We recently connected with Dr. Briana Malone and have shared our conversation below.

Dr. Briana, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. If you had a defining moment that you feel really changed the trajectory of your career, we’d love to hear the story and details.

I was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, and completed my undergraduate education at Middle Tennessee State University completing their 3 + 1 pre-pharmacy program. I attended University of Tennessee Pharmacy School and graduated with honors with my Doctorate of Pharmacy in 2017. As a retail pharmacist, I am able to display my passion for helping others in the community and build relationships that help improve the health of my patients. It’s so important to be able to explain the reason for the medications in a way that the patient’s can understand and relate to because that increases the likelihood of them taking it as prescribed once they get home. Increasing the likelihood of them adhering to the medications then correlates with improvement in their health and their comfort in coming to me as their pharmacist with any questions they may have. I enjoy getting to know my patients and seeing the difference I make in their lives every single day. While being a pharmacist, I am also able to act as a preceptor to other pharmacy students that come to my pharmacy on rotations. It’s a precious full circle moment because I remember being in their same shoes, so I don’t take it lightly when it comes to showing them just how important of a factor we as pharmacist are and I hope my passion and interactions pushes them to put their best foot forward in their education and career. Not a day goes by as a pharmacist that I don’t positively impact someone’s life and that feeling is priceless.

My mom told me that every since I was a little girl, I always wanted to help others. As I grew older and saw the struggles of my African-American community receive support while trying to get into the healthcare field, my passion to help other African American women from Memphis, Tennessee grew stronger. That’s when I decided to launch the Health Her Way Scholarship Fund in 2020. This scholarship fund is funded by me, out of my own pocket as a way to give back from the blessings that have been bestowed upon me. I awarded my first recipients in 2021. With the chaotic pandemic and all the changes that had taken place in the world and especially in education, I knew this was the perfect time to promote more positive encouragement and take some of the financial stress away from young ladies in my hometown. So far, I have awarded four young ladies from my hometown of Memphis with $1500 scholarships and also awarded four randomly selected applicants with free headshot sessions to use throughout their careers. I am very passionate about helping and inspiring young ladies to follow their dreams and shining their light in the world, and Health Her Way is a way for me to let them know I support them, I see them, and I’m rooting for them and encourage them to keep on striving to be the best in their careers and to also help increase the number of African American women making their mark in the healthcare field.

Dr. Briana, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, and completed my undergraduate education at Middle Tennessee State University completing their 3 + 1 pre-pharmacy program. I attended University of Tennessee Pharmacy School and graduated with honors with my Doctorate of Pharmacy in 2017. As a retail pharmacist, I am able to display my passion for helping others in the community and build relationships that help improve the health of my patients. It’s so important to be able to explain the reason for the medications in a way that the patient’s can understand and relate to because that increases the likelihood of them taking it as prescribed once they get home. Increasing the likelihood of them adhering to the medications then correlates with improvement in their health and their comfort in coming to me as their pharmacist with any questions they may have. I enjoy getting to know my patients and seeing the difference I make in their lives every single day. While being a pharmacist, I am also able to act as a preceptor to other pharmacy students that come to my pharmacy on rotations. It’s a precious full circle moment because I remember being in their same shoes, so I don’t take it lightly when it comes to showing them just how important of a factor we as pharmacist are and I hope my passion and interactions pushes them to put their best foot forward in their education and career. Not a day goes by as a pharmacist that I don’t positively impact someone’s life and that feeling is priceless.

My mom told me that every since I was a little girl, I always wanted to help others. As I grew older and saw the struggles of my African-American community receive support while trying to get into the healthcare field, my passion to help other African American women from Memphis, Tennessee grew stronger. That’s when I decided to launch the Health Her Way Scholarship Fund in 2020. This scholarship fund is funded by me, out of my own pocket as a way to give back from the blessings that have been bestowed upon me. I awarded my first recipients in 2021. With the chaotic pandemic and all the changes that had taken place in the world and especially in education, I knew this was the perfect time to promote more positive encouragement and take some of the financial stress away from young ladies in my hometown. So far, I have awarded four young ladies from my hometown of Memphis with $1500 scholarships and also awarded four randomly selected applicants with free headshot sessions to use throughout their careers. I am very passionate about helping and inspiring young ladies to follow their dreams and shining their light in the world, and Health Her Way is a way for me to let them know I support them, I see them, and I’m rooting for them and encourage them to keep on striving to be the best in their careers and to also help increase the number of African American women making their mark in the healthcare field.

Do you think you’d choose a different profession or specialty if you were starting now?

If I could go back, I would still choose being a pharmacist as my profession. I look at it like being a part of a great premiering movie. I see it as being a vital behind the scenes producer of what the audience sees, with the audience being the world. My consultations, answers, administration of vaccines and medication reviews, blood pressure checks, and explanations all play a role in helping make sure the people I interact with are able to enjoy life and make more lasting memories for years to come. I’m also able to create trusting relationships with many people. Little do they know, just as much as I am helping them they are helping me as well. Being a pharmacist, I am constantly evolving and learning. My heart is full every day in my profession from making an impact and that to me is what living is all about. Leaving a mark in the lives of others and actually seeing the impact and smiles daily makes the long hours and busy days so worth it.

Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?

Effective communication is very helpful in succeeding in my field. The information has to be explained effectively in order for the patient to truly understand. Due to the many different types of people and ages of patients’ that you interact with within a day, it is important to know how to explain the information and directions about the medications in a way that each individual person understands. You can’t explain information to a 65 year old the same way you would explain it to a 25 year old. Being able to convey the importance of the medication and how it works in a way that the patient can understand so that when they are living day by day it is accurately a part of their daily routine plays a major role. Just think about it. Your words and education are playing such a major part in someone’s life, so it is imperative that you are able to communicate everything in a way that they clearly understand. The best thing about this is that effective communication isn’t just important as a pharmacist, but it is also an important part of everyone’s life. How we explain and communicate anything in our lives can have a huge impact on the relationships we have throughout the years. Communicating as a pharmacist to so many different patients can help improve your communication you have with anyone and vice versa. I am able to improve the clarity of my communication every day in the pharmacy and it overflows into my life continuously.

Contact Info:

• Website: Healthherway.org
• Instagram: Health_herway

Image Credits
Photos of me credit: Antoine Lever