI School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences’ inaugural PharmD cohort. Along with her fellow classmates, she will graduate this May, upon which she plans on pursuing a residency to become an ambulatory care pharmacist.
Speaking of her experience in the program, she said, “I love the fact that we are a small class and that everyone in the cohort gets along and tries to help each other. Pharmacy school gave me lifelong friends.”
