We are spotlighting New Practitioners within APhA, and I am excited to highlight Dr. Spencer Smith, PharmD, a member of APhA-APPM Nuclear Pharmacy Practice SIG.
Spencer is originally from Toledo, Ohio. He attended Purdue University for pharmacy school and graduated in May 2023. When he started at Purdue, he was originally undecided, but upon learning about the nuclear pharmacy program there, he was immediately interested and all in! After graduation, Spencer completed an Academic Nuclear Pharmacy Fellowship with Purdue University. This fellowship gave him the opportunity to see what life is like in nuclear pharmacy academia. He was able to teach in the nuclear pharmacy course series and complete research projects among other things. Currently, Spencer is the Clinical Nuclear Pharmacy Fellow with the University of Michigan and Purdue University. His primary responsibilities in this fellowship include determining what skills and knowledge are necessary for a nuclear pharmacist to fulfill a clinical role in the delivery of diagnostic and therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals. Nuclear pharmacists have always had the opportunity to help make clinical decisions, but with the arrival of theranostics, nuclear pharmacists may have an even greater role to play. Spencer's focus is on helping pave the way for what this might look like.
Spencer notes that there is a wide range of roles that nuclear pharmacists can fill. These can include radiopharmaceutical dispensing, manufacturing, regulatory affairs, the provision of clinical services, and everything in between. He shares that he is thrilled to be a part of this profession at such an exciting time of growth! Spencer strives to share this excitement and passion for nuclear pharmacy with others, so that he can help inspire the next generation of nuclear pharmacy practitioners.
Spencer joined APhA-APPM to stay involved and connected to the pharmacy world. By joining the Nuclear Pharmacy Practice SIG, he has had the opportunity to connect with many great nuclear pharmacists who have helped to guide him in his professional career. Being a member of this SIG has allowed him to stay current with the opportunities and innovations coming to the profession and has shown him how he can help to be a part of the change coming to this field of pharmacy. He feels that being a member of the Nuclear Pharmacy Practice SIG has allowed him to become a more well-rounded practitioner who is more aware of the nuclear pharmacy community around him and how they work together to advance the profession. He looks forward to continuing connecting with practitioners within the SIG. As previously mentioned, there are many exciting things on the horizon for nuclear pharmacists and he looks forward to working within the SIG to embrace these changes.
Spencer has encountered many challenges throughout his fellowships, but being a part of APhA and the Nuclear Pharmacy Practice SIG has provided him with a network of professionals to lean on and ask questions. The perspective and experience of other nuclear pharmacists has been invaluable to his professional development and growth during fellowship.
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Hannah Funk
PGY1 Community-Based Pharmacy Resident
Tria Health
APhA PRFSC Communications Member
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