Author: [AUTHOR] Published on 11/1/2021 12:00:00 AM

Cameron Thomas, PharmD, Post-Doctoral Fellow, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida

Who Has Inspired You in Your Career?
I have had multiple people who inspired me in my career, but my parents have had the greatest impact. My father and mother were major influences in my career and always inspired me to pursue my goals and dreams. They instilled a strong work ethic in my brother and me. They taught us to work hard for what you want in life as nothing comes free. I also learned the importance of being humble and how you can learn something new from anyone if you are willing listen. I see them enjoy life and the people around them consistently; life is too short to focus on the negative.

What Is Your Favorite Society Memory?
I will always remember the disbelief I felt when I was notified of my first ASCPT Presidential Trainee Award. You spend so much time planning and executing your research and then when it is time to write the abstract, each sentence is carefully constructed to craft the story in a riveting and parsimonious fashion. It was unfortunate that the 2020 Annual Meeting was canceled, but I was grateful ASCPT acknowledged the 2020 award recipients during the 2021 online meeting.

How Do You Keep Focused and Motivated?
I honestly love what I do and believe in the future of pharmacogenomics and precision medicine. The thought of the projects I am pursuing being used to directly benefit patients is a major motivator. I also love efficiency and process improvement, and precision medicine is one avenue to assist prescribers with medication selection and dose optimization. It also helps that the field is constantly changing, so you must stay up-to-date on the current treatment paradigms.

What Was Your Childhood Dream Job?
After watching Jurassic Park, I wanted to be a paleontologist. I loved dinosaurs as a child, and the thought of traveling to remote locations to uncover the secrets of dinosaurs seemed exciting. Though I do not work with DNA preserved in yellow amber, I still occasionally think of “Mr. DNA” and the promising future of genetics.

Cameron has been a member of ASCPT since 2018.