Rollercoaster Career Loops Back to Childhood Aspirations

Pharm.D. Student Sets Sights on Ownership, Preventive Care in Underserved Patients

With the lifelong desire to become a pharmacist, former chemical engineer and high school science teacher turned Pharm.D. student Patrick Stegall sets the bar for what it means to overcome adversity and remain steadfast in achieving your dreams.

Pharmacy Fascination

It’s not every day that a young child becomes exposed to pharmacy life, but that’s precisely what happened with Stegall. As a young child, his father was an x-ray technician at a behavioral health facility where the pharmacy seed was planted.

"My father exposed my sister and I to so much through his work," Stegall said. "Around 10 years old, I would go spend time with him at work, and I had the opportunity to go to the pharmacy. I thought, 'Oh, I like this!'"

A few years down the road when Stegall was in middle school and high school, he volunteered at the facility, again spending time in the pharmacy and watching in amazement as the pharmacists would compound medications for patients.

Riding the Roller Coaster

Upon high school graduation, Stegall received a scholarship from Prairie View A&M University. Since the university did not have a pharmacy school, Stegall chose the engineering route which led him to work as a chemical engineer in the oil and gas industry for over 15 years.

"The industry can be an up-and-down roller coaster, and I rode the roller coaster for as long as I could," Stegall said. "The last time I was laid off, I told myself, 'I’m not going back.' Between layoffs, I obtained my teaching certification and immediately began teaching chemistry and physics upon the ending of my last job."

With a continued passion for pharmacy and support from his family, Stegall began to chart his course to pharmacy school and started taking prerequisite classes at the University of Houston and Houston Community College while working. His days were long, working from 5 a.m. until 3 p.m., followed by an hour commute to campus where he stayed until well into the evening. He would head home and study for a few hours before getting right back up and doing it all over again.

"My wife was definitely pushing me, asking, 'When are you going to finish pharmacy school?'" Stegall said. "My kids, my mom, my sister, my network of friends were all pushing me and saying, 'You’re going to do it.' That support was fuel for my fire because pharmacy was ingrained in me from such a young age. I did not want that chapter of my life to not even be attempted."

Work, study, sleep, repeat – he was making his dream come true. Then, Hurricane Harvey hit.

"Life happened and I had to do what I needed to do to make sure my family was taken care of; I had to take myself out of the equation and think about them," Stegall said. "Once we got resettled, I was full steam ahead again and finished up all my prerequisites and started looking at pharmacy schools."

'Advocate' vs. 'Medicate'

As a student in the class of 2027, Stegall has plans to go into independent community pharmacy ownership upon graduation with his niece, a current practicing pharmacist in Baton Rouge, La.

"I’m at the age where I’m hitting my second stride in life," Stegall said. "Having something of my own is one of the reasons that drove me to want to be an independent owner."

Stegall and his niece’s pharmacy will be a one-stop shop, serving lower-income and geriatric patients to help them manage diabetes, hypertension and heart issues.

"Yes, medication is needed to treat certain diseases, but I want to be an advocate for healthy lifestyle choices in cases where medication is not the only answer," Stegall said. "We medicate now more than we advocate."

Passing the torch

Stegall also aspires to help young and up-and-coming pharmacists with his community pharmacy.

"I want to encourage and influence all young people, no matter their ethnicity," Stegall said. "I want to be able to open the door to help catapult the careers of young people to the next level. It was instilled in me from a young age by my parents: value people for who they are, not what they look like."

As an involved Pharm.D. student with a clear vision on pharmacy ownership, Stegall’s time at UHCOP has not been without setbacks of its own. There are two classes Stegall is taking for the second time, but he sees it as a blessing in disguise.

"I had to learn the balance of being a student again because I came from being the one teaching school and now I was on the receiving end," Stegall said. "This was more fuel to my fire to drive me to accomplish what I set out to do and become a registered pharmacist."

For students interested in a career in STEM, Stegall has sage advice.

"Don’t get discouraged," Stegall said. "It’s not going to be easy, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel and hard work does pay off. You may encounter some detours, but you will eventually get back on course and obtain whatever you put your mind to. Don’t ever give up.

"Always strive for excellence no matter what it is that you’re doing. You may have some setbacks along the way, but know setbacks are simply setups for greatness."