Growing up in Iran, Pharm.D. candidate Arshia Ghaneian was fascinated by chemistry and regularly accompanied family members to pick up prescriptions for her grandmother. In videos from kindergarten, when asked about her future career, her answer was already clear: a pharmacist.
That childhood ambition brought Ghaneian and her parents to the U.S., where she began building a new life at the University of Houston (UH). After completing six months of English as a second language course, she started UH’s pre-pharmacy curriculum and joined the Pre-Pharmacy Association.
Although science courses came naturally, Ghaneian struggled with other core subjects while adjusting to a new language and country. Support from University of Houston College of Pharmacy (UHCOP) faculty helped her recognize that her academic record was only one part of her story.
“I started loving that about UH,” Ghaneian said. “I was like, ‘This is the place. They’re all just trying to help me.’”
Certain that UHCOP was where she belonged, Ghaneian applied to only one pharmacy school. Receiving her acceptance letter remains one of the most memorable moments of her life.
“I couldn't even talk,” Ghaneian said. “I started crying. I called everyone. It was one of the best moments of my life.”
Trusting the Process
During Welcome Orientation, Ghaneian heard advice from UHCOP Clinical Professor Divya Varkey, Pharm.D., M.S., that shaped her approach to pharmacy school: Put in the work, and the grades will follow.
From decorating her home with sticky notes to compiling summaries of each therapeutic module, Ghaneian not only improved her grades but was able to apply her knowledge in practice settings.
Her experience spans community, specialty, managed care and health-system pharmacy. Beginning as a community pharmacy technician, she later worked with transplant and HIV patients in specialty pharmacy, conducted medication-adherence calls and helped patients navigate prior authorization requirements.
Each role revealed another stage in a patient’s journey, from dispensing medications in community pharmacy to addressing adherence, side effects and access barriers in specialty and managed care.
Making Patients Feel Seen
Ghaneian’s own experience navigating a language barrier has influenced how she communicates with patients. Having helped her parents navigate medical appointments, she often sees her own family reflected in the elderly patients she treats.
“It’s my job to make them comfortable and give them the best care,” Ghaneian said.
That philosophy guided Ghaneian during her work with Legacy Community Health, where she provided vaccine counseling and educated community members about HIV prevention and treatment.
At one health fair, Ghaneian met a woman who had been afraid to discuss HIV because of the stigma within her community. Ghaneian listened without judgement, explained Legacy’s services and helped connect her with care. As the conversation continued, the woman asked whether Ghaneian could help her make an appointment.
By the end of the interaction, the woman was in tears.
“She said, ‘I can’t be thankful enough for the way you talked to me. You made me feel so different today. I’m going to start taking care of myself,’” Ghaneian recalled.
For Ghaneian, the encounter proved that the way a healthcare professional speaks to someone can affect whether that person feels safe enough to seek care.
“At that moment, I realized all those trainings and all those things my preceptor talked to me about were actually helping me make a difference in someone’s life,” she said.
Unexpected Path to Research
Ghaneian’s interest in research began through her Americorps work at Legacy. What started as a data-entry assignment evolved into a research project examining prior authorizations related to HIV care. She volunteered to become the project’s primary student author, helping collect and analyze data, reviewing existing research and developing a poster accepted for presentation at the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists Midyear Clinical Meeting and the American Pharmacists Association Annual Meeting & Exposition.
Th experience has encouraged her to pursue another research opportunity focused on improving prior authorization workflow. As she analyzes the data, she has become increasingly excited by the patterns emerging in her findings.
“You start seeing trends, and it makes you more excited to keep moving forward,” Ghaneian said. “You want to see if your primary endpoint is happening.”
Challenging Stigma Through Education
Ghaneian expanded her outreach as a senior chair for the American Pharmacists Association – Academy of Student Pharmacists Operation Substance Use Disorders initiative.
During naloxone education events at UH, she discovered that many students believed naloxone was intended only for people with substance use disorders or could be administered only by emergency responders. To address those misconceptions, Ghaneian and her peers incorporated myth-versus-fact activities and conversations about stigma into their training.
“People felt like they would be judged if they asked or talked about it,” she said. “We showed them this can be a very nonjudgemental conversation.”
They emphasized that anyone can carry naloxone and potentially use it to save a life during a suspected opioid overdose.
Where She Can Help Most
During her final year, Ghaneian is completing a longitudinal advanced pharmacy practice experience and exploring her interests in infectious disease and internal medicine. She hopes to pursue residency and training after graduation to continue developing as a pharmacist and provide the best care possible to her patients.
Wherever her path leads her, Ghaneian will carry the support of the family who made her education possible. Her parents immigrated after retirement to help her pursue her dream, while her husband has been by her side every step of her pharmacy journey. Ghaneian said she considers him one of the greatest mentors in her life, someone she has consistently turned to for guidance and encouragement.
"He never let me give up on myself," Ghaneian said. "Having him and my family beside me throughout this whole journey is one of the best feelings. It's so nice to see them proud."
She encourages other students to build their own support systems through family, friends, and mentors rather than facing challenges alone.
“Maybe you’re struggling with something, and someone tells you they’re struggling with the same thing,” Ghaneian said. “It makes half of the pain go away because you realize it’s not only you.”
From a kindergartner dreaming of becoming a pharmacist to a Pharm.D. candidate preparing to enter the profession, Ghaneian has remained focused on the purpose behind that dream.
“I love what I chose,” she said. “I’m happy in pharmacy. I’m happy I did it, and I’m happy I made my family proud.”