Phyllis Perkins once considered attending medical school. After volunteering at the William Jennings Bryan Dorn VA Medical Center, she found herself more intrigued by pharmacy.
“We were required to complete 40 hours of community service at Cardinal Newman High School,” she says. “I would work a few hours every Friday in the pharmacy, so that was my introduction.”
After arriving at USC, she learned more about pharmacy and its career options, so she earned her Doctor of Pharmacy in 2000.
“I decided that if I wanted to pursue academia or work in an alternative setting, I should pursue a Ph.D.,” she says.
Since achieving that in 2005, Perkins’ career has taken her down many paths. She continues to work as a pharmacist at Moncrief Army Health Clinic, based at Fort Jackson.
I want the next generation of pharmacists to have access to the same high-quality education that I was afforded.
“As the daughter and granddaughter of veterans, I saw firsthand the commitment my father and grandfather had to serving their country,” she says. “Working with active-duty soldiers is a way to give back to others who have given so much.”
Perkins also works as a pharmacy consultant and has taught business classes at Benedict College. She serves as a judge for poster competitions at the annual Joint Forces Federal Seminar, which brings together federal pharmacy professionals for educational training.
Perkins is grateful for the support she received as a College of Pharmacy student. As a member of the College of Pharmacy Alumni Council, she feels it is important to help others pass through the doors that were opened for her, whether as a mentor to students or through financial support.
“Growing up in New York, I never encountered a minority pharmacist. I never saw anyone who looked like me behind the counter until I came to college and got into pharmacy,” she says. “I think it is especially important for our students of color to see someone who looks like them.
“I want the next generation of pharmacists to have access to the same high-quality education that I was afforded,” Perkins says. “It is my way of saying thank you.”
Topics: Alumni Programs, Pharm.D. Program, Graduate Programs, Support the College