Small-town native finds a home in community pharmacy
Doctor of Pharmacy student Allison Eikenberry wants to connect with patients through her work.
Growing up in the small town of Neola, Iowa, Allison Eikenberry knew she wanted to work in community pharmacy.
“It made me value a sense of community and connectedness with the people around me, and I wanted to help in any way I could,” said Eikenberry, a Doctor of Pharmacy student at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. “Pharmacy seemed like a good fit to participate in health care and helping people.”
Before Carolina, Eikenberry attended Iowa’s Cornell College, where she got her bachelor’s degree in chemistry, biochemistry and molecular biology. For pharmacy school, she wanted to venture outside of Iowa and knew that the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy had a great reputation.
Finding a home in pharmacy
Since her first year in Chapel Hill, Eikenberry has worked at Southern Village Pharmacy. The space reminds her of home and fuels her passion for community pharmacy.
“It brought me back to the feeling of being in a small town and being connected to patients,” said Eikenberry. “They’re a trusted and accessible source of medical information; they make an impact and relationships with so many people. That’s the exact type of environment I want to work in.”
Outside of her work at Southern Village Pharmacy, her time at other pharmacies has given her a broad range of experiences. In pharmacies in both Charlotte and Wilmington, she learned from pharmacists who administered long-acting injectable medications, prescribed medications and followed up with patients on their appointments and immunizations. At an outpatient pharmacy in Wilmington, Eikenberry helped with patient counseling and education before hospital discharge.
She’s also helped with remote patient monitoring, using daily blood pressure readings from patients to make recommendations to doctors on any medication or lifestyle changes.
Match Day 2025
Read stories about Carolina students preparing for medical careers and learn more about Match Day, a celebratory event in which Tar Heels find out where they’ll continue to research, serve and lead others.
Pharmacy in Malawi
This year, Eikenberry has taken her skills all the way to the African country of Malawi, as part of the school’s Global Pharmacy Scholars program. Students involved in the program serve on rotations and are able to see how the health care system operates in various countries. Eikenberry and her classmates are working with female internal medicine doctors at Malawi’s public hospital, treating patients for malaria, tuberculosis or other medical conditions.
“It’s a challenge, but it’s been fun to think creatively and think about what drugs or resources are available here and how to treat patients,” said Eikenberry.
Connecting through community pharmacy
All of Eikenberry’s experiences — in Iowa, North Carolina and Malawi — have affirmed her passion to work in community pharmacy and connect directly with her patients. She’ll continue that after matching to Towncrest Pharmacy in Iowa City, Iowa, as part of the pharmacy school’s 2025 Match Day.
She hopes to implement innovative clinical services in a community pharmacy setting one day. “I want to be able to look at a community, see what it needs and implement something to help,” said Eikenberry.
