2020 Grad Stories: Rukhsar Randhawa
May 12, 2020
Serving Her Community, One Medication at a Time
As a Fresno native, Dr. Rukhsar Randhawa, CHSU College of Pharmacy graduate, is excited to become a pharmacist and serve her community. She chose to pursue a career in pharmacy because she recognizes that often times, patients rely on guidance from their pharmacist and she wants to be someone that a patient can feel comfortable with when asking questions about their medication or health conditions.
After graduating from the University of California, Irvine with a Bachelor of Science in Biological Science and minor in Business Management, she was accepted into the CHSU College of Pharmacy program. For four years, Dr. Randhawa was involved with the CHSU Student Ambassador program and held leadership roles like Lead Ambassador, and P4 Chair. This program is something near to her heart. She enjoyed being able to represent CHSU while connecting with potential students, their families, and the community at large through this program. This also gave her an opportunity to share the great things she loves about her hometown and about the need for more health care providers in the Central Valley.
“Being raised here all my life, I like to not only talk about CHSU, but talk about what Fresno can bring to the students and how this area can benefit from pharmacists.”
Dedicated to serving her community’s health needs, Dr. Randhawa participated in many local volunteer events where she administered vaccines, provided blood pressure screenings, and educated the community on diabetes and medication management.
She was also involved with the Senior Awareness & Fall Education (SAFE) program, in partnership with Fresno State, to assess balance, strength and risk of falling for older adults who came in for an assessment.
On campus, she was a mentor for the CHSU/CVS Próspero Program, a pathway program to prepare high school and undergraduate college students for a career in pharmacy. She also was a member of several student professional organizations on campus including the Phi Lambda Sigma honor society for pharmacists and Kappa Psi pharmacy fraternity.
After graduation, Dr. Randhawa will begin her residency in acute care at Adventist Health Central Valley Network in Hanford. This will allow her to further her clinical pharmacy training in the acute care specialty, while practicing as a licensed pharmacist.
“I really wanted to be involved in a residency where I could really hone-in on clinical skills. I felt like the acute care residency at Adventist Health Central Valley Network offered me that opportunity, because they focus on infectious diseases and critical care medicine.”
As she transitions into her new role as a Pharmacy Resident, she still fondly remembers all the good times she had during pharmacy school. She is excited to start her new journey.
“I am proud to become an Alumni of CHSU!”
Dr. Rukhsar Randhawa will be graduating this Thursday, May 14, 2020 with her Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) from CHSU.
The 2020 Grad Stories is a series dedicated to honoring our California Health Sciences University (CHSU) Doctor of Pharmacy graduates and showcasing their accomplishments throughout their time at CHSU while earning their PharmD degree.
