Student Feature: Megan Huang Frazier
Learning, Leading and Lifting Others
Pharm.D. Candidate Grows Through Service, Leadership and Guiding Her Peers
While earning her master's degree in medical sciences, Megan Huang Frazier became captivated by the role medications play in patient care. The more she learned, the more she saw pharmacy not just as a profession, but as a place where science and compassion intersect.
"I realized how essential medications were and how they're really at the backbone of patient care," Huang Frazier said, now a Pharm.D. candidate at the University of Houston College of Pharmacy (UHCOP). "I liked how pharmacy was a blend of science, problem-solving and detail-oriented work."
Drawn to a Culture of Support
When considering pharmacy schools, Huang Frazier was drawn to UHCOP for both its location and its people. Access to the Texas Medical Center meant a wide range of clinical and research opportunities, but what truly set UHCOP apart was the atmosphere she experienced during her admissions interview.
"The professors were the ones asking questions and it felt like they genuinely cared about me and my growth as a student," Huang Frazier said. "I'm glad I chose UHCOP because I've been able to grow my relationships with my professors."
That sense of support didn鈥檛 end after interview day. Over the years, she has continued to build strong connections with faculty.
"They treat us as future colleagues, not just students," she said. "It鈥檚 nice that we get that respect straight off the bat."
Growing as a Leader
From her very first year, Huang Frazier leaned into leadership. She joined the Student Society of Health-System Pharmacists (SSHP) as a P1 liaison and worked her way up to chapter president by her third year. Along the way, she also served as Pharmacy Student Forum Advisory Group Member with the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP), student representative with the Gulf Coast Society of Health-System Pharmacists (GCSHP) and executive committee member for the Texas Society of Health-System Pharmacists (TSHP). In recognition of her work in the organization, Huang Frazier was honored with GCSHP's 2024 Outstanding Student Award.
"These organizations helped me realize how small the pharmacy world really is," Huang Frazier said. "I go to conferences and see the same faces, and build meaningful connections that last."
Her leadership experiences also allowed her to support other students. She often shares resources, offers mentorship and helps others navigate the demands of pharmacy school.
"Upperclassmen once mentored and guided me, and now I want to be that person for someone else," Huang Frazier said. "I know what it鈥檚 like to be in their shoes. I just want to be there for them鈥攑harmacy-related or life-related."
She also found space to grow through Phi Lambda Sigma (PLS), a national pharmacy leadership society, and its UHCOP Upsilon Chapter. An online retreat gave her insight into her strengths and how to apply them in real-world situations.
"That retreat helped me learn about my leadership skills and strengths," she said. "Using what I knew P1 year, I was able to use those strengths as president-elect and president in SSHP, and even in other roles in other organizations."
Navigating Medications
During her institutional Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences (IPPE) at Memorial Hermann TIRR, a rehabilitation hospital, Huang Frazier worked with a transplant patient beginning a long list of new medications.
"Transplant patients typically have a ton of medications that they take," Huang Frazier said. "Every time we do a medical history, their medications list is two to three pages long. It's very long."
To help ease the patient's stress, she and a pharmacist organized the medications into a pill box and walked him through how and when to take each one. The experience stood out as a powerful reminder of pharmacy's hands-on impact.
"I was able to really see the impact that pharmacists can make on patients' lives directly," Huang Frazier said.
Serving Communities with Purpose
Community service gave Huang Frazier opportunities to connect with people from diverse backgrounds and expand her perspective beyond the classroom. One example was her involvement with the Vietnamese American Pharmacy Student Society (VAPSS), an organization she joined despite not sharing the same cultural heritage.
"I saw the organization as a platform to engage in purposeful community service and learn more about Vietnamese culture," she said.
Through VAPPS, she participated in service and cultural events that helped her grow in cultural awareness.
"It was nice hearing from other people, learning about their experiences and being immersed in a culture I didn鈥檛 think I would be part of," Huang Frazier said.
Separately, she also took part in the Mayor's Back to School Fest, where she led a children's mental health information session.
"We gave out brochures to parents with information and resources, and we had coloring pages and games to show how they could support their kids' mental health before school started," Huang Frazier said. "It was a very fun event, but also a meaningful one."
A Calling for Infectious Diseases
One of the most formative moments of her pharmacy education came during an antibiotic stewardship event hosted by SSHP. A presentation by Research Assistant Professor Taryn Eubank, Pharm.D., BCIDP, sparked an unexpected interest that led to a mentorship and ongoing research collaboration.
"As she was talking about it, I saw a need and yearning to go into that field," Huang Frazier said. "I talked to her after the meeting, and we started a mentor-mentee relationship. I've been doing research with her ever since, and it's made me consider infectious diseases as a specialty."
Though she originally entered pharmacy school thinking she might pursue pediatrics, Huang Frazier is now focused on either infectious diseases or administration鈥攄ecisions she hopes to refine during her final year of clinical rotations.
Taking Charge P4 Year
In her final year at UHCOP, Huang Frazier continues to take on new challenges while preparing for the next phase of her pharmacy career. Through her Longitudinal Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (LAPPE) program at Houston Methodist Hospital, Huang Frazier is conducting a longitudinal research project on anticoagulation strategies for patients with Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) placement, which she plans to present later this year.
She also serves as the student liaison for her LAPPE cohort and is the lead Methodist Internship Longitudinal Experience (MILE) intern at Houston Methodist Hospital, helping coordinate program activities and support the cohort as a whole.
Throughout pharmacy school, she's found that collaboration has been key to her success鈥攚hether working with peers in student organizations, clinical teams during rotations or alongside other interns.
"I know how hard pharmacy school is," Huang Frazier said. "But I think doing it together is so much better than doing it alone."
鈥�&苍产蝉辫;Lauren Nguyen