This week’s APPE Student Highlight features Bryan Gomez, a fourth-year student from Hoschton, GA, who recently completed a public health rotation with the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH). During his rotation, Bryan worked on statewide antimicrobial stewardship projects, helping prototype a Power BI dashboard that allows hospitals to compare antimicrobial use across Georgia. He also contributed to emergency preparedness initiatives, including updating CHEMPACK training materials and disaster response frameworks for chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear threats. This rotation gave Bryan new insight into the pharmacist’s role in public health, data analysis, and emergency response.
Bryan Gomez (Indirect Public Health, Georgia Department of Public Health):
Where are you from?
I’m from Hoschton, GA/Gwinnett County.
What are your career plans?
My long-term career plans are still evolving, but I’m drawn to both clinical pharmacy and non-traditional roles that expand the profession’s impact. On the clinical side, I’m interested in oncology, critical care, and emergency medicine. At the same time, I have a strong passion for policy, advocacy, and public health. During pharmacy school, I’ve been actively involved with national organizations like APhA, NCPA, and AACP, and I’m open to building a career within professional associations, government affairs, or academia.
What led you to preference this APPE?
I was drawn to this rotation because it bridged pharmacy practice with public health. I wanted an opportunity that would stretch my understanding of the pharmacist’s role beyond the hospital or community setting, and the DPH rotation offered exactly that.
Given my interests in policy, advocacy, and large-scale systems improvement, I saw this rotation as a chance to explore how pharmacists can contribute to public health infrastructure, emergency preparedness, and statewide quality improvement efforts.
Describe your rotation experience.
My rotation with DPH was incredibly rewarding. I had the opportunity to work on several large-scale projects with real-world impact. A major focus of my work was on antimicrobial stewardship at the statewide level. Under the mentorship of Dr. Jamie Woods, I helped prototype a Power BI dashboard using NHSN data to allow hospitals to compare their Standardized Antimicrobial Administration Ratios (SAAR) to statewide averages. This project gave me hands-on experience working with large, “messy” datasets and communicating clinical metrics across institutions in a way that is both usable and actionable.
I also collaborated with Dr. Tracy Dabbs on a variety of emergency preparedness initiatives. I helped revise and update CHEMPACK training materials, which included contributing to a comprehensive training video that will be used for statewide education. Additionally, I worked on disaster response frameworks for chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear threats, which gave me insight into how pharmacists are integrated into Georgia’s emergency response infrastructure.
I also helped write several case studies and prepare materials for an upcoming antimicrobial stewardship conference, alongside other “typical” APPE activities like presenting during a journal club.
One opportunity that I had during this rotation was meeting Dr. Kathleen Toomey, Commissioner of the Georgia DPH! I was one of only two APPE students who have had this opportunity.
How will this experience help you in your future as a pharmacist?
This experience gave me a broader and more nuanced understanding of what pharmacists are capable of, particularly in public health and emergency preparedness. Before this rotation, I hadn’t fully appreciated the role pharmacists play in statewide disease surveillance, disaster response, or data-driven quality improvement. Now, I see how pharmacists can be powerful contributors to health systems not just through direct patient care, but also through policy and analytics. I’m also walking away with stronger skills in data analysis and communication, which I know will be useful in any clinical or administrative setting I work in.
Did you work with any UGA alumni during your experience?
Yes! Both of my preceptors, Dr. Jamie Woods and Dr. Tracy Dabbs, are UGA College of Pharmacy alumni. They were incredible mentors throughout the rotation and truly embodied the spirit of what it means to be an RxDawg: innovative, compassionate, and deeply committed to public service.
