Hi, I’m Cate Sibley, a licensed pharmacist. 

I have placed this video here for you to watch to learn a little about me.  I hope you enjoy it. 

I was born and raised by my parents in the state of Maine, along with my older brother.  My hometown, Old Town, is on the small side (to say the least), but it did offer a great swimming program that quickly became a major part of my life. 

My journey as a competitive swimmer gave me opportunities and qualities that I’ll forever be thankful for.  Through swimming I became goal-oriented, disciplined, and ambitious.  In addition, I developed a passion for traveling and most importantly made extraordinary lifelong friends. 

As I grew up, I knew I wanted to be a healthcare professional but was unsure of a specific direction.  While earning my BS in Zoology at the University of Maine, Orono, I was driven toward a career in pharmacy.  My decision stemmed from my fascination with how mystifying drugs are and how dangerous they can be without proper advice.  I knew there would be a real need for help in the pharmacy world so upon completing my undergraduate studies I went straight to pharmacy school at Northeastern University in Boston, MA (this is where I met my best friend in the whole world, Nova). 

During my time in Boston, I gained quality hospital and clinical experience at the many well-respected healthcare facilities throughout the city.  After receiving my Doctor of Pharmacy degree, I headed to Miami, FL to start my career as a retail pharmacist and from there moved on to Charlotte, NC (where I currently reside).  Since I’ve been in Charlotte, I’ve added on a job with a home infusion pharmacy.  The two different pharmacy settings (retail and home infusion) really keep things interesting for me and help me avoid pharmacy burnout (I think!).

Aside from my world of pharmacy, and having hung up my swimsuits for now, I have acquired a love for martial arts, dancing around the house (or anywhere for that matter), and shopping.  I am also very fond of going to the gym – I’d rather refer to it as recess for adults!  But must of all, I love spending time with my two furbabies, Toshia and Tater Tot. 

I am really excited about this site and look forward to the adventures it will bring.  Pharmacy is an ever-changing world so I hope this site will be as beneficial to you as it will be for me.  We are here for you and want to help you so please send me your comments, questions or concerns to Cate@GetPharmacyAdvice.com.

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Hola!  I’m Nova, the other half of the energetic pharmacist duo!  I am super excited about this site because it gives us a chance to interact with people in a new, fun way. 

 

Just some info about me – I was born in the D.C. area to nomadic parents.  They would move me, my brothers and my sister around every three years.  Although I wasn’t thrilled about all the moving when I was a kid, it taught me how to easily adapt to different groups of people and situations. 

 

When I was 7 years old, I read a book about Louis Pasteur’s invention of the rabies vaccine and decided that I wanted to be a scientist when I grew up.  At the age of 12, I added on a goal of joining the Peace Corps.

 

I earned my B.S. in Biology at the University of Massachusetts and worked for a few months in a lab with 3 people and 2,000 mice (not-so-crazy about the mice).  I then joined the Peace Corps and moved to a small village in the Northern Providence of South Africa. 

 

In the little village, I learned the local language, Tsonga (Kunjhani?! –what’s up), ate local food (vuswa) and discovered a lot about the Tsonga people and about myself.   I was also given the opportunity to help in a local clinic with HIV and TB education, kids’ health initiatives and even delivering a baby!  This started my interest in health and drug education.

 

When I moved back to the States, I started working in a biochem lab in New Hampshire.  I enjoyed my team and job there but I felt that I needed to do something more directly to help people. (plus I worked all day with a bunch of other biochemist –not the most social people in the world!)

 

I earned my Doctorate of Pharmacy from Northeastern University in Boston.  I had an opportunity to work and learn in many acclaimed hospitals in Boston.  I gained experience in hospital, clinical and retail pharmacy settings.  I also started my love/hate relationship with Red Bull (bad habit) and coffee thanks to my wonderful friends in pharmacy school. 

 

I have continued in my nomadic parents’ footsteps and have made great friends along the way.  I am currently a retail pharmacist in the Charlotte area.  I have two cutie pie shih-tzus that I love –Toshia and Tater Tot (that I constantly compare to my sister’s kids – to her chagrin).  I enjoy traveling –my next trip is to Singapore to visit the parents.  I like to read, dance, clean and take walks around beautiful North Carolina with my two furbabies. 

 

I am wicked excited about this blog!  Please contact me with any questions, comments or funny stories.  I look forward to hearing from you!   nova@getpharmacyadvice.com