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Jeffrey Van Liew

1x

Finalist

1x

Winner

General information

Hobbies & Interests

  • Art
  • Travel And Tourism
  • Volleyball
  • Tennis
  • Snowboarding
  • Economics
  • Business And Entrepreneurship
  • Public Health
  • Social Justice
  • Health Sciences
  • Pharmacy
  • Epidemiology
  • Global Health

Reading

  • Academic

I read books multiple times a week.

Bio

On a winter day in 2016, I wrote my “why” statement as follows: Advocate! I aim to never lose sight of my mission to work diligently to advocate & care for my patients throughout the entirety of their care. The US healthcare system’s uncoordinated response to the COVID-19 pandemic not only challenged me, but it made it difficult to advocate for individual patients and their overall needs as we were forced into months of triage mode where the goal was to simply survive as ER’s overflowed and ICU’s maxed out their capacity. The events of this past year showed just how clearly the limitations of practical medicine can be if public health policy is lacking (dare I say failing). As a gay man, I grew up with the knowledge of the tragedy of the public health response to HIV/AIDS in the ’80s & ’90s, but those stories often felt abstract & unrelatable in the era of modern medicine & improved outcomes. Yet, like so many others in 2020, I lived to witness another example of the importance of the intersectionality of front-line health, public health, & government policy. I am eager to pursue my MPH because I know it will be integral to my success as a global pharmacy leader, advocate, teacher, & researcher. Pharmacy continues to evolve & provide novel opportunities to serve our patients, allowing pharmacists to contribute more than ever to empower, educate, & equip patients with the tools they need to play an active role in their own healthcare. Participating in these innovations are necessary for providing optimal patient care outcomes, which is at the forefront of living my “why”.

Education

Yale University

Master's degree program

2021 – 2023

Majors:
  • Public Health, General

University of the Incarnate Word

Doctoral degree program (PhD, MD, JD, etc.)

2012 – 2016

Majors:
  • Pharmacy

Syracuse University

Bachelor's degree program

2010 – 2012

Majors:
  • Public Administration
Minors:
  • Public Health, General

Miscellaneous

Desired degree level:
Master's degree program
Graduate schools of interest:
Yale University

Career

  • Critical Care Pharmacist

    Hospital & Health Care · Texas Children's Hospital

    Jan 2019 – Present

  • Clinical Pharmacy Manager/Clinical Pharmacist

    Hospital & Health Care · Healix, Inc.

    Jan 2018 – Jan 2018

  • Transplant & LVAD Clinical Pharmacist

    Hospital & Health Care · CHI Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center

    Jan 2017 – Jan 2018

  • PGY-1 Pharmacy Practice Resident

    Hospital & Health Care · University of Chicago Medicine

    Jan 2016 – Jan 2017

Miscellaneous

Dream career field:
Public Policy
Dream career goals:
Director of Health Policy
Has nursing license:
No

Future Interests

  • Advocacy
  • Politics
  • Volunteering
  • Philanthropy
  • Entrepreneurship
Ethel Hayes Destigmatization of Mental Health Scholarship
Growing up, I always knew my grandfather to be an alcoholic. By the time I was in pharmacy school, my grandfather quickly deteriorated in health and passed away while awaiting a liver transplant. Substance use disorder (SUD) took my grandfather’s life. SUD is a mental disorder that affects a person’s brain and behaviors, leading to the inability to control the use of substances like alcohol. In my grandfather’s case, his mental disorder had persisted for so long, and his heavy drinking was so chronic that it had caused irreversible cirrhosis. Approximately 10 to 20 percent of regular heavy drinkers develop cirrhosis. The only effective treatment for liver disease patients that have become terminal and irreversible is transplantation. Unfortunately, my grandfather did not make it to this point. My grandfather’s death added depression and anxiety to an already closeted and depressed young adult, me. At the time of my grandfather’s death, I was in a long-term relationship with a woman but knew in my heart of hearts that I was gay. I had struggled with my sexual orientation in high school and throughout my undergraduate and his death allowed for further repression of my feelings. At the age of twenty-five, I was able to come out to my family, something they had known (or so they tell me); a statement that became almost frustrating to hear as I was nearly crippled with anxiety and depression about my sexual orientation my family knew the whole time. However, the ability to be “out” and not suppress feelings or hide who I felt was so liberating and allowed me to become a healthier person physically, emotionally, and mentally. As a result of my experiences, I have worked in various transplant centers and transplant patients. As a student pharmacist, I worked in pediatric transplantation, working with renal, liver, lung, and small bowel transplants. After pharmacy school during residency and as a practitioner, I have worked on adult transplant teams in heart, lung, kidney, and liver. As I enter public health school, I hope to work toward LGBTQ+ health rights and diversity and inclusion within the health care setting and research and health policy development on substance abuse disorders.
Pettable Pet Lovers Scholarship
Happy Dog, Happy Dads! My partner and I acquired Gremlin (Grem) almost 3 years ago now. I say acquired because Grem showed up at our house. We brought him in gave him a flea bath and contemplated bringing him to a shelter or keeping him. Grem loves the beach (the sand, way more than the water), car rides, puppuccinos, and going to volleyball to cheer on his dads every week. We made the best decision ever of keeping him and loving him and accepting his love. He is the sweetest, goodest boy and we are so lucky HE found US.
Jeffrey Van Liew Student Profile | Bold.org