Jenna Junot ’20, ’21
Clinical Pharmacy Practitioner at the Department of Veterans Affairs
Jenna Junot chose the pharmacy profession because she wanted to be in a position to help people while using her math and science skills.
Though she originally planned to be a community pharmacist, she now enjoys working at the top of her license in ambulatory care pharmacy while prescribing for her own patients. “Ambulatory care pharmacy is the best middle ground using clinical skills while still building relationships with patients,” explained Junot.
Fisher’s program provides extensive hands-on experience to prepare students for advanced clinical rotations, and Junot believes this equipped her for success in her current role. “Not only did I gain the didactic information necessary to become a licensed pharmacist through Fisher’s program, but I also gained experience on the soft skills necessary to be a good pharmacist.”
Junot encourages aspiring pharmacists to explore all the Wegmans School of Pharmacy has to offer. “The professors always knew my name at Fisher and were always accessible when needed, and I have a lot of pride that I went to Fisher which is something I will always take with me wherever my career takes me.”
Christopher Bunk ’25
Student
Interested in the sciences since high school, Christopher Bunk always knew he wanted to explore careers in chemistry and biology. “What really interested me about pharmacy was how many opportunities there are in the field,” explained Bunk, a rising student at the Wegmans School of Pharmacy and tutor for the Systems Pharmacology I Course.
Looking back on clinical experiences gained in his program, Bunk highlighted the Wegmans School of Pharmacy’s ability to prepare students to get their intern licenses. This allowed Bunk to become employed as an intern at Strong Memorial Hospital’s inpatient pharmacy and build connections with other pharmacists in the Rochester area. “I highly suggest taking advantage of having an intern license,” said Bunk, who recalls having great shadowing experiences that included the ICU and the Emergency Department.
Bunk’s goal is to become an emergency medicine pharmacy specialist. After graduating from Fisher, he hopes to complete a PGY1 in hospital pharmacy and then a PGY2 in emergency medicine. Bunk believes this goal is possible because of his internship experience.
Bunk suggests students make connections with their professors. “The pharmacy world is small. By building connections with your professors, it opens doors to future opportunities down the road!”
Hailey Button ’20
Managed Care Clinical Pharmacist
Hailey Button’s interest in population health led her to explore careers in pharmacy. She appreciated working in the community and hospitals, but she felt this was limiting in some ways. “I could only touch so many lives per day.” Now, she works as a clinical pharmacist in the field of managed care. “This is considered a non-traditional career path for a pharmacist, but in my role, I can impact more than 400,000 lives.”
Working in a hands-on setting in rotations and in the classroom at Fisher, Button was able to develop knowledge and skills that helped her grow in her profession. “Fisher absolutely prepared me academically for my career through the didactic curriculum and rotations. The Wegmans School of Pharmacy is acutely aware that pharmacy is an evolving field and works to expose students to as many opportunities as possible.”
Now, she applies all of her education and experiences to the work she does in case management, data analysis, precepting, and adjunct teaching. “Fisher taught me the necessity of advocating for the pharmacy profession and showing the value a pharmacist can bring to a team.”
Button acknowledged several factors that led her to choose the Wegmans School of Pharmacy, including the pass rates on board exams, match rates for residency programs, and job placement after graduation. “In addition to receiving an excellent education, the social aspect cannot be forgotten—faculty are supportive and dedicated to helping students be successful and many of my classmates have remained some of my closest friends.”
Juliette Miller ’20
Visiting Assistant Professor, Wegmans School of Pharmacy
The health care field always interested Juliette Miller, especially when she had the opportunity to shadow several pharmacists while she was in high school. “It opened my eyes to how much you can do with a Pharm.D.,” Miller explained. “The second I walked through the atrium of the Wegmans School of Pharmacy, I fell in love with the School, and the rest was history.”
In her first semester, Miller enrolled in an organic chemistry class and she began to find her niche. Other students were coming to her for tutoring in their courses, and someone asked if she ever considered becoming a professor. “It never occurred to me that I could pursue a career in both pharmacy and academia.”
Miller had the opportunity to teach in an elective course during her final year of pharmacy school. This experience solidified her interest in eventually becoming a professor. She moved to Georgia for two years to pursue post-graduate residency training at the University of Georgia College of Pharmacy while hoping to return to teach at the Wegmans School of Pharmacy someday. “Working as a professor at Fisher is my dream job because of how much I love the School, the environment, the mission and values, and the faculty and staff.”
That day has come, and Miller has returned to Fisher as a professor. She is looking forward to establishing a practice site where she can take care of patients and precept students on rotation while getting involved with committees, engaging in research and other scholarly activities, and leading mission trips.