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Dedication leads Pharm.D down different road

by Heather Woolwine
Public Relations
The words to describe Derek Underhill, Pharm.D, are difficult to find. 

You could say he was really nice, but that wouldn’t give him enough credit. You could say he was a hard worker, but that would seem like an understatement. 

You could say he was devoted to his country, but would feel as if you were leaving out his passion.

So while describing Underhill may be hard to verbalize, many on MUSC’s campus and in the College of Pharmacy greatly admire his professional and personal demeanor.

“What really makes me happiest about graduating from MUSC is that not only did I receive an incredible education, but hopefully I was able to leave it a better place,” Underhill said.

While he worked towards his pharmacy degree, Underhill also pursued a master’s degree in business from The Citadel. When a professor in pharmacy heard that Underhill was going after both degrees, he encouraged him to apply for the state’s cross-registration program, which helps students fund their education if pursuing two graduate level degrees at the same time. 

“Derek essentially invented our MBA/Pharm.D. dual degree program,” said Steve Brown, Pharm.D., College of Pharmacy. “Dr. Elinor Chumney, the program coordinator called Derek a trailblazer… despite the challenge of working toward two degrees, Derek has always been willing to give his time to college committees, community service, and his fellow students. He approaches all problems with a positive attitude, humor, and the ability to find a creative solution.”

“I really had no idea that what I was doing for my own development would evolve into a dual-degree program through MUSC and The Citadel,” Underhill said. “I began corresponding with the dean at The Citadel’s business school and our pharmacy dean, Dr. (John) Cormier. I sat on the committee and provided input from a student's standpoint of how best and not best to do things. There are only 18 programs like this in the country and I think it’s awesome that MUSC is one of them. I believe there are more than 30 MUSC students participating now.”

Quite humble when asked about his accomplishments and his level of success, Underhill insisted that he fell into his current career path haphazardly.

“I had finished my undergraduate degree and was pursuing a Ph.D. in pharmacology in east Tennessee when I stumbled on pharmacy,” he said. “I was born in Nashville, but I felt too isolated in Tennessee. And the funny thing about my interest in pharmacy was that I never wanted to work in a store, like an Eckerd’s or CVS. I wanted something that felt more service- oriented, which is one of the reasons I obtained my nuclear certificate.”

Underhill’s certification in nuclear pharmacy means he is qualified to work with radioactive and other such medications that have unique shelf lives and procedures associated with their distribution. Each drug is made to order for each patient.

Underhill’s love of service may be inherited, as his father was a commander and fighter pilot in the Navy for 20 years. His father’s service and a passion for serving the community led him to believe that in some way, a law enforcement career and a pharmacy degree might be compatible.

“I initially felt that working for the DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) would make the most sense, and I was a police officer for a year in Summerville,” Underhill said. “Intrigued by the drug and addiction work, I felt that maybe the FBI was the next step.”

But during the first semester of his second year of pharmacy school, Underhill was shocked when three planes were used as weapons of mass destruction against the U.S. on Sept. 11. 

While he may not have known it at the time, Underhill now believes the tragedy helped steer him towards his post-graduation plans. His retired father commissioned him as a captain into the U.S. Army at age 36 last December.

Almost immediately, with graduation pending, Underhill was offered coveted and cushy military posts in Denver and Hawaii. 

He turned them down.

“I told them I wanted to go to Fort Bragg,” he said.  ”The colonel asked me if I realized what I was being offered. When I told him that I’d made up my mind, he said he wouldn’t argue with me, they could certainly use me at Bragg. There’s no reason to join the military if you don’t want to be deployed, and I would like the opportunity to serve my country during these more challenging times.”

What Underhill didn’t expect after signing on for a military career was to begin dating one of his close friends a mere week after his commission. Underhill asked Dyan Whitlow, who holds a master’s degree in health administration from MUSC, to marry him.

They will wed in September at St. Luke’s Chapel and make the move to North Carolina in October after Underhill’s 10 weeks of basic training this summer.

“The best thing about my time at MUSC was what some might consider a handicap, and that was my age when I entered the program,” Underhill said. “I think my maturity allowed me to accomplish more and I was able to relate to my professors not only as instructors but as peers. I was super satisfied with my experience here.”

And others were super satisfied with Underhill, declaring him the “person you’ll miss the most” at a recent pharmacy banquet. 

It seems Underhill may be describable after all.

Words of Advice:
“What’s important for other students and rising students to remember is that while grades are great, you don’t need to stress about the 4.0. Good grades are good grades. Give yourself the credit you deserve.”

The five things I couldn’t have made it through school without:
1. Coffee.
2. My classmates.
3. A clear plastic ruler.
4. Internet service at the computers.
5. The support of my family and fiancé.
 
 
 

Friday, May 21, 2004
Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to petersnd@musc.edu or catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Community Press at 849-1778.