Pace setters: Graduate profiles
Bernard Leung joins a long list of health care professionals in his family. He is proud to be the only pharmacist.
Leung, who already has a BSc in biology from UBC, worked in sales and marketing for two years before returning to his alma mater for four more years in the pharmacy program. He says pharmacists enjoy a unique position in the community because they are at the juncture of business and health care.
"Generally, when people think of pharmacy, they think of retailers," says Leung. "I think pharmacists have been underutilized in the past but that is changing as people are beginning to realize we have a lot to offer."
Leung, who graduates with a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy, is winner of the faculty's 1997 Honorary Activities Cup given for leadership, participation, popularity and academics during four years of study. He says pharmacists are often characterized as a staid bunch who "count, pour, lick and stick." According to Leung, nothing could be further from the truth.
"The faculty is a hoot," says Leung, who sings and plays piano each year on Pharmacy Talent Night. "There is an incredible amount of energy and spirit among all the students, faculty and staff."
The 500 pharmacy undergraduates get together annually with graduate students and faculty for a competitive night of skits based on a pharmacy theme. James Bond, Star Wars and action super heroes have all been used for pharmaceutical fodder.
One year, Leung's acting group performed a version of the musical, West Side Story, complete with original songs and choreography. They even went so far as to order background music from a distributor in New York City.
Says Leung: "Basically, it's a chance to show some ingenuity and make fun of some professors."
Leung is currently commuting from Kerrisdale to Mission where he's doing a month-long clerkship rotation at a local pharmacy. He is also studying for the provincial and national licensing exams conducted in June.
Leung's long-range plans are to apply for a 12-month B.C. Hospital Residency Program to learn more about the clinical roles pharmacists can play in a hospital setting.