Student pharmacist Erik Coronado.
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Described by his peers as hilarious, confident and compassionate, rising P3 student Erik Coronado is here to show up, put in the effort and seize every opportunity. Serving as Chair of the Technology Advisory Board, and an active member of the Student Assessment Council, the Hispanic Association of Pharmacists and the Lambda Chapter of the Phi Delta Chi professional fraternity, Erik is demonstrably excelling at his goal of participating in the tradition of excellence at Texas Pharmacy, warm cortado in hand. We wanted to learn more about his passion for community pharmacy and patient-centric care and how cultivating his professional imagination will allow him to be the best pharmacist he can be. Here is what he shared with us:
Describe yourself in/with three words.
Perspicacious. Jocund. Demure.
What energizes you most about being a UT Austin College of Pharmacy student?
Participating in the tradition of excellence embodied by the students, faculty and alums of the UT Austin College of Pharmacy. I feel a palpable sense of commitment and striving for excellence throughout the college. I see it in my classmates eagerly studying and making the most of their time here. I see it in the faculty who are world-class researchers and teachers yet are available to field any questions and offer careful guidance. I see it in the alums who readily show up, proudly support and serve as steadfast stewards of the UT Austin College of Pharmacy. Participating in this tradition of excellence is part and parcel of the university’s message: "What starts here changes the world."
You’re passionate about Community Pharmacy and patient-centric care. Tell us more about that. What impact do you want to have in healthcare/pharmacy and/or the community?
In Volume 5 of Marcel Proust’s In Search of Lost Time, the narrator is musing about art and says the "only true voyage of discovery, the only fountain of Eternal Youth, would be not to visit strange lands but to possess other eyes, to behold the universe through the eyes of another, of a hundred others, to behold the hundred universes that each of them beholds, that each of them is." This is not only beautiful but instructive. A necessary condition for excellent patient-centered care is seeing through the eyes of another. Filling in these blind spots helps to bring into focus the person in front of me. For example, I ought not to think solely about the case of "primary hypertension" or the medication "hydrochlorothiazide;" instead, I ought to also think about Mrs. Smith, whose primary hypertension I am attending to by reviewing her hydrochlorothiazide.
Further, I may notice that Mrs. Smith mentions how she loves to watch her kids play soccer and never misses a practice or game. Seeing through her eyes, I might imagine that spending time with her kids, watching them practice and attending their games is important to her. She’s probably outside often to watch her kids, most likely in the sun. I know that there’s a heightened photosensitivity risk with hydrochlorothiazide. Maybe I should ask her if she’s aware of this risk. If she’s not, perhaps she should speak with her provider about a change in therapy that would be more amenable to her lifestyle. It turns out she wasn’t aware of this risk. It also turns out that her kids exclusively play indoor soccer. Was this a waste of time? I don’t think so. We have gained a better (though seemingly small) understanding and appreciation of and for each other.
As a pharmacist, I want to cultivate my professional imagination and exercise professional virtues while striving for excellence to be a better steward for the profession I’m wholly passionate about. I want to continue reflecting on my place within the profession and the correlative, awesome responsibility–equally demanding, necessary and unique–of bastioning substances that can save, maintain and extinguish life.
Do you have a person who has had a tremendous impact on you at both a professional and personal level? Why and how did they impact your life?
It would be a monumental task to name each person who has impacted me (though they deserve it). Many of these people have acted as co-investigators (sometimes co-conspirators), selflessly giving me a myriad of lessons, nurtured my growth and have immutably shaped my experience in subtle and countless ways: Paul Lewis, Chris Edelman, Doug Gilmour, Bernadette E. O’Connor, Howard Curzer, Daniel Nathan, Justin Tosi, Mary Brock, Claudia Ramon, Matt Plata, Alicia Cooksey, Brandy Blanton, Sasha Cooper, Jenny Ji, Ashley Durham, Scotty Hajek, Autumn Lee, Brandon Woodard, Leticia Contreras and Justin Urby. Lastly, through sickness and health, Michael and Jacqueline Coronado for their ceaseless support, unconditional care and attention.
Erik, you are an incredibly busy human! Chair of the Technology Advisory Board, Student Assessment Council member, and you belong to the Hispanic Association of Pharmacists; you joined the Lambda chapter of the Phi Delta Chi professional fraternity here at The University of Texas at Austin and teach Ethics courses at the university level in your spare time. What is the main motivation for your leadership endeavors?
To contribute in any way that I can to the causes and organizations that I care about. Between school and work, we often have little time to give, so being judicious with how our time is spent is especially important. However, giving a hand, showing up to an event, lending your attention to a speaker, or attending a brown bag event goes a long way towards establishing and maintaining professional relationships and communities.
What are some healthcare or research experiences that you will never forget?
I will never forget the small moments of profound moral clarity gleaned from patients telling me they appreciate what we do in the pharmacy. Sometimes, they say it in passing—other times with tears, a smile or a handshake. When a patient expresses sincere gratitude, it serves as evidence that I’m doing the right thing.
One time I was counseling a patient on her recently discharged husband’s new cardiac medication. She told me he was seemingly fine a week ago; he suddenly went into heart failure, was rushed to the hospital, stayed for several days post-surgery and now she’s seeing me. I told her I was happy he could be discharged and continued to review each new medication. After asking if she had any questions about her husband’s medications, I made it a point to ask her how she was doing. As if holding her breath, she slowly exhaled, saying she was happy her husband was safe and back home. With her eyes slightly glassing up, she thanked me for asking how she was doing because it was the first time someone had done it since her husband got sick. She explained that with the litany of tests and providers, she felt that this was the first time someone was talking to instead of at her.
With the sheer volume of prescriptions and patients we speak to daily, I think we underestimate the impact we could have on someone during a critical time. These small moments leave an indelible mark on your professional or even personal soul.
Walk us through your go-to study rituals: music, snacks, environment, etc.
Believe it or not, I’m still experimenting with how I study. I prefer quiet places, but sometimes, a coffee shop’s smell is enough of a siren’s call to set up camp there. For me, it’s hard to top a nice, warm cortado from Merit. Musically, I could go for mostly anything but lately, and especially John Coltrane’s "A Love Supreme," any Tchaikovsky waltz and the latest album from The Marías (Submarine).
In August 2024, the College of Pharmacy welcomed more than 120 students to the Class of 2028. What advice or words of wisdom would you offer to our incoming P1s?
Aristotle says, "One swallow does not a spring make, nor one fine day; similarly, one day or brief time of happiness does not make a person entirely happy." He is speaking in the context of cultivating character and acquiring virtue. Specifically, virtuous character traits are cultivated in the repetition of virtuous actions. What is important here is to recognize that pharmacy is a practice requiring repetition. This means putting in the work, showing up, studying hard, making the most of every opportunity and giving your attention to your professors and patients. Most importantly, this doesn’t mean doing these things once; rather, making these into habits and a part of your daily routine facilitates, molds and helps you to realize the pharmacist you want to become.
After you’ve hung up your white coat for the day, do you have a side passion or hobby you particularly enjoy or unwind with?
I've always had a passion for philosophy, especially ethics and aesthetics—so much so that I earned one of my bachelor's and master's degrees in philosophy. I love enjoying art, cinema, photography, collecting and listening to vinyl, Japanese stationery, building computers and telling dad jokes. This one is for the pharmacists out there: Why was the pirate on Warfarin? Because he couldn't control his INRRRR.
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