Christina Beran was passionate about healthcare and helping others.
She also was uncertain whether she wanted to work directly with patients — and even with blood.
Beran
That’s one of the big reasons the northeast Ohio native chose The University of Toledo: its accelerated, six-year Pharm.D. program.
Pharmacy allowed her to combine interests in healthcare and science while helping others by guiding the medication decisions that allow them to feel better quicker.
“I did not realize how important helping others was to me until I started working in healthcare,” Beran said. “Having opportunities to improve the lives of others is a constant motivator to pursue excellence.
“Even when the hours are long or the work is tenuous, there is constantly a reminder that the work I am doing will directly improve the life of another.”
UToledo also offers students opportunities starting their first year to work alongside faculty and fellow students in the research lab, helping to improve medications or even find the next ground-breaking treatment. Beran completed research on whether medications nafcillin and ondansetron can be administered through the IV line to a patient. She also is starting a new research project related to bloodstream infections in patients with renal transplants.
Michelle Seegert, Pharm.D. and clinical associate professor, praises Beran for her leadership in not only the pharmacy profession but the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences and the University as a whole.
“Christina entered the college already very involved in the University and has since worked to incorporate her energy for pharmacy practice into her advocacy,” Seegert said. “She is always looking for opportunities to be involved in assisting with promoting all UToledo and pharmacy has to offer.”
Outside of the lecture hall and the lab, Beran has asserted herself as a student leader in the College of Pharmacy and the greater UToledo campus community through numerous student organizations.
Beran serves as a pharmacy ambassador and is a member of Blue Key National Honor Society, Levis Leadership, Klar Leadership Academy and many other honor societies. She also works in UToledo’s Community Care clinic, a free clinic run by UToledo students that provides free healthcare to the uninsured and underinsured in the Toledo area.
“One of my favorite memories during my involvement included planning and leading the Homecoming parade last fall and attending the American Pharmacists Association national conference in San Antonio last spring,” Beran said. “My involvement allowed me to grow as an individual and is certainly preparing me for my future.”
She is wrapping up an internship with Cleveland Clinic’s Main Campus Inpatient Pharmacy, the third internship of her college career. She also has interned at CVS Pharmacy and UTMC’s inpatient pharmacy.
“At the Cleveland Clinic, I’m learning how a large-scale, academic medical center functions and really putting my skills from pharmacy school into practice, as well as defining what area of pharmacy I would like to practice in in the future,” Beran said.
Beran stays busy during the school year, but the harmony she maintains between her student work and student involvement is something that she takes considerable pride.
“Find balance in everything you do,” Beran said. “Finding a balance between academics, friends, involvement, work and rest — especially sleep — is crucial to your success and ensuring you enjoy your entire college experience.”
After Beran graduates in 2024, she said she hopes to work as a clinical pharmacist who provides medication recommendations directly to physicians.
