Mr. Tyler Vest is currently a third-year pharmacy student at the University of Cincinnati (UC) James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy who is expected to graduate in May 2016. Before matriculating into the Pharm.D. program at UC, he completed undergraduate coursework at the University of Kentucky (UK). During his time at UK, he developed a passion for clinical pharmacy and research. Vest engaged in research in a pharmaceutical sciences laboratory at the UK College of Pharmacy that seeks to personalize lung cancer therapy by looking at the genomic content of lung cancer DNA. The laboratory’s principal investigator, Dr. E. Penni Black, strengthened Vest’s interest in clinical pharmacy and research and began to help him hone the skills that would be necessary for further education and training.

Vest works as an inpatient pharmacy intern at the Cleveland Clinic. As part of his internship, he completed two 12-week components focused on clinical pharmacy and operations during the summer months after his first and second year. Through this opportunity, he has learned the importance of clinical pharmacy; moreover, he has been exposed to day-to-day pharmacy operations. This experience has allowed him to participate in two clinical research projects: re-dispensing from the institution’s pediatric pharmacy satellite and reviewing initial antimicrobial doses in patients on CVVHD (continuous veno-venous hemodialysis).

Vest’s exposure to clinical pharmacy ultimately led him to apply to pharmacy school to pursue clinical pharmacy further. One day, he hopes to be a clinical pharmacist in an inpatient setting. Through his research projects, and listening to clinical pharmacists talk about their careers at UK, he became intrigued by clinical pharmacy and began to understood the importance of pharmacist involvement in patient care as experts in drug therapy. He wants to be involved in direct patient care and to be doing what is necessary to care for his patients. Although he is currently considering all the many paths available within clinical pharmacy, he is most interested in pursuing oncology.

Vest joined ACCP during his first pharmacy year and shortly thereafter served as an ACCP College of Pharmacy Student Liaison. With the help of his classmates, he also established the local ACCP Student Chapter at UC. He is actively involved with the state’s ACCP affiliate, the Ohio College of Clinical Pharmacy. He currently serves on the ACCP National Student Network Advisory Committee as vice chair and will assume the role of chair next year. This experience has been an incredible opportunity for him. He is very enthusiastic about helping to shape and contribute to the career paths of students aspiring to be clinical pharmacists during their earliest stage of career development. Having attended the past two ACCP Annual Meetings, Vest thoroughly enjoyed all the programming therein. ACCP has opened doors for him that he never thought were there.

One of Vest’s life goals is to complete postgraduate training. He hopes to complete a PGY1 and then perhaps pursue a PGY2 in oncology. His initial oncology exposure was during his time at UK, and his experiences since then have strengthened his interest in oncology. By completing this short-term goal, Vest hopes to make progress toward his long-term goal of being involved in direct patient care and managing his patients’ medication therapy.