Meet Joe Corbino

Post by Joe Corbino, PD4

Hello everyone! My name is Joe Corbino and I am currently a PD4 on the Twin Cities campus. I grew up in the western suburbs of Chicago, but many of my friends like to joke that I am from Iowa due to my family now residing there. I had a fairly unconventional path to pharmacy, graduating with a bachelor’s in music from the University of Iowa. A career as a pharmacist was attractive due to being able to combine my interest in biology and infectious diseases along with the opportunity to have an impact on individuals’ lives. A few of my hobbies include traveling, listening/playing music (big surprise!!), and learning about languages and different cultures.

I’ve had several opportunities throughout my time in pharmacy school to travel abroad, which has helped to expand my understanding of the profession to a more global perspective. In fall 2017, I traveled to Seoul, South Korea with a fellow classmate to attend an international pharmacy conference. In August 2018, I traveled around central and northern Italy with my mom before hooking up with one of my close pharmacy friends to visit an international pharmacy student in Croatia that we had hosted in Minnesota the previous summer. Before heading to Kampala for my first APPE I was able to spend several days in Amsterdam exploring the city with a family friend.

Since the beginning of 2017 I have had the opportunity to be a part of Dr. Melanie Nicol’s research lab. Since hearing about this elective experience in Uganda as a first year I have wanted to be a part of it. The greater medical community in the Minneapolis/St. Paul has provided me with incredible opportunities to become more informed and involved in the area of HIV/AIDS. It was through this educational exposure that I began to become interested in care around the world, especially resource limited settings. I soon began to realize during my second and third year of pharmacy school that this experience I had merely been interested in due to the international travel aspect would also be extremely beneficial in my professional growth as a future pharmacist. I believe that it is invaluable to gain firsthand experience to how individuals are compassionately and comprehensively cared for around the world, especially in resource limited settings.

My excitement and nerves for this rotation are closely linked with one another. It will be a life changing experience to be in Uganda and experience healthcare and another culture firsthand. I want to ensure that this experience is approached as seriously as possible to ensure that the impact that the impact on patients during this 5-week experience is as beneficial for them as it is for me. After all, I am the stranger that has come to their home in order to further my abilities as a practitioner.

I look forward to writing more posts during my stay here and updating everyone on everything that I have been able to experience both in clinic and during leisure time!