Pharmacist Moms Series Part 1 of 4: Interview with Ijeoma Ekeocha, PharmD

Welcome to my 4-part Pharmacist Moms Series!  Each Friday in May 2022, I’m publishing an interview with a pharmacist mom in honor of Mother’s Day, which is Sunday, May 8, 2022.  Today’s episode is an interview with Dr. Ijeoma Ekeocha.  She’s a pharmacist, podcast host, online course creator, and Mom.  

 

Mother’s Day is an American Day of Celebration.  (It’s not an official US Holiday.)  On Mother’s Day, we celebrate and honor Moms.  Happy Mother’s Day to all the Moms listening to today’s podcast episode!  Whether you’re a current Mom, a woman who hopes to be a Mom someday, or someone who loves their Mom or a Mom in their life, I hope you enjoy this episode.   

 

To read the full show notes, please visit www.thepharmacistsvoice.com.  Click the podcast tab, and search for episode 149.  

 

Thank you for listening to episode 149 of The Pharmacist’s Voice ® Podcast!

 

Mentioned in this episode

Ijeoma’s LinkedIn Profile https://www.linkedin.com/in/ijeomaekeocha/ 

Black Women Pharmacists Podcast https://blackwomenpharmacists.com/podcast/ 

Passive Income Pharmacy Professional (PIPP) Course https://passiveincomepharmacyprofessional.com 

Twitter (Black Women Pharmacists) https://twitter.com/BlackWomenPhar1 

Instagram (blackwomenpharmacists) https://www.instagram.com/blackwomenpharmacists/ 

Facebook (Black Women Pharmacists Group) https://www.facebook.com/groups/blackwomenpharmacists 

Good RX article written by Ijeoma Ekeocha, PharmD 

2019 National Pharmacist Workforce Study (includes race stats)

August 2021 Article on the US Census Bureau’s website titled “2020 Census Illuminates Racial and Ethnic Composition of the Country.”  (accessed 5-4-22)

US Bureau of Labor Statistics (Pharmacists)

The Political Pharmacist Podcast Episode 118 featuring Dr. Jade Ranger

Black Women Pharmacists Podcast Episodes 15 and 48 featuring Dr. Megan Freeland

Black Women Pharmacists Podcast Episode 6 featuring Dr. Christina Madison (The Public Health Pharmacist)

Black Women Pharmacists Podcast Episode 47 featuring Dr. Jade Ranger

The Pharmacist’s Voice Podcast Episode 129 featuring Dr. Megan Freeland

Nicalia Matthews Okome, Founder of Side Hustle Pro

University of the Sciences/Philadelphia College of Pharmacy 

Julie Morgenstern, author of personal organizing and time-management books

The 5AM Club: Own Your Morning.  Elevate Your Life. By Robin Sharma

 

Highlights from the interview

 

Black women are doing great things in the pharmacy profession, and Black Women Pharmacists Podcast is a great place to learn about them.  It’s primarily an interview show.  Ijeoma highlights pharmacist career paths and careers and gives black women pharmacists a place to share their experiences.  Networking with strong women is a perk of being the podcast host.

 

Brown Skin Stories was the original name of Ijeoma’s podcast.  It was rebranded as Black Women Pharmacists Podcast when Ijeoma decided to focus on black women in pharmacy.  As she was niching down the topic of her podcast, the University of the Sciences/Philadelphia College of Pharmacy has been supportive of Ijeoma’s journey.  Representation matters in podcasting too.  

 

According to the 2019 Pharmacist Workforce Survey (page 12, Table 2.1.2), the percentage of black or African American Pharmacists in the US is 5%.  In 2014, it was 2.3%.  In 5 years, the percentage of black or African American Pharmacists in the US more than doubled.  It’s far from matching the US population stats, but the number of black or African American Pharmacists in the US is growing.  The percentage of the US population that identifies as black or African American only is 12.4% (2020 US Census data).  

 

Ijeoma became a new Mom in September 2021.  Her son’s name is Chisimdi.  His nickname is “Munch.”

 

We talked about the following:

Ijeoma’s favorite part about being a Mom When to have a baby Biggest challenges of being a Mom Balancing work and family We love lists! The four D’s Favorite “Me time” activity Biggest craving while pregnant Favorite “Girl’s Night Out” (Mom’s Night Out) activity A surprising thing she had to buy when she became a Mom A book or audiobook recommendation General advice for current or prospective moms

 

Ijeoma launched the Passive Income Pharmacy Professional (PIPP) Course in April 2022.  To learn more, visit https://passiveincomepharmacyprofessional.com.  There is a free webinar training available through the website.  Ijeoma talks about PIPP on Episode 50 of Black Women Pharmacists Podcast.  She will be back to talk about PIPP on The Pharmacist’s Voice ® Podcast in August 2022.

 

Dr. Ijeoma Ekeocha’s Full Bio (April 2022)

Ijeoma Ekeocha completed her Doctor of Pharmacy at the University of the Sciences, formally known as the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, in 2009. Following graduation, she practiced as a Clinical Pharmacist at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. Subsequently, she completed her post-graduate training and became the first and only Non-Traditional Pharmacy Resident at The Johns Hopkins Hospital from 2014-to 2016. 

 

In 2016,  she moved to the Big Apple (NYC) and joined a large academic medical center as the Lead Pharmacist, and was eventually promoted to the Regulatory Pharmacy Manager Role for the Specialty Pharmacy services. In April of 2022, Ijeoma made another transition and joined a continuing medical education company, where she works as an Associate Medical Director. 

 

She's also the founder of Brown Skin Stories, LLC and host of Black Women Pharmacists, a podcast created to share stories of Black women practicing in various fields of pharmacy. The podcast aims to educate and encourage pharmacy students about the versatility of the PharmD, in addition to helping them choose a career that plays to their strengths. 

 

Ijeoma is passionate about mentoring the next generation of women to help them cultivate their unique characteristics to share their contributions with the world. When she's not working or embarking on a new adventure, her favorite activity is spending time with her son Chisimdi and her husband, Antonio.

 

Happy Mother’s Day to all the Moms reading this!