Bringing Pediatric Pharmacy to the Forefront
PharmD Candidate Carleigh Robinson awarded competitive scholarship for commitment to pediatrics
By: Markie Heideman, Content Marketing Manager
If you would’ve told Carleigh Robinson, a third year PharmD student at the University of Michigan, just a few years ago that she would be working in pediatric pharmacy, she probably wouldn’t have believed you. Cut to today, and Robinson is not only making it her entire career focus, but is empowering others in the college to see it as an opportunity for them as well.
Finding Her Passion
Her passion for working with children started during her undergraduate studies at Hope College in Holland, Michigan. As a player on the volleyball team, Robinson took part in a fundraising event called Dance Marathon – where participants danced nonstop for 24 hours to raise money for families with children treated at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital in Grand Rapids.
“Because of this event, I got to hang out with the children and their families,” Robinson explained. “When the 24-hour event was over, the families stood in the middle while we revealed how much money we raised. It was so emotional to watch. Many of these families come from far distances, and this money helps them with meals, travel, and lodging costs.”
It was that moment that Robinson realized she could make a real difference working with children. When she began her PharmD at the U-M College of Pharmacy, she began looking into pediatrics and utilized Michigan Medicine to gain experience.
“I started working in Mott Children’s Hospital as a temporary intern prior to my formal internship in the Cardiovascular Center and Operating Room pharmacies. When I was in the children’s hospital, that’s when I realized that pediatric pharmacy was for me. When I was delivering meds to patients’ rooms, and seeing the impact that pharmacists have on patient care, that was a tipping point for me.”
That tipping point turned into a career passion. Robinson was recently awarded the John Dice Memorial Scholarship from the Pediatric Pharmacy Association (PPA). This competitive scholarship is open to applicants nationally and requires them to make contributions toward a career in pediatric pharmacy. She was recognized at the 2024 PPA Annual Conference in Minneapolis, MN as well as presented a case report poster and a student chapter poster showcasing the College’s pediatric pharmacy student organization, LittleVictors.
“Being nationally recognized like this is incredible,” said Robinson. “I didn’t think that this would be possible for me. After I got the email, I was very emotional. It felt like all of my hard work paid off.”
This scholarship has been given out for nearly a decade, and Robinson is the first University of Michigan student to receive it. As proud as Robinson is to receive such a distinction, her faculty mentor, Dr. Hanna Phan, may hold even more pride.
“I have no doubt that Carleigh will continue to do amazing and impactful things as she progresses in her career. Her hard work, collaborative and inquisitive nature support her success as a pharmacy student and a future pediatric pharmacist,” says Dr. Hanna Phan, PharmD ‘03, a Clinical Associate Professor in the College of Pharmacy and Clinical Pharmacist Specialist in Ambulatory Care and Pediatric Pulmonology.
Creating an Organization from the Ground Up
This scholarship is the reward of a culmination of Robinson’s hard work both inside and outside of the classroom. For example, she and another pharmacy student led the creation of a pediatric pharmacy student organization, LittleVictors, when they recognized a desire for pediatric pharmacy representation in the college. They worked with Dr. Phan to collect data about the interest and need for a student organization at U-M through PPA and continued to lead the effort to create this specialized student organization.
“We took a survey of all of the students in the PharmD program to gauge interest in the organization and in pediatric events in general,” Robinson explained. “We got an overwhelmingly positive response. We took our data to the administration and got the organization approved, and we now have more than 30 members.”
Just in the past year since its inception, they focused on both furthering education around this clinical specialty by hosting a shadowing event with pediatric pharmacists at Michigan Medicine and offering professional development workshops, and community service events, by making holiday cards for children for the Ronald McDonald house, and holding a fundraiser to adopt a family for Christmas from Children’s Hospital of Michigan.
Diving into Research
Robinson has also done a slew of research during her time in the College of Pharmacy.
“I’ve done a multitude of projects through the internship program, along with projects of interest with preceptors at the hospital. All of which has helped me diversify my experiences in pediatrics versus adults and different specialties”
Examples of projects she has worked on include contributing to a project comparing outcomes of admission only versus admission-to-home treatment of pulmonary exacerbations in children with cystic fibrosis, a case report on unusual gastrointestinal side effects of elexacaftor-tezacaftor-ivacaftor, a medication used as part of chronic treatment of cystic fibrosis, and leading a scoping review of published literature on pharmacist contributions to sickle cell disease management, all with her mentor, Dr. Phan. Robinson has also worked on research in the cardiology space and projects related to inpatient pharmacy workflow.
Advocacy
Between classes, her leadership involvements, and research projects, Robinson also finds time to advocate for the field of pharmacy to lawmakers.
Recently, she traveled to Washington D.C. to participate in the National Association of Chain Drug Stores’ RxIMPACT day. The RxIMPACT day focused on how to best advocate for pharmacists and patients with a focus on how Congress views the field of pharmacy.
“We discussed legislative priorities that directly benefit our patients and ensure they have access to medications and pharmacy services in their communities with four members of Congress from Michigan. I am so grateful for the opportunity to be a voice for our profession!”
She took away a lot of learning from this opportunity including learning effective Capitol Hill meeting tactics, gaining skills on how to tell her personal story, and getting a better understanding of how Capitol Hill operates.
The Path Ahead
During the fourth year of U-M’s PharmD program, students participate in different rotations throughout the year to learn more about different areas of pharmacy. Robinson will participate in two clinical rotations in pediatrics – one at Michigan Medicine’s Nutrition Support Clinic, and the other at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital in their Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. “I’m looking forward to gaining more clinical experience in the field of pediatrics in two different environments.”
As far as the future, she hopes to pursue a post-graduate year 1 pharmacy practice residency followed by a post-graduate year 2 pediatric pharmacy practice residency to continue focusing on this specialty.
Robinson’s commitment to her education, openness to opportunities, leadership development, and involvement in research and advocacy is a testament to the endless opportunities provided to students at the University of Michigan College of Pharmacy and a strong example of how we are leading at the edge and developing the next generation of healthcare leaders.
