Psychiatric Pharmacist Helping to Bridge the Care Gap for Patients With Mental Illness

Like many high school students, Nina Vadiei, PharmD, BCPP, had no idea what she wanted to go to college for. She always had an interest in science and enjoyed working with other people, but most careers in health care that she discussed with her parents didn’t appeal to her. However, after having a lot of positive interactions with her local pharmacist, she decided that being an accessible health care provider who could help patients sounded like the perfect fit.

Vadiei is currently a clinical associate professor in the Division of Pharmacotherapy at University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy and a clinical pharmacy specialist in psychiatry at the San Antonio State Hospital. She said her particular field is pretty unique, as she works mostly with forensic patients who have been charged with a crime and have severe mental illness. While Vadiei admits this particular population is challenging to work with, she said learning from the patients makes it all worth it.

“I just really enjoy listening to [patients],” Vadiei said. “You have to have a lot of empathy and compassion…and I just think there is something to learn from every person even if they have the same diagnosis. Learning their lived experience, the traumas they have experienced, the challenges they go through, it makes you a better health care professional to listen to their stories and appreciate them.”

In a conversation with Drug Topics, Vadiei discussed how her career has unfolded, a program that she worked on that exemplifies the value of pharmacists in patient care, opportunities out there for pharmacists to expand their role, and what harm reduction strategies pharmacists can implement to help patients with substance use disorders.

Our coverage of American Pharmacists Month continues all October. To view all of our interviews, visit our American Pharmacists Month landing resource center.