My professional journey was initially heavily influenced by my dad’s recommendation to pursue pharmacy. He thought becoming a pharmacist was a great option and would allow me to have a nice balance between work and personal life.
I shadowed pharmacists working in an independent pharmacy and in a clinical role in a hospital and then decided I’d become a pharmacist. While in pharmacy school, I had no idea what my specialty would be in 5 or 10 years. Interestingly, I did not really enjoy the diabetes lectures during pharmacy school. I completed a community pharmacy residency after graduation, although I was unsure of the specifics beyond residency. After residency, I would consider any pharmacist positions to see what might be a good fit for me.
In parallel, I had a very challenging relationship with food and often binged on food to cope with life as an adolescent. As a result, my weight management challenges began in my teenage years. During residency, my binge eating was out of control, and at the end of residency, I was physically and mentally in a hard place. I am thankful for the counseling and an amazing support system for helping me on my journey to overcoming binge eating. Binge eating and a difficult relationship with food has continued to be a challenge throughout my adult life.
After residency, I took a position with the Georgia Pharmacy Association as director of Disease State Wellness programs. In this role, I managed 1 of the 10 sights for the American Pharmacists Association Foundation Diabetes Self-Management Program. I trained pharmacists in Dublin, Georgia, and served as a diabetes coach for employees of Mohawk Industries who had diabetes.
Due to the desire to be fully engaged in this project, I also served as a diabetes coach to a group of these employees living with diabetes. Angela, an employee that I worked with, changed my life. She and I met on a few occasions at a local track and enjoyed some great conversations as we walked off the stress of the day. In life, we experience tipping points that change our lives forever. Working with Angela, and in particular those walks with her at the local track, was the tipping point for diabetes self-management and education becoming my specialty and calling.
Since 2002, when I first felt my calling, the journey has been filled with lots of twists and turns. I am blessed to have worked in public health providing diabetes education, gestational diabetes clinical management, and insulin pump and continuous glucose monitor services and most recently, developing a diabetes education and diabetes technology service line in a family medicine graduate medical education clinic. I love being the diabetes expert and serving the team and persons with diabetes.
Recently, I took an interim administrative position with my school of pharmacy; however, I was insistent that I had to still have a half day each week working with people with diabetes. Without the experience of working with persons with diabetes, I would not be the professional I am today who sees the whole person without judging folks in their struggles.
My personal battle with food and ongoing challenges of weight management along with the experience of working with Angela have transformed my career as a pharmacist and diabetes care and education specialist to a real calling that I joyfully carry out. Even when I retire, I plan to volunteer as a diabetes care and education specialist.
Sara (Mandy) Reece, PharmD, CDCES, BC-ADM, BCACP, FADCES, FCCP, is with the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine Georgia in Suwanee, GA.