Anjoli Punjabi

Class of 2017, Twin Cities

Anjoli Punjabi is currently pursuing her Doctor of Pharmacy Degree and Master’s in Public Health at the University Of Minnesota College Of Pharmacy. She is originally from the Detroit metro area of Michigan. Anjoli earned her Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences from Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in 2011.

After completing her undergraduate degree, Anjoli joined Teach For America. She dedicated two years to closing the achievement gap between low-income and minority students and their affluent peers in the Twin Cities. As a middle school science teacher, Anjoli was able to improve her students standardized test scores dramatically from 4% to 56%. This put many of her students on a different educational trajectory in the sciences. For her work, Anjoli was awarded the Sue Lehmann Excellence in Teaching Award, a national award.

Following Teach for America, Anjoli returned to field of pharmacy. Throughout her career, Anjoli will work to make sure that pharmacists’ skills and knowledge are being fully utilized to positively impact patient care. In addition, she is excited by the possibilities and challenges of eliminating healthcare disparities in the changing healthcare landscape. She is currently the President of the Minnesota Student Pharmacy Alliance (MPSA) dedicating her time to advocacy through professional associations and community outreach. Under her leadership, MPSA members will advance the profession of pharmacy by showcasing pharmacists’ unique skills and abilities to the community and to other healthcare professionals.

Anjoli has a depth and breadth of hands-on experience in pharmacy. Last summer, Anjoli had the honor of being the 2014 Carl F. Emwsiller Summer Intern at the American Pharmacists Association (APhA). Here she collaborated with key APhA staff and leaders of other pharmacy organizations, educated congressmen and their staff about the current state and the future direction of the profession of pharmacy, attended congressional briefings and hearings. In addition, Anjoli serves as an intern at both Mercy Hospital and Cub Pharmacy. This allows her to gain both an inpatient and outpatient perspective. At Mercy Hospital, Anjoli conducts medication reconciliation with patients presenting to the emergency department. At Cub Pharmacy, Anjoli counsels patients on new medications, dispenses medications, and is actively learning about the management and distribution processes in the pharmacy. Anjoli also serves as Pharmaceutical Care Clinician and Clinic Coordinator at the Philips Neighborhood Clinic.

Anjoli is passionate about research and programs that advance the role of pharmacists and meet the needs of underserved populations. Therefore she has started a diabetes prevention program at Little Earth of United Tribes (urban Native American housing complex) that seeks to help the community make a sustained commitment to health and has outcomes for weight loss and diabetes prevention. Anjoli is now launching a second phase of the program that provides pharmaceutical care to community members.

Anjoli is a driven and innovative individual who seeks to provide the best care for her patients and leave her mark on the profession of pharmacy. In her spare time Anjoli enjoys biking, film photography, and creating handmade greeting cards.

StrengthsFinder® Signature Themes:

Achiever|Significance |Focus |Competition |Learner