GOODFELLOW AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- Goodfellow’s own Capt. Brian Welch, 17th Medical Support Squadron pharmacist, was nominated among two other candidates for the Rising Star award from the Pharmacist Times magazine June 15.
Awarded to a pharmacist who is defining the future standard of pharmacy practice by his or her professional practice and/or by advocacy in the pharmacy industry. To be eligible, a nominee must have been practicing for at most 5 years. The pool of candidates ranges from 13,000 to 15,000 pharmacists.
“I jumped up and said ‘woo!’ when I found out,” said Welch. “It felt great, especially having a team behind me to make it happen. They all know I put in for it and worked hard for it and supported me all the way.”
Welch’s passion for pharmacy originated when working as a cashier in a grocery store.
“A spot opened up in the pharmacy and I applied for it and they hired me,” he said. “After two months of working there I was still so lost and confused, but I loved the challenge. Here in front of me was this really hard thing that I wanted to figure out, so I naturally fell in love. I also had incredible mentors, all four of the pharmacists I worked under had a huge influence on me.”
One mentor influenced him to commission.
“One boss I had always said he wished he stayed in the military. He said he would’ve been able to retire at the age he was and that always stuck with me. I went to officer training school and have just loved it so far. Pharmacy on the outside is a lot more business oriented, while in the military it’s definitely more of a caretaker role and I like that. I like taking care of people.”