Alumna Cara McDermott, PharmD, PhD, MSc, ’11, ’12, 16, is a K12 Scholar in the UW Implementation Sciences Training Program and Acting Instructor, Cambia Palliative Care Center of Excellence, UW School of Medicine.
A three-time alumna of the UW School of Pharmacy, Cara said she chose to pursue the Plein Certificate in Geriatric Pharmacy in 2011 because she liked working with older adults and geriatric pharmacy combined her primary research interests in oncology and palliative care.
During the certificate program, “I learned a great deal about providing high-quality care as the result of working in various healthcare settings and completing research during the certificate,” she said. “My rotations in critical care, oncology and palliative care led me to my research today.”(Read more about her research project, “Care Coordination and Low-Value Care at End-of-Life Among Patients with Advanced Cancer,” here.)
The holistic approach to training Cara received during the certificate helped her think beyond the physical aspects of illness to consider social and environmental factors that may impact the health of older adults, such as insufficient caregiver support or needing access to supplemental insurance.
A little fun fact about Cara–she is originally from New Jersey and has hugged Bruce Springsteen! As for her coffee, she likes a tall triple shot skim latte.
Are you interested in working with the top-rated faculty and studying geriatric pharmacy with preeminent student peers?
Click here for more information about the Plein Geriatric Pharmacy Certificate or click these links to learn about the UW PharmD program.