Kisha O'Neal Gant

Specialty

I currently serve as a Clinical Assistant Professor at Xavier University of Louisiana, in New Orleans, LA. My clinical specialty is ambulatory care.

Role

As a clinical faculty member, I have responsibilities at my clinical site, Daughters of Charity Health Centers (DCHC), and the College of Pharmacy (COP). At DCHC, I am responsible for providing comprehensive, interdisciplinary care to patients with diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. I precept third and fourth year pharmacy students and residents. I also serve on DCHC’s Pharmacy and Therapeutics and Care Management Committees.

My duties at the COP include co-coordinating Pharmacy Practice; teaching lectures in Introduction to Pharmacy, Pharmacy in Public Health, Pharmacy Practice, and Disease State Management; and serving on the Continuing Education, Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education Self-Study Student, Residency Program Advisors and Honors, Awards, and Scholarships Committees. I also serve on the University’s Faculty/Staff Fringe Benefits Standing Committee and as the American Association of Clinical Pharmacists Faculty Liaison, American Association of College of Pharmacy Delegate, and Rho Chi Advisor. I assist with providing the American Pharmacists Association Pharmacy-Based Immunization Delivery Certificate to students and pharmacists.

How She Got There

I chose a different route in my pursuit of academia. My desire to teach began as a child as I used to teach both my stuffed animals and my coerced younger brothers. Despite my early passions, I did not actively pursue this path until after I graduated with my Bachelor of Science degrees in mathematics and biology. I gained employment as a mathematics teacher at a middle and high school shortly after graduation. Despite my desire to educate, I became more intrigued with pharmacy and decided to apply to pharmacy school. During my first year of pharmacy school, in my Introduction to Pharmacy course, I listened to a panel of pharmacists from various arenas discuss their careers. It was then my future became clear and flashed in my mind with bright, neon lights – ACADEMIA. What better place to marry the ever-evolving skills and knowledge of a pharmacist with the education of future pharmacists, patients, the public, and other healthcare professionals. After the class, I researched how to obtain a career in academia. I became active in many organizations, took on leadership roles, studied hard, and applied for residencies. I was successful in my pursuit and gained a community pharmacy residency at an academic institution. During this residency, I precepted students, taught didactic lectures, developed exam questions, graded assignments, both written and oral, and gained insight into the world of academia. This was all done while developing myself as a future clinical pharmacist. I now find myself in my fourth year as a Clinical Assistant Professor. Every day brings new challenges and rewards, which keeps me on my toes and fresh. Very few pharmacists have the opportunity to be involved in so many different aspects – teaching didactic and experiential courses, service, research, managing a clinical site, and shaping the curriculum and experiences of future pharmacists

Other Professional Activities

I enjoy active membership in the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP), where I serve on the Resolutions and Professional Affairs Committees; American Society of Health-Systems Pharmacist (ASHP), as the chair of the New Practitioner Forum Leadership and Career Development Advisory Group; Louisiana Society of Health-Systems Pharmacists (LSHP) Southeast Chapter as the Secretary/Treasurer; and American Pharmacists Association.

Advanced Training

I completed my PGY-1 Community Pharmacy Residency at Xavier University of Louisiana in New Orleans, LA. In an effort to further my clinical repertoire and help satisfy my quest for knowledge, I became a Board Certified Ambulatory Care and Geriatric Pharmacist.

Advice

Know what you want and how to get there – start with the end in mind. Keep yourself accountable for your development and path in life. Seek the advice of people around you, both laterally and vertically. It is okay to fail – failure sometimes teaches us more than success. Do not let the fear of failure hold you back from fulfilling your potential.