What is your specialty, and why did you decide to choose it?
I was one of the few students in my pharmacy class who wanted to go in a different direction - most were interested in retail or hospitals. My senior year, Upjohn hired me to work in its manufacturing company in Michigan. Later I learned about an opportunity at Louisiana State University to establish a pharmacy at the school of veterinary medicine.

I grew up around dogs, chickens and cows in Baton Rouge and became fond of the animals around me. One of my daddy's friends had a farm, and it was always our special treat to visit.

Veterinary medicine is unlike human medicine because animal doses and dosage forms are so much different. Every species has different needs, tastes and dosages. There is a lot of compounding in veterinary medicine as opposed to human medicine. We have to determine how to compound certain medicines so they can be administered to meet the animals' needs.

When I first started college, there were very few women in the classes of 35 students. Today we have classes of more than 100, the majority of whom are women. It's a great field for women because you can set your own hours.

To be involved in this field you must have an interest in patients, as well as the knowledge and confidence to challenge students and clinical staff, and the ability to be responsive to owners because they love their animals, whether they are companion animals such cats and dogs or unique animals such as exotic birds or horses.

How long have you been involved in the profession?
Since 1978; 27 years in veterinary pharmacy, 32 years in pharmacy.

What is the one goal that you have set for yourself relative to your career?
I have always wanted to get into teaching; and I have taught one of my first classes this week, a pharmacology course. After I "retire," I'd like to take on more medical teaching of pharmacology. I find that students are always so afraid of drugs and numbers. I want to be able to find ways to present in a way that makes sense.

What do you like best about working in the pharmaceutical field?
I never know what the day will be like. I like compounding and making the medication work for the animals. I also like finding ways to help the veterinarians determine mathematically appropriate dosages.

What are your most proud accomplishments in your profession? In your life?
That I was able to go back to school to get my doctorate in pharmacy. I commuted 200 miles a day in the evenings for 16 months. I have always been so competitive, and I was not so familiar with the human side of pharmacy. I had to study in advance just to meet the prerequisites, and I ended up graduating first in my class. I decided to go back to school so I could fulfill my dream of teaching and gain a greater understanding of medicine from the clinical perspective; look at why medicine works and why it doesn't work. Now I have the opportunity to provoke my own students' thinking. I am teaching 15 hours this semester, and because it was my first year, I spent a lot of time researching and developing the syllabus. I have been fortunate to have an excellent assistant pharmacy manager at LSU.

For the last five years, I also have been working part time at the hospital pharmacy. So I get the best of all worlds.

What goes through your mind before you go to work each day?
What are we going to do with today?

What is your favorite part of the day?
I like the morning because it gives one more time to deal with the students one on one. I have the opportunity to find out what's happening with the cases. LSU has both a hospital and a clinic where the students work on animals and remedies. Both large- and small-animal clinics also bring their requests for drugs to us.

What, if any, barriers or challenges have you personally had to overcome?
When I left Kalamazoo and at Upjohn, I found it was very difficult to find a place that would allow me to practice pharmacy. As a woman, and a black woman, it took me more than a year. But once the door was opened, things began to happen. Once at the university, it took a few years to get people to understand that I could be an integral part of the program.

Are there challenges within the profession? If so, what are they?
I don't really see many barriers. Right now there is such a demand for pharmacists. We have found in veterinarian medicine once you get into a position, you don't leave the profession. This is because there is a lot of job satisfaction; it's challenging and different.

Who is/are your role model(s) or mentor(s)?
I had one teacher my whole life whom I have admired. Her name is Julia Moore, my ninth-grade science teacher, with whom I still keep in contact. She took me under her wing; she helped me make my schedules; and she molded me and drew out my potential that I didn't know was there.

What are your plans for the future?
It will be three years before I can fully retire from the university. I hope to still be affiliated with the university and have the opportunity to do more teaching. I'd also like to take on special projects. I have heard that you should associate with people you grew up with; that way you never grow old. I hope there is always something for me to do around here, maybe work in the comparative biomedical sciences.

What words of wisdom do you have for students just graduating?
Learn as much as you can. Don't settle for being the technician when you can be the pharmacist, radiologist or veterinarian.

There is so much diversity in pharmacy; so much that you can do. It's a field where you can find out why things are happening -- what is going on in someone's body. There are so many excellent opportunities.

What do you like to do in your spare time (hobbies, interests, sports, travel, volunteering)?
I have two wonderful grandchildren, one in Atlanta and the other in Baton Rouge. I try to balance my time between them. I always make sure I buy two of everything. I also love to travel to the Caribbean, read, attend church and minister to people, and have challenging conversations about medical care. I have a very close family; we have family dinner together every Sunday.