Spotlight on Kim Marshall, PharmD, Pharmacist and Subject Matter Expert

Kim Marshall, PharmD is the Subject Matter Expert (SME) for UNE’s latest online course, Pharmacology. In addition to developing innovative new course content for the new BIOL 1070: Pharmacology course, Kim will also be using her skills on the front line, being one of the heroes that will be distributing a vaccine for COVID-19 to high-risk patients.

How were you chosen to be among the first to administer the COVID-19 vaccine?

I was in one of the first groups of pharmacists to become immunizers in the late 2000s, so I’ve been a vaccine pharmacist for a long time now. I had a former colleague get in touch with me regarding the opportunity through the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and I jumped at the chance.

I contacted the district lead for my area, he and I talked through the process, and an offer was made. It was really a whirlwind situation – in a matter of a week, it went from a possibility to an offer. It was amazing.

What led you to become a subject matter expert for a graduate-level course?

I was a pharmacist at a retail location, and I eventually became disenchanted with the corporate atmosphere. I started developing courses, and I know this is where I am meant to be. There is nothing in the world more rewarding than being able to do what you love, and then being able to teach others to do it. And that’s what I feel I’ve found in this phase of my career with higher ed.

What got you interested in pharmacology?

I’ve known that I wanted to be a pharmacist since I was nine years old. I was born with a couple of different ailments that required me to go to the doctor frequently. I was also born legally blind in the right eye, and I was actually a test subject for the Kresge Eye Institute in their early days.

I was also born with severe asthma, so I was in and out of the hospital a lot in a lot of doctor’s offices, a lot, which terrified me as a child. The person that I connected with the most in that process was the pharmacist at the Children’s Hospital of Michigan in Detroit. And I remember him still today. When I was nine, I told him that I was going to grow up and become a pharmacist just like him, because I wanted to be able to make sick children feel more comfortable and at ease – like he did for me.

Back when he used to fill prescriptions for me, he would sit me on the counter, let me watch him fill my prescriptions, and explain to me what the different medicines were going to do and things like that. And that stayed with me.

So becoming a pharmacist was a lifelong dream come true. When I graduated from pharmacy school, I went to find him. He was no longer working at Children’s Hospital, but he was still with DMC and I got a chance to see him – and he remembered me!

I love to share that story because I love, love, love my profession. I love what I do.

What is your favorite aspect of this online pharmacology course?

The drugs! Pharmacology is all about drugs, and what major body systems they are used to treat. It’s fascinating, and I try to make the content super fun – like a party! I want my students to be engaged, and make learning exciting. I don’t want them to dread logging in.

My passion is for pharmacy, and I put my heart and soul into this course. I want every student who takes this course to be so excited about the content that it inspires them to become a pharmacist!

Learn more about our online science prerequisites courses