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Fact-to-face interaction is a large part of being a pharmacist. You work with people from all walks of life and backgrounds, but gaining that experience is challenging if you’re still in pharmacy school.

Caroline Jensen ’18 started a few weeks ago as a clinical assistant professor and experiential education coordinator at the ��ñ�� School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. Jensen attended ��ñ�� as an undergrad and then received her PharmD at the University at Buffalo through a dual degree program, where she also earned her master’s in public health.

“After that, I joined the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps as a lieutenant and served with the Indian Health Service on the Navajo Nation in New Mexico,” Jensen said. “I worked as a clinical pharmacist there for two years, and it was such a meaningful experience. That combination of pharmacy and public health has really shaped the way I approach my career.”

That experience drove home the idea of working with underserved patients and helping those in need.

“When I was an intern with CVS during undergrad, I realized how much I loved forming deep connections with patients,” she said. “That really solidified my desire to pursue pharmacy as a career. Over time, I became passionate about underserved patient populations and the social determinants of health, because they play such a huge role in outcomes. That naturally guided me toward public health service, where I felt I could make a difference for patients who might not otherwise have access to care.”

One of the things she loved most during her time with the Indian Health Service was working with students who came from the East Coast. Jensen realized these students had limited interactions with Indigenous patient populations before.

“For them, it was eye-opening to gain cultural competency and see firsthand how traditions, languages and community values influence care,” she said. “I saw the growth in those students as future pharmacists, and I knew it would shape the way they cared for people in the future. That’s one of the big reasons I wanted to step into this role — to create opportunities for students to broaden their perspectives and learn how to provide culturally competent care.”

“I was focused on public health and thought that would be my path, but then I was trained to work in the emergency department and inpatient wards,” she said. “At times, I was the only clinical pharmacist in the building, which came with a lot of responsibility but also incredible learning opportunities. It showed me the impact of being part of an interprofessional team, and how pharmacists bring expertise that can truly change the outcome of patient care.”

Jensen is especially excited about her role as the experiential education coordinator.

“I see it as a chance to bring students new opportunities they might not have considered or had access to before,” she said. “Cultural competency is so vital in health care, and I want to help our students develop those skills in a real, meaningful way. It’s about preparing them not just to be pharmacists, but to be thoughtful, compassionate providers who can serve patients from all different backgrounds.”

Despite being early on in her career, Jensen is proud to have gained a lot of real-world experience in a short time. Her advice for anyone thinking about going into pharmacy school? Say yes.

“Take advantage of every opportunity that comes your way,” she said. “Even if it’s just attending a speaker series, joining a club meeting or taking on a leadership role that feels intimidating, you’ll always walk away having gained something. For me, those little decisions opened so many doors that I could never have predicted. You never regret those experiences, and they really shape both your career and who you are as a professional.”