Touching Base With New School of Pharmacy Faculty Dr. Nathan Doctor
In July 2023, Dr. Nathan Doctor joined our faculty team here at a Pacific University School of Pharmacy. Now that one full semester has gone by and we're now mid-way through spring semester, we thought we'd catch up with him, ask him a few questions and find out how things are going!
Q. How has the transition been for you since you started here at Pacific University?
Having grown up in the Midwest, leaving home was never easy. Throughout the process, however, the community at Pacific has been really welcoming. I've made a lot of great connections with our team at the school, and now I feel right at home. From a technical standpoint, my training as an academic fellow allowed me to slot right into the school, and as such, I've been able to make a meaningful impact from the start. My coworkers and mentors have made the transition a pretty smooth one, and I'm excited to slowly build up my workload so I can contribute further. One thing I'm still working on is decorating my office; it's hard to fill empty shelves as a new faculty!
Q. What do you feel was the most surprising/positive experience you've had so far since joining our faculty team? How do you feel that directly correlates to the Pacific University Community?
It's hard to pin one specific experience, so I'll describe the general feelings I've had as faculty. There's an incredible sense of collegiality among the faculty and staff here. The team here has experienced a lot of change over the years, which has certainly strengthened their bonds. To be welcomed into that community really is an honor. There's something about wandering past a coworker's open door and getting lost in conversation, something that happens often; it signals to me that community really matters here. And when things are difficult, that community is always ready to jump in and help. It's special to work in an environment like this.
Q. After getting a full term under your belt with our students, how would you describe our School of Pharmacy students and the overall environment we provide our students to someone that doesn't go to Pacific University?
Coming from a background in a large, state school of pharmacy, the experience at Pacific has been very different. At Pacific, we have a substantial amount of contact time with students. Going through pharmacy school, I would sometimes see a professor once or twice, then never see them again. At Pacific, I interact with the students almost every day. As I mentioned before, community matters at Pacific. Many of the faculty here maintain good connections with former students, and as a result, some of those former students occasionally help teach in our courses or are even faculty themselves! The students are also great. One student told me it was welcoming to have a faculty with whom they share an ethnicity with. As a Filipino-American growing up in the Midwest, having a shared ethnicity is pretty uncommon. To be accepted by the students in that way is something I don't take lightly, and I'm proud to be a role model for them.
Q. Personally and/or professionally, what goals do you have for the next six to twelve months?
Personally, I have named myself a "would-be-hiker", and I would like to graduate to "hiker" soon. So hopefully, I'll be able to tackle some trails over the next few months. I'm also moving neighborhoods in Portland this summer so I'm excited to explore it and get to know the restaurants in the area! Professionally, this will be the first time I have a second year at any institution (I completed a one-year residency followed by a one-year fellowship). I'm eager to reflect back on all of my work this year and bring new revisions to the next term. I'd also like to start up my patient care practice and plan out my academic rotation for APPE students. After years of training, it's refreshing to finally start building my career.
— Amber H. Hieb, Senior Manager of Administrative Operations