Dylan Gannon knew he wanted to be a pharmacist when he got a job at Rite-Aid, watching his father fill prescriptions and talk with customers.
The family influence isn’t surprising. When Gannon graduates from Duquesne University’s School of Pharmacy this month, it will mark the fifth generation of Gannons to take up the profession.
Timothy and Lisa Gannon, Dylan’s parents, are both pharmacists and Duquesne graduates. Before them, Dylan’s grandfather, great-grandfather and great-great-grandfather worked as pharmacists.
“My great-grandfather and great-great-grandfather ran their own pharmacy for 31 years,” said Dylan, who will begin his career working for Giant Eagle Pharmacy. “When they retired, it was interesting to see the equipment they used. Mortar and pestles for making compounds, beakers for mixing suspensions, handwriting the ingredients on bottle labels. The profession has come a long way.”
Besides the family history, the appeal of becoming a pharmacist for Dylan rests in helping people.
“I’ve always liked working in retail pharmacy. People are the reason we do this work and it’s a privilege to get to know them,” said Dylan, a Pittsburgh native. “You see something new every day and have the opportunity to use your skills to help solve their problems.”
The desire to help others has played a key role in Dylan’s academic career. As part of a service project for his fraternity, he oversaw increasing campus participation in the annual Recovery Walk as part of Substance Abuse Awareness Month.
“This past year, we took up an entire parking lot in the Strip District,” he said. “It was very gratifying.”
This sense of community came early for Dylan, even though he began his Duquesne career during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Beginning school with the pandemic was a rough adjustment at first,” he said. “But once I found some friends through student groups, we became a close-knit community with a lot of the same interests.”
The support from faculty was also exceptional, Dylan added, noting that one professor knew the students’ names before they had even had a class together.
“The professors want us to succeed,” Dylan said. “I’m studying for my boards and they have been so helpful in letting me know what areas to focus on. I feel prepared for anything.”
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