My UMSOP Story: Reisel Berger, PharmD ’11, clinical pharmacist, San Francisco Department of Public Health

Written By: Elizabeth Heubeck

On the first day of her fourth-year clinical rotation at Sheppard Pratt Health System, Reisel Berger, PharmD ’11, was trekking up the long, leg-burning hill of Charles Street when her bicycle got a flat tire. Already without her broken-down car, Berger persevered, fixing the flat, and using the bike for the six-week rotation that exposed her to an outpatient ambulatory setting and solidified her interest in patient care.

That anecdote comes as no surprise to her friend and former School of Pharmacy (SOP) classmate, Will Albanese, PharmD ’11, a clinical pharmacist at Beebe Medical Center in Lewes, Del. He describes Berger as “driven” and “unafraid of anything” — in addition to being one of the top academic students in their graduating class. Berger, says Albanese, never backed down from a challenge, whether it was a pushup contest or providing the correct response in the classroom.

It’s fitting that Berger, a Philadelphia native, would find her way to the West Coast after graduation. Before securing a job, she completed two residencies — in ambulatory care at the San Francisco VA Medical Center and psychiatric pharmacy at the VA San Diego Healthcare System. Afterward, Berger put down roots in San Francisco, where she’s embraced both the beautiful city’s outdoor opportunities and a challenging career as a clinical pharmacist with the San Francisco Department of Public Health (DPH).

Berger points to an experience in pharmacy school as influencing her career decision. During an interdisciplinary elective on HIV, a Baltimore City Health Department representative spoke about the city’s needle exchange program, after which Berger volunteered at several needle exchange vans in Baltimore. “I loved being on the front lines and hearing people’s stories,” says Berger, who saw the position with San Francisco’s DPH as a way to build on the work she did with the needle exchange program.

A course in motivational interviewing taught by former SOP professor Anthony Tomasello, PharmD, exposed Berger to a technique she regularly incorporates into her practice today. “It motivated me to learn about the story of a patient rather than looking at the patient as a series of illnesses,” Berger says.

That comes in handy as she interacts with various patient populations in her role. At an outpatient mental health clinic, she conducts adult patient care in a capacity she describes as an extension of a psychiatrist.

“We see patients with bipolar disorder, depression, trauma, schizophrenia, developmental disabilities,” Berger says of this population, many of whom also suffer from substance abuse, homelessness, and challenges related to immigration. She also serves as the primary child and adolescent psychiatry pharmacist for the San Francisco County Juvenile Justice System, and, separately, analyzes the dispensing of psychotropic medications to youth in California’s foster care system. At yet another site, Berger provides pharmacy services to clients with opioid use disorder.

Some days, Berger says, she feels as though she’s seeing one sad case after another. “It can really affect you,” she observes.

But she finds positive ways to de-stress. Berger counts supportive colleagues and energizing walks during lunch breaks as methods that improve her mood as she faces a daunting caseload. And, when not at work, the avid runner and competitive marathoner enjoys exploring by foot the attractive parks and trails of San Francisco and the surrounding area.

In her spare time, the energetic young professional also spends time inspiring tomorrow’s pharmacists. “I do some precepting and teaching at the University of California, San Francisco, guiding the next generation of students,” Berger says. “It’s a way for me to still be involved in pharmacy school.”