2023 Grad Stories: Yelena Martinez
May 10, 2023
From the Philippines to Visalia – A Pharmacy Success Story
Starting her story in the Philippines and living there through her high school graduation, recent graduate from the CHSU College of Pharmacy Class of 2023, Yelena Martinez, PharmD, now calls Visalia her hometown.
Dr. Martinez moved to the Central Valley with her mother and stepfather eleven years ago after receiving her Bachelor’s in International Studies and Political Sciences at UC San Diego. Since that time, she has propelled her career and developed a strong connection in the local community.
The first in her family to earn a Doctor of Pharmacy degree, the move to the Central Valley shaped her career path.
“I was introduced by my friend to her husband who worked as a pharmacist at Kaweah Health, and he encouraged me to get into the pharmacy field. I got my pharmacy technician license, and I found my passion with patient interaction and building relationships with them,” stated Dr. Martinez.
Dr. Martinez found herself at a crossroads, trying to determine the next steps in her life. Should she pursue her dream of higher education, or should she stay working her previous jobs? Dr. Martinez decided to enroll in the College of Sequoias in Visalia and completed her prerequisite courses in preparation for pharmacy or medical school.
During her prerequisite education, she faced financial difficulties while trying to go to school and provide for herself and her mother. Her mother adopted other children, and Dr. Martinez did everything she could to assist her, even working 2-3 jobs while going to school.
Through perseverance, she pursued her Doctor of Pharmacy degree at California Health Sciences University.
“What drew me to the pharmacy career the most was giving patients easier access to medical knowledge and consulting them, and it’s also a better work balance than a doctor,” said Dr. Martinez.
Being admitted into pharmacy school was a great accomplishment for Dr. Martinez but she still struggled with having confidence in her abilities and knowledge.
“During my undergrad, I struggled a lot academically and was in a bad mental state. I graduated with a C average, so my confidence regarding my intelligence was lacking coming to pharmacy school. I did not think I would succeed in graduate school even though I did well in community college,” stated Dr. Martinez.
She found herself watching other pharmacy students and emulating their study habits. She learned to be more confident in her abilities, built good study habits, and learned to ask for help, all of which contributed to Dr. Martinez’ academic success.
Dr. Martinez also found that being involved in professional student organizations, community service, and leadership roles boosted her confidence and abilities. She joined Kappa Psi Pharmaceutical Fraternity during her first year of pharmacy school and served as Regent (President) during her second year.
She served as policy vice president for the CHSU chapter of the American Pharmacist Association (APhA) for two years, which allowed her to network with other pharmacists and pharmacy students by attending APHA Mid-Year Regional Meetings, Annual Meetings, and the California Pharmacists Association (CPHA) and APHA House of Delegates. She benefited from meeting different representatives from pharmacy schools in California and around the nation and discussing policies important to the field of pharmacy.
She was also the legislative and membership chair for the CHSU chapter of the Student National Pharmaceutical Association (SNPhA) and served as a student representative on the CHSU Assessment Committee for two years.
Dr. Martinez also represented CHSU in the California Pharmacy Student Leadership (CAPSLEAD) Program, which is a year-long leadership training program for selected student pharmacists in California. Her team conducted research about medication disposal, and she presented her CAPSLEAD poster in her third year of pharmacy school at the California Society of Health-System Pharmacists (CSHP) annual conference.
Dr. Martinez made CHSU history in 2022 when she and another student from her cohort, Dr. Francis Reyes, became the first team from the College of Pharmacy to enter the finals of a CSHP Clinical Skills Competition. Drs. Martinez and Reyes placed 4th out of 15 teams statewide.
Her academic accomplishments and pursuits gave her the confidence to apply for residency in her desire to advance her clinical skills knowledge.
Dr. Martinez was one of two residents who matched with the Adventist Health Ukiah Valley PGY-1 Pharmacy Residency Program for 2023-2024. As the only hospital within a 60-mile radius, Adventist Ukiah is a community teaching hospital that provides clinical training to serve the patient populations that she is interested in serving.
“I am passionate about serving the underserved community, and the patient population was one of the reasons that drew me into this program,” said Dr. Martinez.
After completing her residency, she looks forward to practicing in an ambulatory care setting in a rural or underserved community. She hopes to help patients improve their medication adherence by managing medication therapy and providing education and counseling to patients about medication related care.
“I would love to be able to come back and use the knowledge I’ve learned from residency to help out the people in the Central Valley because there is such a shortage of healthcare workers and so many chronic diseases that patients need more education,” said Dr. Martinez. “I think that having more pharmacists that are accessible to patients not just in the retail setting but in ambulatory care and hospital settings are beneficial for patients with managing disease states and those are some things that the Central Valley doesn’t have.”
The Graduation Ceremony to honor Dr. Yelena Martinez and her peers in the CHSU College of Pharmacy Class of 2023 will be held Saturday, May 13, 2023. Dr. Martinez received the prestigious Wolters Kluwer Award of Excellence in Clinical Information.
The 2023 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.
