Meet Leah Seraq

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Leah Seraq. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Leah , thrilled to have you on the platform as I think our readers can really benefit from your insights and experiences. In particular, we’d love to hear about how you think about burnout, avoiding or overcoming burnout, etc.

In my training as a palliative care pharmacist, burnout was a very important topic, even before the pandemic made it a broader concern in the healthcare field. When you practice in the specialty of palliative care, you work with individuals with complex, advanced, or terminal illnesses to provide holistic support for them and their families and caregivers. While palliative care clinicians, including myself, are often drawn to this work because we find great value in taking care of these individuals, it can be very emotionally draining, sad, and stressful, and thus, awareness of the potential for burnout and ways to mitigate it was always top of mind. For me, I learned that having a team with which you can communicate easily about your professional challenges and concerns was one of the keys to staying motivated and continuing to find value in my work. Although I no longer have a clinical practice, I have carried this lesson with me and strive to surround myself with those I can talk to about my concerns and bounce ideas off of.

Another important lesson is to be flexible and ready to make big changes if needed. When I began to feel like clinical practice wasn’t providing the same job satisfaction that it once did, I decided to go back to school and switch my professional focus to research. It hasn’t been easy to go back to school while working full-time and being a mom of four, but I know I made the right decision because I feel excited about the work that I’m doing. Similarly, when an opportunity came to apply for a position in the dean’s office as associate dean for recruitment, admissions, and integration at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy (where I have been on faculty since 2012), I jumped at the chance. I knew this position would allow me to do something new and exciting and push my professional boundaries. This meant giving up some other responsibilities at work, but I knew the time was right to move on. I feel that getting out of my comfort zone keeps me engaged and helps prevent burnout.

Last but absolutely not least is self-care. Finding value outside work helps keep things in perspective. Self-care looks different for everyone, but for me, right now, it means spending time with my family, cheering my kids on at their sporting events, and finding some time – even a little bit of time – to read a book or do something creative.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I’m an associate professor at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy. I went to pharmacy school in 2006 after completing my pre-requisite coursework at Montgomery College, a community college in Rockville, MD. After earning my Doctor of Pharmacy degree in 2010, I completed two years of post-graduate residency training, including a year of specialized training in pain management and palliative care. Palliative care is the care of patients with complex or advanced diseases and is my passion – it’s a holistic way of caring for people and has informed my clinical practice and career.

I have also always loved educating and knew early in my pharmacy career that teaching would be my focus. I joined the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy faculty in 2012 as an assistant professor. It was the only job I applied to out of residency because it was the only place I could see myself working – I definitely put all my eggs in one basket, so I’m glad it worked out! I returned to school to earn my Master of Arts in Instructional Systems Development in 2017.

When I heard at a staff meeting at the end of 2017 that our school was going to create a Master of Science program in medical cannabis, I was so excited; I immediately asked my department chair to put in a good word for me with the Dean so I could be involved and maybe teach a class or two. After meeting with the Dean and sharing some of my ideas, I was lucky enough to be tasked with leading the development and implementation of this program as its inaugural program director. We launched the MS in Medical Cannabis Science and Therapeutics in 2019, and it was the first graduate program in the country focused on the comprehensive study of medical cannabis. As of May 2024, we have over 700 alumni of the MS program and our medical cannabis graduate certificate, which launched in 2023.

In September 2024, I stepped down from my role as program director to take a position in the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy dean’s office as associate dean of recruitment, admissions, and integration for all academic programs. This includes the Doctor of Pharmacy program (of which I’m an alum myself) and all our graduate programs (PhD, Master of Science, and Graduate Certificates). This is a perfect role for me because I believe so strongly in our school’s mission: to globally engage and lead education, pharmacy practice, scientific research, and pharmapreneurial initiatives to collaboratively and equitably improve the health of society. The University of Maryland School of Pharmacy is not only one of the oldest pharmacy schools in the country (founded in 1841) but one of the most innovative regarding education, pharmacy practice, and research. We coined the term “pharmapreneurship” (an amalgam of pharmacy and entrepreneurship) as a way to not only describe the importance of pharmaceutical innovation in advancing healthcare but also display our unique and unwavering support of students and faculty who engage in these creative endeavors.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Flexibility, grit, and self-advocacy.

I discussed the importance of flexibility earlier, so I’ll focus here on grit and self-advocacy. Grit is a trait that describes one’s ability to persevere through challenges to meet long-term goals. I feel that I have had a successful career so far, but I still have aspirational long-term goals and know it will take time and effort to meet them. Having a successful career is not something that happens overnight, despite what messages are being shared on social media. You must be willing to put in hard work and effort with little immediate recognition or payoff, sometimes for years. I was a junior faculty member for over five years – teaching, writing, serving on committees, and collaborating with colleagues – before my first “big break” with the medical cannabis master’s program. I celebrated other successes in that time, of course – publications in academic journals, developing innovative teaching methods, interacting with students, and completing a master’s degree in education. They were necessary building blocks to give me the experience and confidence to do something huge – develop and implement a graduate program in medical cannabis – the first program of its kind in the U.S. The benefit of building a career in this way is that I have built self-confidence, knowing that when I step into a new role or take on a new project, even if I feel completely clueless at the start, given time and effort, I will succeed.

I always counsel students, residents, and new faculty about the importance of self-advocacy. Yes, it’s important to have mentors and colleagues who can advocate on your behalf…but you are your best advocate. Don’t be afraid to let people know what your goals are – and don’t expect anyone to be able to read your mind or your heart. Even though I have had moments of self-doubt (who doesn’t?), I have always been able to share my interests and goals with those who may be able to help in some way. For instance, when I was a pharmacy resident interested in returning to the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy to teach, I made sure that whenever I had the opportunity to talk to any current faculty members at the school, I reminded them that my ultimate goal was to be hired on as faculty at the end of my residency year. When the time came to interview for the position, there was no question about my interest and commitment. Similarly, would I have ever been given the opportunity to lead the cannabis program if I hadn’t spoken up in the beginning about my interest? I will never know, because I did speak up…and I continue to speak up about my professional goals and interests.

Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?

When I feel overwhelmed, I take several steps to calm my mind and move forward.

I focus on my breathing. This is something that takes little time and training, but I have found it incredibly effective when I feel overwhelmed or anxious.

When my to-do list feels so long it can’t be completed, and I don’t know where to start, I try to find some small thing I can accomplish. When I have a big project, and I am procrastinating, I try to do one small thing to get me started – I find that starting is the hardest part and that completing even a small task can get me going.

I ask for help when I need help.

I remind myself that my worth is not wholly based on my professional achievements. If I make a major mistake at work, or even if I lose my job, my family will love me the same.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://faculty.rx.umaryland.edu/lsera/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/umsop/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lserapharmd/
• Twitter: https://x.com/umsop