Liz Vuong
Pharmacy Trainee
Liz Vuong graduated from the University of Arizona with a BS in Molecular & Cellular Biology with a minor in Psychology. She is a graduate from the University of Arizona College of Pharmacy. In her free time, Liz loves hanging out with friends and family, drinking boba, attending spin/cycling classes, and cooking.
Testimonial
In a blink of an eye, two years has passed and I have completed the two year, long-term pharmacy traineeship with the Pediatric Pulmonary Center. I still remember being presented with the opportunity during my first year of pharmacy school. I jumped on the opportunity upon hearing about it because it is one-of-a-kind in the country, and I just knew my experience would be invaluable. I wanted to advocate for the health outcomes of the CF and severe asthma pediatric population within our community, while actively participating as a member of the pharmacy team. The PPC traineeship provided me with a learning experience unparalleled to any other and I believe it has helped shaped me into a well-rounded pharmacy student and future pharmacist.
The curriculum itself encompasses a wide range of learning experiences and opportunities that I didn’t expect. As trainees, we are expected to attend clinic to optimize our patients’ health management, attend and reflect on lectures of various topics relevant to our traineeship, and participate in national conferences. I was able to apply what I learn in the classroom to the clinic and interact with patients under supervision of a faculty member. As a pharmacy student, this opportunity is rare to come by. I left every clinic session feeling inspired and motivated. The team was friendly, welcoming, and are all experts in their field that fuel student learning. The lecture topics were incredibly diverse and taught me so much about other disciplines, disease states, and professional development. I especially liked how interactive they all were because I felt encouraged to discuss. We were also encouraged to attend every conference opportunity provided to us and we had the chance to submit our projects as well. Although the COVID-19 pandemic changed the modalities of these opportunities, they were still provided to us and were well adapted. I was also able to work directly with the other long-term pharmacy trainee, Kate McCulley, to study the effects of the pandemic in medication access in those with CF. I found myself challenged throughout the two years and was fully supported to accomplish the curriculum goals.
My biggest takeaway from this traineeship involves the relationships, friendships, and connections I’ve gained the past two years. From the patients I interacted with in clinic to the strangers I connected with at conferences like Making Lifelong Connections, I’ve gained such valuable insight on healthcare optimization, advocacy, and interdisciplinary teamwork that is extremely difficult to find elsewhere. It is evident that the PPC faculty and team value this learning opportunity and strive to provide us with the best experiences, and I am honored to have been a part of it as a pharmacy trainee.