Pharmacy Student Engages in Global Health and Industry Experiences to Advance Treatments for Unmet Medical Needs

DKICP Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) candidate Yukino Sugihara participated in the Japan TeamOncology Program (J-TOP), an interprofessional, team-based training program designed to advance cancer care in Japan and Asia. Dr. Naoto Ueno, director of the University of Hawaii Cancer Center, founded the training program which is offered in partnership with the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX. This was the first time that a pharmacy student was included in the prestigious program. According to Sugihara, “Some of the top oncologists in Asia participated in the program, and it was exciting to have the opportunity to network with them and learn about how cancer care is delivered in other countries.”

Sugihara is an inaugural recipient of the Que-Andrada Endowed Scholarship in Global and Geriatric Health. This scholarship recognizes PharmD students at the University of Hawaii at Hilo with outstanding academic merit and financial need who are pursuing global health and/or geriatric health initiatives. She is also the recipient of a Walgreens Multilingual Scholarship.

During her final year in pharmacy school, Sugihara is completing Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences at Eli Lilly and Bristol Myers Squibb for industry rotations, and at the University of Hawaii Cancer Center for a research rotation. She is exploring potential career paths in oncology and aims to apply her PharmD training to support advancements in the treatment of cancer and other unmet medical needs.