Robert Wilborn, MPH

PharmD Student/Pharmacy Intern
NDSU

What is your background?

I was born in Madison, but spent most of my youth in Cambridge, WI. My home town is a small, rural community in the south-central area of the state. I moved to Fargo because I wanted a change of scenery, and the opportunity to start my postsecondary education free from the distractions that were prevalent back home. I was accepted to the School of Pharmacy at NDSU, where I completed a Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences degree as part of my Doctor of Pharmacy Practice curriculum. I live with my fiancé who works as a dental assistant at Family HealthCare in Fargo. In our spare time we enjoy disc golfing, hiking, camping, meeting with friends, listening to vinyl records, and playing cribbage.

What did you specialize in at NDSU?

My specialization was in the Public Health in Clinical Systems section of the MPH program, through the Pharm.D/MPH dual degree curriculum. This educational track provides a foundation of learning in public health studies, and emphasizes the integration of public health and primary care concepts in real world situations to benefit the health of populations. My practicum took place at a Federally Qualified Health Center, and involved working with a pharmacist and dietician to characterize tobacco cessation success within their lifestyle medicine department’s patient population and subpopulations. This experience also became the context of my Masters Paper and a national conference presentation.

How did the NDSU MPH prepare you for the workforce?

Beyond the education within the didactic and experiential areas of the MPH program’s curriculum, I have also found upon graduation that a Master of Public Health degree has imparted other intangible benefits. My interdisciplinary communication and problem solving skills have grown as my program put me in situations that necessitated working with other professionals of various backgrounds to evaluate an issue and formulate solutions to a problem. My organization and time management skills have improved as I successfully balanced the rigors of graduate school and pharmacy school. Additionally, my ability to conduct myself professionally was realized as I have successfully interacted and formed relationships with other professionals around the country during regional and national conventions where I have presented research related to my MPH and Pharm.D studies.

What is your current position or academic pursuit?

I currently work as an intern in a local retail pharmacy while I finish the required experiential rotations of my fourth professional year in the pharmacy program at NDSU. Currently, I am applying to post-graduate year one pharmacy residencies with hospitals and health care systems that I am interested in. The programs I am hoping to interview with offer benefits of interest to me, with an opportunity to practice in areas of mental or behavioral health, public health clinics, or infectious disease. My goal is to gain valuable experience that will help shape me into a well-round new practitioner.