Ugo Onwuneme, PharmD. BCPS
We celebrate Dr. Ugo Onwuneme, an internal medicine clinical pharmacist at the University of Minnesota Medical Center, M Health Fairview. With over a decade of hospital practice, and a rare background that bridges respiratory therapy and clinical pharmacy, Ugo brings a unique holistic lens to patient care and pharmacy education. His career is characterized by a deep commitment to optimizing treatment, assuring patient safety, and mentoring the next generation of pharmacists.
Healthcare Observations from Early childhood
Growing up in Nigeria, Dr. Onwuneme witnessed firsthand the fatal consequences of limited access to medications. "I saw a lot of people lose their lives by not having access to medications," he reflects. "It was rampant in Nigeria." That early experience planted a seed of curiosity about healthcare that would take root, sprout and grow into a pharmacy career in the US.
Having a mom in the nursing profession and several relatives in diverse healthcare fields, Ugo had ample exposure to the health professions and initially deliberated between medicine and pharmacy. He made a practical, strategic decision to enroll in respiratory therapy school, earning an associate degree that would put him in the hospital environment. "I wanted to get my foot in the door somewhere, and then do a proper assessment on which route I wanted to go," he explains.
That foot-in-the-door took him to United Hospital in the Twin Cities, where he worked primarily in the ICUs - medical, cardiac, and neuro-intensive care. It was there, watching clinical pharmacists navigate complex patient cases alongside the medical team, that he made the decision to pursue pharmacy. Within months of completing respiratory therapy school, he was already taking his pre-pharmacy courses. An alum of the University of Minnesota, College of Pharmacy (Class of 2012), Ugo recalls being interviewed by the then Dean (Speedy), who had stepped in to fill in for an unavoidably absent interviewer. “We had a really great conversation, and a few weeks later, I got my acceptance letter.”
From the ICU to a Career Home in Internal Medicine
Given his respiratory therapy background, Dr. Onwuneme was intentional in picking critical care rotations in his fourth year in pharmacy school. After his PGY1 residency at the University of Minnesota Medical Center, where he staffed the ICU, Ugo stayed on as a critical care pharmacist, working a split position: 50% ICU and 50% internal medicine and solid organ transplant.
Then life seasons shifted. With a growing family and the demands of early morning and evening ICU shifts, he moved into a 7 days-on, 7days-off internal medicine position that offered the predictability that aligned better with young parenthood. “I gave it a shot,” he says, with a hint of laughter. “Eleven years later, I’m still there.” What began as a move to a more pragmatic schedule became a professional desire met. “The patient population is very diverse, we literally see everything. Internal medicine opened me up to so many other patient populations,” he attests.
Building Experiential Education that boosts Confidence.
What Dr. Onwuneme may not have anticipated when he arrived in internal medicine was how much he would shape experiential education. When he joined, pharmacy students had some exposure to internal medicine, but it was largely elective. Drawing on his ICU experience and his belief that internal medicine is foundational to hospital pharmacy practice, he helped build the rotation into a coveted learning experience for both students and residents. Today, internal medicine is mandatory for all pharmacy residents at M Health Fairview, and the blocks stay consistently full. “When it got popular, a lot of people talked about it, and it became competitive to get in,” he says.
Dr. Onwueme’s reach as an educator has extended beyond the hospital walls. From 2017 through the early COVID years, he served as an adjunct faculty member at St. Catherine University, teaching pharmacology to nursing and respiratory therapy students, a role that felt like a full-circle moment given his own respiratory therapy training. “Teaching those foundational concepts helped me grow my own practice,” he reflects. “It built my knowledge base and helped me articulate that knowledge more clearly to pharmacy students and residents.”
Speaking of students, his approach to precepting is relational and empowering. Students on his rotation are paired with internal medicine teams and encouraged to show up as contributors, not merely observers. “I tell them, if a question comes up that you’re comfortable with, go for it. If you’re not comfortable, just let them know you’ll look it up and come back,” he says. “A lot of my students come back from rounds saying, ‘I can’t believe the doctor didn’t know this and I was able to tell them.’” That confidence-building is, for him, the end goal.
Professional Fulfilment
About what fulfills him most in pharmacy practice, Dr. Onwuneme, without hesitation, says it is the transformation of students. “Some come in still pretty green, still pretty fresh. You pour into them, and a few years later, they are your colleagues — and you find yourself reaching out to them for advice on building your own practice.” He pauses as though savoring the thought. “For me, that’s the joy.”
His fulfillment is also tied to the broader growth of the pharmacy profession itself. From where he began 14 years ago (Class of 2012) to date, he sees a field that has expanded in depth and specialization: PGY2 programs in critical care, cardiology, solid organ transplant, oncology and bone marrow transplant. “The profession is just constantly growing,” he acknowledges with an obvious sense of professional pride.
Looking ahead, Dr. Onwuneme is intent on closing a gap in patient care: the transitions between hospital entry and discharge. He notes that while pharmacists play a vital role at admission through medication history reconciliation, the discharge end remains incomplete. He is currently involved in efforts to build a full-circle transitions-of-care program, in which a pharmacist meets with patients at discharge to review new medications, clarify discontinued ones, and prevent duplications.
Life beyond the Hospital
Outside the hospital, Ugo’s world orbits around his wife and four children - three sons and a daughter – ages 3 to 13. “Most of my personal interests are on the shelf for now while I support them to grow,” he says, with the contentment of someone who has made the trade and has no regrets.
Traveling remains a deep passion. Before children, he and his wife explored Europe. “When you go to remote or rural areas in Europe, you learn so much about their culture in such a short period of time.” His bucket list is ambitious: to travel to every continent. “Traveling is a form of education that money can buy,” he reflects. The family already does two trips a year. As the children grow, the travel itineraries will hopefully expand.
A Word for the Next Generation
For pharmacy student, Dr. Onwueme’s message is both simple and weighty: “You matter. You can make a difference.” He has watched too many students arrive on rotation underestimating themselves. “They come in thinking, ‘I’m just a student, I don’t know much.’ But once you get past second year of pharmacy school, the information you have is limitless.”
He urges students to master the details that other clinicians cannot match. “Doctors know what lisinopril is. They know it’s for blood pressure. What separates pharmacists from other medical professionals are the little things, the kinetics, the dynamics, the differences between two ACE inhibitors, their side effect profiles.” Those distinctions, he emphasizes, can change the trajectory of a patient’s care, even when a student is the one who brings them to the fore.
Representation Matters
For students who are Black, Ugo’s presence in the precepting landscape carries an added dimension. He participates in the Black Rxcellence mentoring program (concordant mentoring for Black students and pharmacists) and clearly understands why representation in clinical settings matters. “Speaking up, knowing you belong in those spaces. It starts with seeing someone who looks like you doing the work,” he reflects. Dr Onwuneme is certainly glad to be that presence for others.