“Welcome to the training house! The manager of sports performance will be with you shortly.”

The lobby was sleek and polished: concrete floors, stainless steel accents, and an incredibly high ceiling. I sat in the waiting area and watched through the large glass window as the athletes warmed up. Their energy was contagious, becoming more and more invigorating as the beat dropped in the background. I sat in awe at the opportunity before me. As I waited, I reminisced about the journey that had preceded today.

The pharmacy profession is a world of endless possibilities. As pharmacists, our responsibilities lie with all medications, vitamins, and dietary supplements. We are educators, clinicians, researchers, and patient advocates. Our profession is specific enough to understand our scope and broad enough to explore new specialties. We specialize in the care of specific patient populations such as older adults, children, transplant recipients, and … athletes? For the past 5 years, I have been seeking the answer to “What is the role of a pharmacist when working with athletes?” This curiosity came to me during my first year of pharmacy school and was the start of my continuous journey. I shadowed many notable sports medicine professionals to learn more about common conditions that athletes experience. I began conducting research on medication and dietary supplement use in athletes, which shed light on the frequent use of dietary supplements, NSAIDs, cough and cold products, and antidepressants. I developed a sports medicine advanced practice experience with Texas Tech Sports Medicine that allowed for clinical collaboration with the team’s physicians in the outpatient setting and on the field. I became the first pharmacy intern with the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, the national anti-doping agency for Olympic, Paralympic, Pan American, and Parapan American athletes. Throughout these years, I have focused on tailoring the pharmacotherapy content I learned in pharmacy school to the athlete’s specific care and educating pharmacists, physicians, and students about the growing field of Sports Pharmacy. And now, as I sit at the training house – one of the top training and recovery facilities for elite athletes all over the country – I am struck with the idea that this remarkable place could be my future.

So, what brought me here?

Ten days ago, I pitched myself. I sat in my office in a Zoom meeting and pitched myself as a pharmacist with an array of experience working in sports and anti-doping to a virtual room of world-class sports medicine professionals from the training house. You see, I am part of a unique residency training program. The program is a 24-month experience that provides extensive training in ambulatory care, leadership, academia, and practice management. The first 12 months emphasize clinical and professional growth, while the last 12 months put forth the challenge of building a practice: establishing yourself at a site that has never had a clinical pharmacist. With my extensive background and passion for sports, I was eager to convince this team that I would be a valuable asset to the health of their athletes. And I wasn’t alone; in fact, I was brought here by a pharmacist who had worked with these professionals in his current position as the Director of Clinical Pharmacy. He started the meeting with great conversation, brief introductions, and an endorsement of my skills that I hoped to articulate. I explained to the team members that although they had never worked with a pharmacist within sports, the specialty of Sports Pharmacy was not a new concept. Pharmacists are used internationally, with their involvement starting within polyclinics at the Olympic Games. Japan developed a Sports Pharmacist System that creates experts in evaluating medications and dietary supplements for ingredients that would be prohibited in sport: prohibited on the basis of being unsafe for athlete consumption, having performance-enhancing properties, or violating the spirit of sport. All over the world, pharmacists work with national anti-doping agencies to evaluate medications and dietary supplement ingredients for the previous characteristics. They provide direct education to athletes, coaches, athletic trainers, and other members of the team to ensure that athletes’ health and integrity are as important as their performance. Together with the anti-doping initiative, clinical pharmacists can assist with pharmacotherapy selection to optimize the efficacy and safety of an athlete’s treatment. From pain management to mental health, asthma to concussions, and autoimmune conditions, pharmacists add value (and save health care dollars) when they use their skills for the general population. So why not with athletes?

The Zoom meeting was filled with discussion around innovation, excitement, and possibility. I left with a personal invite to the training house – a facility that I once drove by a year ago with no knowledge that I would ever be inside it.

“Athena! It is so great to finally meet you in person. We are so glad you could make it.” I stood up, took a deep breath, and allowed myself to be present in this moment.

Lesson: Follow your curiosity. Seek out opportunities near you, and go into every opportunity with optimism and the willingness to learn. Nourish your network. Keep moving forward because nothing can keep you from your purpose.

Special thanks to Lucas, Nathan, Ann, Kyle, Sara, and Todd for their continuous support this past year.

About the Author: Athena Cannon, Pharm.D., is a Pharmaceutical Care Leadership Resident with the University of Minnesota and the founder of the U.S. Sports Pharmacy Group. Her interests include ambulatory care and sports pharmacy as well as exploring Minnesota’s hiking trails with her husband and two pups. To learn more about her initiatives in Sports Pharmacy, follow her on LinkedIn at Athena Brindle Cannon.