I had been around pharmacy. I could appreciate it. It didn't frighten me. I went into the field with my eyes wide open instead of my eyes wide shut. As a child in the military, I didn't think I would end up working in the military. But I discovered after graduation that I wanted to do more - and there is a limited scope in the civilian world. You don't have that flexibility to move around and travel the world.

What is your specialty, and why did you decide to choose it?
I have had the opportunity to practice in a variety of settings and places all around the world. I decided to specialize in nuclear pharmacy, which is a unique practice area. It's basically taking radioactive isotopes and mixing them with pharmaceuticals. These are injected into patients and then read through different scans. It's more powerful than the conventional X-ray, and it enables us to see the problem with greater magnitude. In nuclear medicine you follow the path, and discover the hot spots and the cold spots. It's the last line of defense that we use, and it is usually done in conjunction with a CAT scan.

The Army was the place where I could focus on the nuclear specialty. It had a board- certified residency program available through the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP). Many medical centers use nuclear pharmacy today. I was the first African American pharmacist to be board certified and licensed in an ASHP-approved residency.

Also through ASHP, I was involved with the Army's Training with Industry program (TWI), which promotes medication use safety throughout the military health care system. TWI is a one-year work-experience training program designed to take selected officers out of the military environment and expose them to the latest civilian business practices, organizational structures and cultures, technology development processes, and corporate management techniques. Contrary to belief, in the military we train just like in corporate business and industry. This is so when events like 9/11 happen, there is no disconnect. Through our roles, we are able to participate in a collaborative effort.

How long have you been involved in the profession?
Since eighth grade -- 32 years.

What is the one goal that you have set for yourself relative to your career?
As a member of American Society of Black Health System Pharmacists (ABHP), to be part of the team that creates a standard of excellence in health care related to medication use that is equitable, accessible, and culturally and linguistically appropriate to minority patient populations. It will take an organizational approach to do this. I am able to bring my patient-safety focus and my nuclear-medicine experience. I also bring flexibility. It's part of my Type A personality.

In my role as deputy program manager for Patient Safety, I work alongside the Army pharmacy consultant. I visit various sites in the military; and focus on pharmacy automation, training and education. I recently participated in a Southeast Asia tour as part of the health care team, which is made up of representatives from the Department of Defense and private industry. We train and educate health care providers on the new emerging medical safety tools.

What do you like best about working in the pharmaceutical field?
To know that I have directly contributed to and have been an integral part of patients' medical use outcome. During my 22 years of practice in the military, I have been involved with administration and policy through my position now, on the front line as the chief of pharmacy and as a supervisor. I had the opportunity to direct a staff of professionals and technologists, and work hands-on with the medication. The military is a multifaceted place to practice. I have worked the system, directed the system, and now I am part of changing the system.

What are your most proud accomplishments in your profession? In your life?
Taking pharmacy outside of the traditional box of being typified as direct patient care - dispensing the medication. I have had the opportunity to work in ambulatory settings, in logistics, in medication procurement, in vaccine and biological dispensing, and in human resources/medical services corps as a career manager by assisting in career leadership development. I was the second pharmacist in the medical services corps to serve as a career manager. Also becoming the first, but not the only, in a number of pharmacy practice settings.

In my life? I call it the Big 3. Serving my God. Providing for my family. Defending my country.

What goes through your mind before you go to work each day?
Did I do enough the day before about the things that matter. This is what I think about before I sit at my desk to open my e-mails, answer the phone, or contemplate policies and plans. It helps gives me guidance.

What is your favorite part of the day?
4:45 a.m. In nuclear pharmacy you need to have the product ready before 6 a.m. That schedule has stuck with me, so I am up every day at 4:45 a.m. and run between two to five miles. In the military, readiness is job "one"; we must to maintain our fitness. Running helps me clear my mind, to reflect and refresh. It enables me to get mentally ready for the day.

What, if any, barriers or challenges have you personally had to overcome?
There have been overt and subtle biases and/or prejudices against pharmacists. There is a notion that pharmacists should remain in pharmacy. But the profession has evolved; we are now outside of the counter. We have become part of the health care team. We make rounds with doctors. We have become consultants.

