Episode 82: Dr. Katherine Vakil

  Interviewee: Dr. Katherine Vakil Interviewer: Dr. Kruti Shah Description: In this episode, we are delighted to be joined by Dr. Katherine Vakil, a pharmacist and Pharmacy Services Manager based in the Chicago area, and guest host Dr. Kruti Shah, who is a Clinical Operations Pharmacist at Rush. Dr. Shah was recently featured on the podcast as a guest in Episode 74. If you haven’t yet listened to that interview, we highly recommend you check it out after finishing this one. Today, Dr. Shah is back, this time in the interview role, for a conversation with Dr. Vakil about navigating university and pharmacy schools with a disability, figuring out what speaks to you in your career journey, and learning how to seek out the accommodations you need as a learner and patient. We begin with an introduction from Dr. Vakil.  Bio:  Katherine Vakil is the Pharmacy Services Manager at Erie Family Health Centers. In 2017, Katherine established a new Pharmacy Services team at Erie, which focuses on improving medication access for patients. Katherine received her Doctor of Pharmacy at the University of Minnesota and Master of Public Health at Northwestern University in Chicago. In 2022, Katherine completed a Disability Leadership Fellowship with Disability Lead. In October 2022, Katherine established the Disability Employee Resource Group (ERG) at Erie and is currently the co-chair. Katherine was born hard of hearing and wears hearing aids.  Transcript Keywords: disability, health equity, accessibility, pharmacy, hearing loss, accommodations, pharmacy, disabled pharmacist Produced by: Sofia Schlozman and Lisa Meeks  Audio editor: Jacob Feeman Digital Media: Katie Sullivan Resources:  Disability Lead Program Dr. Kruti Shah’s interview