Ph.D. student earns graduate fellowship award
Sarah Beth Tucker, a Ph.D. candidate in the Clinical Pharmacy and Outcomes Sciences department at USC's College of Pharmacy, has been awarded the prestigious Elinor G. Keels Fellowship by the USC Graduate School. The fellowship recognizes outstanding graduate students conducting research on women's issues, LGBTQ issues, or similar topics.
Tucker's journey to pharmaceutical research is far from conventional. "I actually used to be an orchestra teacher. I taught orchestra for six years and loved it but realized that wasn't what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I really wanted to get into a math science-based career."
After transitioning from her music education background, Tucker began working as a staff member with the College of Pharmacy while taking foundational courses in epidemiology, mathematics, and statistics. Her exposure to the College of Pharmacy's research sparked an interest in pharmacoepidemiology.
"I thought it was so interesting to view pharmacy from a different perspective," Tucker explained. "This is a really interesting and unique way to use research to help improve drugs and help find drugs that work better for people in the real world."
I feel like I have a different perspective than a lot of graduate students because I'm an older student ... I'm very thankful to have been given this opportunity to do something I'm really passionate about.
Her dissertation research focuses on extended therapy of aromatase inhibitors, hormone treatments for postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. Following recent guideline changes recommending up to 10 years of treatment rather than five, Tucker is examining safety outcomes, adherence rates, and prescribing trends associated with this extended therapy approach.
The fellowship comes at a crucial time for Tucker, who welcomed her first child in April 2024. Balancing motherhood with rigorous doctoral studies has presented unique challenges. "It's been really hard," she admitted. "I try my best to get some work done at night when he's asleep and on the weekends when my husband can help."
Despite the obstacles, Tucker remains committed to her research goals, hoping to complete her dissertation by the end of the fall. "I feel like I have a different perspective than a lot of graduate students because I'm an older student who's done different things," she reflected. "I'm very thankful to have been given this opportunity to do something I'm really passionate about."
Topics: Graduate Programs, Research, Clinical Pharmacy and Outcomes Sciences