Gloria Lee’s journey to becoming a pharmacist through UM’s College of Pharmacy.
By Danica Hidalgo Cherewyk
When Gloria (Juyoung) Lee was exploring career options, pharmacy was the health science she found most intimidating. Chemistry, she said, was not her strongest subject.
She ultimately chose pharmacy because she was drawn to how the profession supports people on their healing journey.
“Once I started the degree, I was actually really intrigued,” she said. “It is chemistry-heavy, but it also has a strong clinical focus.
“As pharmacists, we advocate for appropriate drug use. If medication is required, our job is to educate our patients about the drug's full mechanism and safety because it's important for them to know why they're on the medications.”
She was also interested in Indigenous traditional medicines.
“I wanted to learn how Western medicines compare to Indigenous natural healing medicine,” Lee said.
Now in her fourth year of the doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) program in the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, Lee has already started working as a hospital pharmacy intern at Bethesda Hospital in Steinbach ahead of convocation.
Lee’s interest in science led her to complete a bachelor’s degree in life sciences at the University of Waterloo, followed by a job in an environmental lab in the city.
“It was a lonely job,” she said. “I was working alone most of the time, testing samples for engineering companies. I wanted to do more with life.”
Her mother, a music teacher in Grassy Narrows First Nation in Ont. later told Lee the community school was looking for an educational assistant to support teachers.
“I quit my job and moved to the reserve with my parents,” Lee said. “As an EA, I really saw the health disparities between Indigenous peoples — especially those living in reserves — and the rest of Canada.
“As I talked with elders and community members, they said how meaningful it would be to have someone from the community — including me — who understood the health conditions and disparities they face and who could join the health-care system.”
Those conversations prompted Lee to rethink her career path. She went on to complete a bachelor’s degree in health sciences at UM, where she developed an interest in pharmacy before entering the PharmD program.
In her final year as a PharmD student, Lee completed experiential rotations in various pharmacy settings under the guidance of preceptors — pharmacists who supervise learners. Her placements ranged from community drugstores to a work term with L’Oréal in Montreal.
She most recently completed a rural placement at the Churchill Health Centre in Churchill, Man., from Feb. 18 to 27.
“I wanted to see how pharmacists there are finding creative ways to meet patients’ needs,” Lee said. “There is only one pharmacist in Churchill who handles hospital medication orders and outpatient prescriptions — one person does everything.
“You need to have a big heart to work in northern rural areas like Churchill.”
Lee described her work in Churchill as highly interdisciplinary.
“Some days we’d go to the hospital for rounds with doctors, nurses and social workers to discuss patient needs,” she said. “Then we’d work in the pharmacy.”
She also supported her preceptor’s Winnipeg-based patients virtually, assisting with diabetes management, smoking cessation, and insomnia and chronic pain management.
The rotation was offered in partnership with the college and the Rady Faculty’s office of rural and remote learner experiences. UM covered all travel and accommodation costs.
“It was a very eye-opening experience,” Lee said. “Everyone requires individualized care.
“You need to be open-minded and flexible because resources are limited. Many people would rather stay close to home than travel to the city for care — even at the end of life.”
Lee moved to Winnipeg with her family from Geojin, Gangwon-do, South Korea when she was six. Since then, they have lived in several communities, including rural Manitoba and Alberta.
She and her older sister, Grace (Ju Hae) Lee — whom she calls unni, the Korean word for older sister — are the first in their family to pursue careers in health care. Her sister attended UM’s Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry. Both are graduating at the June 1 convocation.
In her role as a hospital pharmacy intern in Steinbach, Lee has begun her career in rural health care. She hopes to eventually return to Grassy Narrows First Nation or work with other Indigenous communities.
“There’s something about rural places that tugs at your heart and challenges you,” she said. “I want to help close the gaps and find creative ways to bring resources to those communities. That's why I always want to go back to rural — it brings me peace.”
To learn more about the College of Pharmacy, visit:
Read about Gloria Lee's experience in L'Oréal:
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