Long before Elizabeth “Ellie” Zuniga discovered pharmacy, she loved writing. English, language arts and history were among her favorite subjects.
That changed when a seventh-grade teacher at Ernest Lawrence Middle School in Chatsworth, Calif., taught a class on the effects of drugs and alcohol. Zuniga was shocked to learn how many people are hospitalized for Tylenol misuse alone.
“It made me realize how important patient education is when it pertains to medication and health,” Zuniga says. “That always fascinated me.”
Now, three years after enrolling at USC, the Northridge native is graduating with a bachelor’s degree in pharmacology and drug development. She earned that degree a year early, drawing on credits from the International Baccalaureate program, AP coursework and community college classes.
Zuniga is the daughter of a third-grade teacher and an engineer for the Southern California Gas Company. She grew up in Northridge with her brother, David, who is also graduating this year with a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the USC Viterbi School of Engineering.
The Mann School’s pharmacology and drug development major was the deciding factor in her college search. “I saw the major and thought it was perfect for me,” she says. “Not a lot of schools have an undergraduate pharmacy track that prepares you for grad school and a career as a pharmacist.”
She was especially inspired by the course Clinical Pharmacology and Medication Management (RXRS 406). Taught by Assistant Professor Tam Phan, the class introduced Zuniga to the patient care process and required her to memorize 100 drugs. But it also went much deeper.
“We learned how to approach different patient situations and to communicate effectively,” Zuniga says. “That class made me think, ‘Wow, I could really see myself doing this.’”
To Zuniga, empathy is a vital part of pharmacy, so clarifying the medication process and helping patients feel understood are crucial to her role.
Phan’s work as clinical pharmacy coordinator for the Los Angeles LGBT Center also spoke to Zuniga. “Being able to work with underserved populations is very interesting to me,” she notes, “because they’re often neglected in healthcare.”
This led her to join Project HCV Connect, a Los Angeles County Department of Public Health initiative. As a member of the clinician outreach team, Zuniga calls clinics on behalf of patients who have tested positive for hepatitis C but haven’t yet responded to outreach. She helps schedule appointments to link patients to antiviral treatment that can clear the disease in 12 weeks or less.
The patients Zuniga serves often need help navigating the insurance process—and many don’t know a cure exists. Combating misinformation and stigma around hepatitis C, she says, is central to what drew her to the profession.
“It has been a very good opportunity for me to learn how to speak, especially to people in the healthcare field,” she says. “I feel like I can take that experience with me when I become a pharmacist.”
“Ellie is a highly motivated student who is genuinely interested in integrating foundational pharmacology into patient care. She demonstrates a strong commitment to empathy and to serving underserved populations, which is evident in her work connecting patients to hepatitis C treatment,” Phan says. “Ellie brings both initiative and purpose to her training and is well prepared for the next step in the PharmD program.”
She also volunteers at Meet Each Need With Dignity, a Pacoima-based nonprofit that helps serve impoverished individuals.
This summer, Zuniga will begin an internship at 986 Pharmacy in Pasadena—her first hands-on pharmacy experience—before starting the PharmD program in August.
Though she will continue at USC, Zuniga finds the undergraduate commencement to be a bittersweet experience, marking a farewell to three fulfilling years.
She plans to pursue a career in clinical pharmacy, whether in a hospital or a specialized clinic, working with underserved populations.
“It just really felt like I’m making a difference, and I’m helping people,” Zuniga says, reflecting on her experience with the Project HCV Connect. “This is what I want to do in the future.”