Add to that a person of color and that brings even more challenges. How I overcome this is that I'm always there suggesting innovative strategies that focus on patient outcomes. I have found that if you pursue a strategy that is evidence based and not attack, then the biases and prejudices will be pushed aside.

Are there challenges within the profession? If so, what are they?
In the profession, sometimes it can be difficult to balance between the pharmacy practice and corporate. I may recommend that the path to patient safety and outcomes might be through the use of wellness plans, but that may not be the most favorable from the corporate perspective, particularly the economics of it.

Schools of pharmacy are addressing this obstacle. There are more than 49 practice areas; and more are sought out each day. The health care environment is changing, and the way we use medicine is changing. There are so many domains in the profession:

• Community - ambulatory
   
• Clinical side focused on outcomes
   
• Hospital and institutional
   
• Specialized, such as hemotology, oncology and critical care
   
• General, such as pediatrics, home health care and hospice
   
• Disease state, such as smoking cessation

There is a continuous need for us to maintain competency in the practice of pharmacy. There are new drugs coming to market each day. We need to maintain education competence and cultural awareness. The United States has become a melting pot. It's not just Americans. There are new practices cropping up each day. As an example, we need to understand the cultural biases that Asian Americans have to practice within their populace. There are critical issues with minority health care, which often tax the health system. That's why it is so important to understand diverse populations.

How do you address health care disparities among minority populations within your profession?
We feel in ABHP that it's about health promotion and disease prevention. As pharmacist of color, we need to address this part of the disparity first. The same drug can affect each person differently. For those with dietary issues or religious beliefs who don't eat between sunup and sundown on certain days, it can affect their treatment. We have to understand the populace we practice within. Not enough is being done to address this.

I speak at historically black colleges and universities about the future trends in pharmacy practice. I explain the need to think outside of the box.

At one point I was deployed to Korea. I could not speak a word of Korean, but once I was in a pharmacy practice setting with my Korean cohorts, everything clicked; pharmacy practice was our universal language and how to address certain health care disparities seemed to be a topic they were dealing with as well.

Pharmacists have to continue to be advocates through collaborations with other health care organizations to address disparities as they relate to the medication use process. Overcoming disparities will take collaboration and cooperation throughout our entire health care continuum. We all have to come to the table. When all is said and done, the patient is going to get the drug. We need to provide the guidance and the education such as spending a few extra minutes to discuss the medications and side effects if any. We have to figure out ways to address patients and their medications by relating them to their daily activities.

Who is/are your role model(s) or mentor(s)?
My parents, Jasper Watkins Jr. and Barbara Watkins, who taught me the black and white of life. They had a vision for me and my sister to be better and do more with our gifts. I grew up mainly abroad - from age 6 to 10 in Germany; then base hops in the U.S; then age 12 in Japan and back to the US at age 16.

My immediate family in Jacksonville, Florida, who taught me how to live within the gray areas.

My professors at Florida A&M University School of Pharmacy, who nurtured me and took the time to bring it all together for me.

My kids, Shamair, Aja and JW, who are constant reminders of how much I have been blessed; and my wife, Felicia.

What are your plans for the future?
In the military, to be director of pharmacy at one of our medical centers and eventually, Army pharmacy consultant.

My wife always asks me: "What do you want to be when you grow up?" Upon retiring, I have thought about becoming an educator with a focus on medication use safety and combating health care disparities or practice nuclear pharmacy in Florida. I'm open. I've also thought about politics, with a focus on health care and education.

What words of wisdom do you have for students just graduating?
As a pharmacist, you have to continue to determine how to optimize the use of drugs in patient care, as well as safe drug distribution and administration.

What do you like to do in your spare time (hobbies, interests, sports, travel, volunteering)?

• Running -- I try to run at least one marathon a year I ran in the Seoul Marathon when I was stationed in Korea, and I try to at least do the Army Ten Miler or Marine Corps Marathon when work permits. I do it for the camaraderie and fun.
   
• Watching my son play high school sports (football and track). He says I'm his favorite fan.
   
• Watching my daughter compete in beauty pageants; yea, "I'm a pageant dad."
   
• Reading about history, especially the role people of color played in the world.
   
• Volunteering time to visit the schools and speak to students. I often challenge my peers to ask the school -- when can I come in and speak instead of waiting for them to ask.