Pharmacists are known for their incredible dedication to patient health, but sometimes that means those in the profession are at a higher risk of stress, fatigue and burnout. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, society’s awareness of the importance of wellness and mental health, especially for healthcare providers, has risen exponentially. No one can dispense from an empty cup.
In our latest student spotlight, we caught up with Samantha Russo, a third year Pharm.D. student and current president of the student chapter of the American Association of Psychiatric Pharmacists (AAPP) at UC San Diego, to learn about her work with our school’s wellness program and her efforts supporting mental health and wellness in our community. Read on to also learn about what drew her to pharmacy and what she does for fun in her free time.
What drew you to pharmacy as a career?
I have always found it amazing that over the past century scientists have been able to develop drugs that save and change people’s lives. As an undergraduate I had the opportunity to work at an independent community pharmacy and saw firsthand how pharmacists play such an important role in patient care. A pharmacist is often a first point of contact for patients, and pharmacists usually see their patients more frequently than any other health care provider. I liked the idea of being a part of a larger health care team to help people in such a life-changing way. I also love that as a pharmacist you are a life-long learner. Even if you have practiced for decades there is always something new to learn.
Tell us more about your work involving mental health at SSPPS and wellness at our school and in our community.
Pharmacy school is a hard and difficult experience, and being able to take care of ourselves is important in order for us to succeed and thrive. This past year, AAPP has been working with the Office of Student Affairs to design wellness events and ensure we reach as many students as possible. Each quarter myself and my president-elect, Cassandra Gehring, select a topic and create take-home wellness kits based on the theme, so students can immediately apply what they learned in the presentation. For example, last quarter we had a talk on self-compassion and mindfulness, so the take-home wellness kit included tea, a journal and motivational stickers that our students loved. We are all incredibly grateful to the Belaya family who generously provided philanthropic support for these activities.
Mary Belaya Wellness Seminar take-home kit Russo prepared for students
In my role with AAPP, we work to raise awareness about the importance of psychiatric care and mental health treatment. We hold a lot of outreach events, including many with high schoolers where we talk about recognizing and deconstructing stereotypes and stigmas. One big event for not only AAPP, but also the other student organizations at Skaggs is the annual outreach event known as Pharmacy Day. At this event, high school students rotate through different activities to learn more about the various aspects of pharmacy and the roles of a pharmacist.. With AAPP, we also conduct outreach events for people over 65 where we talk about mental health and wellness topics that are relevant to their current position in life like mourning, loss, and grief.
Why did you choose UC San Diego for your Pharm.D. degree?
I loved the small class size. In contrast to other schools that had 100 to 200 students in a cohort, UC San Diego only had 65 to 70 students. I have gotten to know all of my classmates and have close relationships with many faculty and staff members. This has allowed me to create an incredible support system and is a core element to my success here.
I also appreciated that Skaggs has so many amazing opportunities for students to get involved, gain leadership experience, and serve the patients in our community. With things like special interest student organizations, research projects, student-run free clinic, and more, the possibilities are limitless.
In addition, I’m from San Diego, and family is very important to me, so being able to stay here and be close to my family was the cherry on top of all of good things UC San Diego had to offer.
What advice do you have for students interested in pharmacy school?
Get some experience working at a pharmacy to test out if you like the field. See if you feel passionate and fulfilled about the work. And don’t be afraid to reach out to people you don’t know. I got my pharmacy job as an undergraduate by emailing a contact to see if I could come in and experience what pharmacy is all about.
Russo and friends explore a restaurant in San Diego
Along those same lines, don’t let fear of failure or anxiety stop you from exploring opportunities. I almost didn’t run for the position of AAPP’s P1 liaison because I was anxious about giving a speech and wondered if I was even going to get elected. I ran anyway and got the position. That allowed me to run for president-elect of AAPP, which led to my current role as president. I’ve grown so much from this experience and seen so much success that would not have been possible if I hadn’t taken a chance and faced my fear. Taking the risk is always worth it.
When you aren’t in school, what do you do for fun?
I love spending time with my friends and family. My friends I enjoy going out to eat and are always exploring new restaurants in San Diego. Beyond that I enjoy reading books, especially anything light and fun, and watching TV, which helps me relax and de-stress.
To learn more about our Pharm.D. program, designed to provide our students with the tools needed to practice in a wide variety of existing and future roles in pharmacy, visit our Pharm.D. program page.
If you are interested in supporting our school’s wellness program, consider donating to our wellness fund.