Students who work in clinical psychiatric pharmacy today have a totally different experience than Julie Dopheide did when she began working in settings such as the LAC+USC Medical Center back in the late 1980's.

For one thing, the role of medications, particularly for adolescents who are now being diagnosed with "adult" diseases, has changed significantly, says the associate professor of clinical pharmacy at the USC School of Pharmacy.

"I remember a 13-year-old boy, newly diagnosed with bipolar disorder, who was very manic," she recalls. "He did really well on lithium and went on to complete high school and become a successful basketball player." Decades earlier, before bipolar disorder was recognized in youth, "He might have been considered an unruly child who belongs in juvenile hall. The changes in the field are changing lives."

The role of the student pharmacist has changed, too. "They are increasingly relied upon to provide drug information and recommendations for improving pharmacotherapy and preventing harmful drug interactions," she says. "With the complexity of medication regimens, and the desire to improve functioning quickly, pharmacists have become bigger players in the treatment team."

Dopheide is dedicated to making sure students learn that mental health is just as important as physical health. As part of teams that evaluate and treat both children and adults, "they see entire families become healthier when one member gains control over a mental illness through appropriate pharmacotherapy," she says. "The benefits can be enormous."