The University of Colorado Anschutz medical campus is known for its top-tier research, recently being recognized again as an R1 (Very High Research Activity) Institution, so it's no surprise that current Post-Doctoral Academic Fellow, Madison Ricco, PharmD, wanted to pursue her passion for lab-based research once she got accepted to the PharmD program. What did surprise her-was the international research recognition that would come years later, but first... how did she get here?
Dr. Ricco always knew she wanted to pursue a career in healthcare, her passion for research led her to start a cancer research lab during her undergraduate studies with a fellow student and two faculty mentors. During her interview process with CU Pharmacy, she expressed her interest in pursuing lab-based research, a career path some would say is non-traditional for pharmacy students. However, the admission's team was quick to help connect her with faculty mentors who had similar research interests; enter Tom Anchordoquy, PhD.
"I talked to him that first week of pharmacy school my P1 year, and for four years have worked alongside him," she said. Over those years, her work led to a team collaborative research effort, focusing on how specific immune responses can potentially reduce the damage chemotherapy causes and make cancer treatment more tolerable for patients. An idea that garnered such significant attention, it was recently featured in an international magazine (Futurum) aimed at sparking an interest in the sciences with high school students.
"I don't think we realized just how big of an impact the project would have, as we started doing some of these experiments and looking at the results and seeing the improved patient outcomes that we could accomplish was exciting and what hinted to me early on that this project could have some pretty significant impacts."
Now, Dr. Ricco wants to encourage other students thinking about pursuing a career in pharmacy to think outside the box and focus on what makes them passionate, even if it seems unorthodox or non-traditional. “I have shifted my career path more times than I can count, which shows how varied and valuable a PharmD truly is. I've been able to find my passions and bridge the gap between basic sciences and clinical research. I think any research project with an opportunity to help patients is something that should be recognized.”
There are multiple ways to connect with Dr. Ricco to learn more about her career in pharmacy research:
- March 24: Follow the @CUPharmacy Instagram account and submit your AMA questions to Dr. Ricco.
- March 25: Watch for Dr. Ricco's answers to your Instagram questions.
- March 27: Engage with Dr. Ricco in the virtual Mile High Meetup webinar to learn more about her pharmacy career and what makes CU Pharmacy such a great place to start your graduate education.
Lab-based pharmacy research is just one of the specialties that you can pursue with a Doctor of Pharmacy degree. Clinical research driven by real patient data and educational research are additional options available to PharmD graduates. Learn more about a career in pharmacy and connect with Dr. Ricco below.
