Hanh Bui, PharmD
Hanh "Hannah" Bui is an Oncology Pharmacy Resident in the PGY2 program at the UW Medicine Department of Pharmacy Services in Seattle. As a resident, she is completing her training as a clinical pharmacist while working with cancer patients at the UW Medical Center and Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, now part of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. She is a first-generation college graduate that was inspired to study oncology pharmacy after seeing family members struggle with cancer.
Dr. Bui explained that there are two possible paths into this field: after finishing a four-year undergraduate college degree, you can apply to a four-year pharmacy graduate program to earn a PharmD (a doctorate degree specific to pharmacy). Another option is to apply straight from high school to a six-year pharmacy graduate program to earn a PharmD. After receiving a PharmD, many people choose to complete a two-year residency program for additional clinical training.
PGY1 is a first-year postgraduate residency program in pharmacy, where the focus is on general practice. Dr. Bui explained that this means exploring "a variety of services, such as cardiology, internal medicine, emergency medicine, and critical/intensive care." During PGY2, a second-year residency program, the focus is on a chosen specialty within the field of pharmacy. Dr. Bui chose oncology pharmacy for her specialty.
"The role of an oncology pharmacy resident is to be part of an immersive year-long journey focused in the field of oncology and to further understand the role a clinical pharmacist has in cancer management."
— Hanh Bui, PharmD
Hannah's Story
Both of her parents immigrated to the U.S. from Vietnam. In America, her parents were inspired to become business owners. When she was growing up, Dr. Bui's family owned a restaurant and a nail salon in Eagan, Minnesota. As a child, Dr. Bui thought that she would become a marine biologist. While she did become a first-generation college graduate, she did not end up swimming with dolphins. Instead, she pursued an undergraduate degree focused on genetics, cell biology, and development before applying to pharmacy school.
A family history of cancer inspired her to pursue a career in oncology pharmacy. Dr. Bui reflected, "I have had many family member[s] get affected by cancer and I am so grateful for those that were involved with their care. Specifically, I was fascinated by the pharmacist and the role they play in helping my family feel comfortable asking questions about the chemotherapy they are getting." In addition, during her fourth year of pharmacy school, Dr. Bui was assigned an amazing preceptor (mentor) when she was doing an oncology rotation at an outpatient infusion clinic. She explained that he inspired her to pursue oncology pharmacy as a specialty. He showed her "the things he loves most about this job, including the patients and the science behind the medicine." In addition, this mentor told her "that if you love to [be a] lifelong learner, the field of oncology offers you that opportunity to learn something new every day for the rest of your career!"
Educational Pathway
Dr. Bui's educational path toward a career in pharmacy:
- Bachelor's of Science in Genetics, Cell Biology, and Development, University of Minnesota - College of Biological Science
- Interned at a retail pharmacy chain
- PharmD degree, University of Minnesota - College of Pharmacy
- Interned at North Memorial Hospital in Robbinsdale, MN
- PGY1 (first year) Resident, UW Medicine, Seattle, WA
- PGY2 (second year) Resident, UW Medicine/Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, Seattle, WA
Hobbies
In her free time, Dr. Bui and her co-residents like to explore new restaurants. She also enjoys getting out into nature near Seattle by going hiking and bouldering. At home, she loves to bake.
A Day in the Life
A typical workday begins by 8:30 am and ends around 5:00 pm. Dr. Bui starts her day with rounds, which is when a medical team (including physician assistants, nurse practitioners, medical residents/fellows, and attending physicians) visits each patient in a hospital or clinic and develops a plan for their care and treatment. During rounds, Dr. Bui reviews each patient's chemotherapy orders for appropriateness and safety. She also answers questions throughout the day from medical providers, consulting on drug-interactions or dose adjustments based on each patient's unique needs. Each day she also usually has a schedule of patient visits, during which she reviews the plan for starting them on chemotherapy. She works to educate the patient on how the drugs work, how they will be delivered, possible side effects, and drug-interactions. During these patient visits, Dr. Bui is focused on "how we can help support the patient while they are going through chemotherapy."
What is a challenging aspect to being a resident? Time! Dr. Bui notes that as a resident, she attends rotations throughout the year while also providing staffing for 32 hours a month and working on various projects. Being a pharmacy resident is an exercise in time management and learning to prioritize.
Second year pharmacy residents are also expected to conduct a research project. Dr. Bui's year-long project focuses on the role of the pharmacist at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center's Genitourinary Clinic. In particular, she is interested in the work that pharmacists do to identify and address drug-drug interactions among common oral chemotherapy agents that are used in patients with prostate cancer. Dr. Bui explained that "drug-interactions can be dangerous in various ways, but mainly in regards to effectiveness and safety to the patient. For example, some drug-interactions can lead to decreased effectiveness of the chemotherapy for the patient, and this is concerning, since we want to maximize the drugs we are using to treat the cancer."
What is next for Dr. Bui? After completing her residency, Dr. Bui hopes to continue at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center as a general oncology pharmacist.
Video: PGY2: Oncology Pharmacy Residency
Check out this video, which provides an overview to the PGY2 Oncology Pharmacy Residency program at the University of Washington Medical Center and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center.
Advice for Students
Her advice for high school students? Take time for self-reflection. Are you fascinated by science and understanding the "why" behind things? Then a career in pharmacy might be a good fit. Dr. Bui thinks that "having an innate curiosity is what makes you a well-rounded and strong pharmacist." She also recommends taking classes in pharmacotherapy, biological sciences, chemistry, and epidemiology while in college and finding opportunities to job shadow professionals.
"Being able to interact and discuss my role throughout a patient’s cancer journey is very rewarding. Every patient is extremely grateful for what we do...They look to pharmacists as a vital resource, since we are able to help them understand more about a very complicated topic!"
— Hanh Bui, PharmD
U.S. Wage Information
According to the 2023 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, the median wage for pharmacists in the U.S. is $136,030.
Additional Resources
Credit: Thank you Hannah for sharing your story. Career profile written by Dr. Kristen Clapper Bergsman.