catherine palmer
Creighton University School of Pharmacy and Health Professions
Catherine Palmer, also known by Cat, is a third-year student pharmacist at Creighton University School of Pharmacy and Health Professions from Aiea, Hawaii. She thanks her family and community for shaping her into the student pharmacist she is today.
A phrase that describes her journey is “being comfortable with uncomfortable.” Despite being an introvert from a small island, Cat continues to take on roles that drive her out of her comfort zone.
With her community driving her through her fears, Cat took action that would lead to serving her community nationally. During her second year of pharmacy school, she was elected as APhA-ASP’s Region 5 Member-At-Large, serving as a communication liaison between students from six states and participating in policy development. At the same time, she discovered her passion for informatics. To expand her knowledge while serving, she became the only student pharmacist in the ASHP Section of Pharmacy Informatics and Technology (SOPIT) Section Advisory Group on Operations and Automations where she created cyber security education material for active practitioners. She then took skills she learned to her chapter, where she currently is the VP of Communications. Recognizing a need in her chapter, she created an automated process for tracking student requirements that allows users to view progress in real-time. In addition to serving as the VP of Communications, Cat continues to serve through her chapter’s Operation Immunization and webmaster committees. She also serves in the ASHP SOPIT Educational Steering Committee, treasurer for Creighton University’s Phi Lambda Sigma chapter, and is a member of the Nebraska Pharmacists Association.
Cat’s practice experience comes from serving as a community intern at CVS Pharmacy and an informatics and analytics intern at Vizient. These experiences continue to challenge her to go beyond comfort and provide a perspective of how pharmacy informatics fit into the profession. Outside of pharmacy school, Cat can be found surfing, hiking, or exploring local eateries with friends.