Celebrating Black History Month

Spotlight on father-daughter pharmacy duo Marvin and Makaili Robinson

Makaili Robinson, P1 student
Hometown: Batesville, Miss.

Why did you choose Ole Miss pharmacy?

I chose Ole Miss pharmacy because it’s home to me. I have been surrounded by Ole Miss all my life, especially since both of my parents are esteemed alumni of the university. It was also a plus that I was going to the same school as my dad did a little over 20 years ago. I was so confident in my decision about UMSOP that I didn’t apply anywhere else. Y’all are stuck with me.

Why do you want to be a pharmacist?

I want to help change outcomes for patients in my community. Helping patients manage their chronic or acute diseases is something that is very important to me. I also want to help my patients understand how to advocate for themselves because disparities in health care is still a huge issue in 2024.

I also understand the importance of representation and how people that look like me will look for me to understand important issues that relate to people of color. I want to be an inspiration to the next generation of pharmacists, especially for those that come from underserved communities.

What do you admire about your dad professionally?

I admire my dad’s work ethic. My dad will be the first one in the pharmacy and the last one out for the sake of the patient. I also admire his patience and how he works with patients who may not know the ins and outs of retail pharmacy. Being able to work with him in a pharmacy setting recently has really shown me some techniques that I use at work and at school for our patient-care setting.

Best career advice your dad has given you?

“Make use of your clinical rotations to help you decide the specialty of pharmacy you want to pursue. Always keep your options open.”

Do you know what area of pharmacy you might like to work in?

I am not sure exactly what I want to pursue in pharmacy yet, but I’m leaning toward specializing in clinical pharmacy or ambulatory care.

What have you enjoyed about being a student at the UM School of Pharmacy?

I have enjoyed the faculty and staff at the SOP. They are so approachable and helpful. I also enjoy the camaraderie my classmates and I have because I truly feel like we’re in this together.

Marvin Robinson, BSPS 1999 and Pharm.D. 2001

Current position:

Staff pharmacist at Walgreens Batesville (full time); clinical pharmacist at Panola Medical Center (as needed); clinical pharmacist at Northwest Mississippi Regional Hospital

How well do you feel the UM School of Pharmacy prepared you for your career?

The program was very rigorous and I felt very prepared for my first staff job as a clinical pharmacist. This was at a time where residencies for clinical specialties were not as common. You can never fully know everything, but the pharmacy school prepared me well to understand how to find answers to what you need. As a young professional, UMSOP prepared me to walk into inter-collaborative patient care even with health care personnel well into their careers.

I was able to be confident in pioneering change within not only clinical guidelines, but with hospital systems and protocol. The early 2000s was a pivotal time where black pharmacists were not well represented in predominantly black communities. When I began my first job in the community, patients would come by the pharmacy to ask me if a specific ailment was serious enough for a doctor’s visit or a simple over-the-counter fix.

UMSOP laid the foundation that allowed the community, especially the underserved parts of the community, to trust in my knowledge and trust my clinical judgement on the next steps in their health care journey.

What’s it like to see your daughter follow in your footsteps by attending the SOP?

It gives me a great sense of pride that she decided to follow in my footsteps to become a pharmacist. It is a very humbling thing to see her pursue her passion because of mine. Interestingly enough, she was born during a seven-day work rotation at the hospital where I was working, so it’s a no-brainer that she wanted to be a pharmacist.

The day she officially told me she wanted to pursue pharmacy, I was as proud as a dad could be. I actually tried to dissuade her from pursuing pharmacy school because I was worried about the market saturation, but she assured me that this was her passion and that she was sure that this is what she wanted to pursue. I am proud that she wants to add to the small percentage of black pharmacists and the even smaller demographic of black women in pharmacy.

What career advice have you given to Makaili that you’d like to share with other students?

Never sacrifice efficiency for expediency. The quality of patient care is more important than how many prescriptions you can fill.

What have you enjoyed most about the pharmacy profession?

Being part of the healthcare team. Helping patients improve their outcomes and watching them improve their quality of life is the most important part of my job.