Meet Dr. Brian Cross , associate professor and vice-chair in the Department of Pharmacy Practice, and associate professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the James H. Quillen College of Medicine as part of the Academic Health Sciences Center at ETSU. He is from Morgantown, West Virginia.
Why did you want to pursue pharmacy?
BC: It was suggested to me as a stable way to make a living by “adults” who were concerned that I might not have the most stability pursuing a life as a “rock & roll star.” After completing my first clinical APPE rotation, and certainly after my first residency in Boston, I realized there was something unique to a high-functioning clinical pharmacist. They brought something special to the table regarding patient care. That’s when I really began to “pursue” pharmacy–when I realized the differences that could/should be made by clinical pharmacists in all facets of care were really important.
What is the most misunderstood aspect of the pharmacist profession and how do they make an impact in their field?
BC: Their training is truly unique. It focuses on the science of pharmacological products (how they are made, how they work, how they treat disease, how they cause problems, how they cure, and how they provide hope) and combines that with the psychosocial issues related to patients (selecting the best product for each individual patient, monitoring products for efficacy & side effects, serving as patient advocates within a complicated health system, assessing patients to help improve access to medications). When you place this kind of pharmacist on a high-functioning team, it is an amazing thing to be a part of.
What brought you to Gatton?
BC: A desire to get back into the classroom and interact with students at the beginning of the journey in pharmacy school and not just on APPEs at the end of their journey.
What do you do in your free time?
BC: Hike, camp, backpack, kayak. Outdoors stuff.
What books are on your nightstand?
BC: Thinking Fast & Slow; Bible; If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look on My Face?
What’s a “weird” fact about yourself that many might not know?
BC: I’m a drummer/percussionist–still play, mostly at my church
What advice would you give to a graduating student?
BC: You are the keeper of your joy–no one else has that authority. Make choices with employment, with purchases of stuff, with the selection of relationships, with how you spend your time that assures that you will be able to maintain your joy at a high level many years after graduation. It is what you do for others, not yourself, that will ultimately determine your peace.