Meet Bryan Morgan

What got you into pharmacy?

My pharmacy journey started in 2012. At the time, I was working part-time at a fireworks store and swing shift for a candy manufacturer after stepping away from college because I had not yet found a path that felt meaningful to me. Looking for direction and purpose, I walked into my local United States Air Force recruiter’s office and asked for the first medical job they could give me. That decision changed my life.

From 2012 to 2018, I gained experience across a wide range of military pharmacy settings, including outpatient, inpatient, and the narcotics vault. Those experiences introduced me to the impact pharmacists have on patient care, but what shaped me most were the pharmacist mentors I gained along the way. They poured their knowledge and experience into me, challenged me to grow, and supported me when I needed it most. Through their example and transformational leadership, they showed me that pharmacy was more than a career. It was a calling centered on service, lifelong learning, and caring for others. Their influence ultimately led me to decide not to reenlist and instead pursue the path to pharmacy school.

How does Mercer Mean More to you?

Mercer to me means family. From the very first moment I stepped on campus, it has felt like a place that genuinely cares about your success and well-being. The faculty truly invest their time and energy into shaping students into compassionate and capable future pharmacists, and their mentorship has made a lasting impact on me. The students here come from many different walks of life, yet we have built a community rooted in support and shared purpose. We challenge each other, lift one another up through difficult times, and celebrate each other’s successes as if they were our own.

What makes Mercer mean more to me is that it has been more than a place of learning. It has been a place where I have grown personally and professionally, found a sense of belonging, and developed a deeper commitment to serving others. Through the relationships I have built and the opportunities I have been given, Mercer has helped shape both the pharmacist and the person I am becoming. It has given me a community that feels like home and relationships that will stay with me far beyond graduation.

What do you hope to do after school?

My plan is to return home to Cleveland, Tennessee after pharmacy school. Before starting this journey, I would have said without hesitation that I saw myself becoming a hospital pharmacist, and that still may be the path I pursue. I enjoy the pace, complexity, and challenge of hospital pharmacy. At the same time, my experiences working in community pharmacy during school have given me a deep appreciation for the impact community pharmacists make every day. There is no more accessible healthcare professional, and I have come to value how vital their role is in patient care and the communities they serve.

Regardless of which path I ultimately choose, the most important thing I hope to do is invest in others and serve as a mentor to the next generation of pharmacists. I would not be where I am today without the mentors who challenged, supported, and believed in me. Because of that, I see mentorship not only as something I hope to do, but as a responsibility I owe to the profession. Wherever my career takes me, I hope to make a difference through patient care, service, and by helping those who come after me succeed.

What is something people may not know about you?

I’m a diehard Atlanta Braves fan, which is something people may not know about me right away. Growing up, I watched Braves games on TBS with my grandmother, and those memories made me a lifelong fan. Even now, I still call her to catch up and talk about how well, or how poorly, the Braves are playing.

What advice would you give someone going into pharmacy school?

This is a great question and one I hear often from prospective students considering pharmacy school. There are many practical ways to prepare. You can become familiar with medications, review foundational courses like anatomy and physiology, organic chemistry, and biochemistry, or gain experience working as a pharmacy technician. All of those things can help you feel more prepared.

The biggest piece of advice I can give, though, is to come in with the right attitude and to know why you are doing this. Pharmacy school is demanding, and your sense of purpose will carry you through the difficult moments. The faculty will teach you what you need to know to become a successful pharmacist. What they cannot teach is the mindset to stay humble, remain teachable, and do whatever it takes to succeed. Come in ready to work hard, lean on your classmates, and embrace the process. If you do that, pharmacy school will shape you in ways far beyond the classroom.