Leigh Briscoe-Dwyer, PharmD, is mentoring the next generation of pharmacists as she pulls on her years of experience, according to a Nov. 17 article from Binghamton (N.Y.) University.
Dr. Briscoe-Dwyer is the president of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists and the system pharmacy director of United Health Services' hospitals in Johnson City, N.Y. UHS partners with Binghamton University to strengthen the health system's workforce pipeline, and through that collaboration, Dr. Briscoe-Dwyer shares with pharmacy students her excitement for the industry.
"One of the best things I ever did was I worked for five years as a bench pharmacist at a small 200-bed community hospital in Long Island," she said. "So I did everything, and you were expected to work every shift. When I worked the evening shift, I worked it alone. I didn't have a technician, I didn't have anybody, so I learned the ropes very quickly. I think that was super helpful to my career because as a leader, sometimes you're making decisions, and it's nice to know I'm making decisions about something I'm aware of."
In 2021, she joined UHS Wilson Regional Medical Center. Her office is in the hospital's basement — "right in the middle of the pharmacy action she knows and loves," the post said.
Stephanie Schwartz, PharmD, is one of Dr. Briscoe-Dwyer's mentees. After she didn't match with a residency program in her fourth year, Dr. Schwartz went to Dr. Briscoe-Dwyer for her wisdom. Now, she's a licensed pharmacist and a PGY-1 pharmacy residency program graduate.
Cassondra Raymond, PharmD, a PGY-1 pharmacy resident at UHS, also sees Dr. Briscoe-Dwyer as a role model.
"Leigh has assisted me in navigating being a new pharmacist and always reminds me to look at challenges from a different perspective so that I can persevere," Dr. Raymond said in the article.