The University of South Carolina College of Pharmacy has officially launched its new academic fellowship program with Nicole "Sun" Sunshine serving as its inaugural fellow and marking a significant expansion of the college’s postgraduate training opportunities.
Sunshine earned her bachelor's degree in microbiology and Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of Michigan. She completed her postgraduate year one residency at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach, Florida, followed by a PGY2 residency in infectious diseases at Henry Ford Hospital in Michigan.
The academic fellowship combines clinical practice, teaching and research — a balance that attracted Sunshine to USC's program after learning about it from a co-resident.
“I have all this infectious disease knowledge, and I always want to learn more about that and make improvements and the outcomes in infectious disease. But I also want to be able to teach students and perform research," Sunshine says.
Her interest in pharmacy began during a high school job shadowing experience with an independent pharmacist, where she was impressed by the pharmacist's personal connections with patients.
"I was shocked at how well he knew his patients and how connected he was," she says. "The conversation felt really fast but really friendly and the patient was comfortable."
As the program's first fellow, Sunshine appreciates the flexibility offered by program directors Brandon Bookstaver and Reagan Barfield to help shape the fellowship's development.
"I think that it's as daunting as it is exciting too," she said about being the inaugural fellow.
Sunshine hopes to pursue a faculty position that maintains the balance of scholarship, research and clinical practice, while serving as a mentor to future pharmacy students and residents.
Topics: Postgraduate Training, Academic Fellowship