Yael Marks, Pharm.D., is a health sciences assistant clinical professor at the University of California, Irvine School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. Marks received her B.S. degree in psychology in the behavioral and cognitive neuroscience track and a minor in disabilities in society together with her Pharm.D. degree and a certificate in personalized medicine from the University of Florida in Gainesville. She then completed a global health fellowship at the University at Buffalo School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. While at the University at Buffalo, she completed a teaching and learning certificate as well as an advanced graduate certificate in public health. She is currently working on earning her master’s degree in public health.

In her current position, Marks has responsibilities in teaching, research, and clinical activities. She works at an ambulatory care clinic that is a federally qualified health center. For the school of pharmacy, Marks serves as a course coordinator for courses in pharmacotherapy and clinical chemistry. Marks is also involved in interprofessional education through giving lectures on climate change and serving on a global health panel.

Marks’ first research experience as an undergraduate student had a major influence on her career. During that time, she learned about cultural competency, populations that are underserved, and how people who live in the same city can have such different experiences in life. She worked as part of a professional group and took on leadership roles to help new members of the research team acclimate to the project. From that experience, her perspective on what she could provide patients as a pharmacist changed. Throughout pharmacy school, she volunteered as a pharmacy intern in a student-run free clinic and joined research projects focused on reducing health disparities for patients who are medically underserved. Marks has been passionate about global health and improving health equity for all ever since.

Marks advocates for health equity through her work with patients and students. She approaches each patient as an individual and offers them the opportunity to describe their experiences before providing her professional advice. This allows her to identify any social determinants of health that patients might face and offer beneficial resources. When working with students, she instills empathy and consideration for the experiences that other people may have faced. Through lectures and precepting, she encourages students to incorporate concepts such as health literacy, cultural competence, social determinants of health, and health equity into patient care. When students care for patients whose life experience has been very different from their own, they learn the importance of these concepts in practice. When health equity becomes students’ underlying goal, they will focus on providing individualized care to patients and incorporate culture into their recommendations. Marks emphasizes the importance of continuing to advocate for health equity as students become pharmacists and precept the next generation of student pharmacists.

When starting a new project or joining a new partnership, creating a safe and inclusive environment is of utmost importance to Marks. She schedules meetings at times that work for most of the team, even if they need to occur outside her usual working hours. She often explains concepts in layperson terms to assist with language barriers and includes interpreters when needed. In addition, she encourages questions and offers breaks to allow people the opportunity to ask for clarification. She welcomes additional meetings as needed via Zoom or in person, individually, or as groups to ensure everyone feels comfortable in approaching her with any issues. She trusts and respects her team to know their abilities and interests. Although they are encouraged to expand their comfort zone, they have the option to choose the aspects to focus on that will be the most rewarding and relevant to their goals. She treats everyone with respect and learns from her team’s experiences, valuing their input and ideas. In her words, “I have learned that the most important role I can have when working in diverse teams is to be respectful and open-minded by offering an inclusive and welcoming environment that allows the team to meet shared goals.”

As a member of ACCP, Marks has met individuals from all over the world who have been great colleagues and expanded her understanding and perspective of what it means to be a pharmacist. Through ACCP, she has a network of pharmacists she can turn to for advice and collaboration. ACCP has provided her with opportunities to showcase her research at conferences and connect with colleagues with similar interests. In recent years, she served as the social media liaison in the Global Health Practice and Research Network to advance the recognition of members’ accomplishments and encourage more pharmacists to engage in global health.

Marks’ advice to ACCP members is to engage with colleagues and share their expertise by attending conferences and volunteering in a leadership role. This can open the door to collaborating with colleagues from around the world. Together, we can accomplish greater goals.