Growing up in a bi-coastal family, Dr. Mona Vand‘s parents could see from an early age that she had a deep passion for science and helping people – something she’s now taking to an exciting global level with the launch of her multi-faceted health and wellness website and web series, centered around her passion as The Modern Pharmacist.
Dr. Mona Vand attended the prestigious Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.
“Pharmaceutical science approaches health from so many different angles. I knew almost immediately that I could accomplish the goals I am passionate about with a pharmacy degree. Having the ability to work with people, understand how chemicals work in the body, and one day work to develop my own health and wellness products was something I strived for,” says Dr. Mona. “Once I was in school, I loved learning the science of different medicines, how they work and how the body reacts to them. I also became excited about nutrition, which is a very large aspect of overall wellness. I always wondered if there would be a way to combine everything I was interested in and share it with people in a meaningful way. There’s a natural connection between pharmaceuticals and overall wellness, and I’m really excited to start connecting the two.”
Now, as The Modern Pharmacist, the beautiful and charismatic media entrepreneur is doing just that, combining her extensive expertise in pharmacy with her deep interest and expertise in nutrition, beauty, fitness and overall wellness. In addition to putting a fresh new face on the traditional world of pharmacy, Dr. Mona’s soon-to-launch website – and the ambitious slate of multi-media platforms to follow – uniquely positions her as the Dr. Oz andRachel Ray of The Modern Pharmacist movement, whose mission is to help patients understand the connection between pharmaceutical science and overall wellness.
Conceived by and featuring all exclusive content by Dr. Mona, The Modern Pharmacist website – which has earned the sponsorship of Opus Rx, one of the country’s largest compounding pharmacy organizations – showcases her as the “go to” person for all types of health and wellness questions.
While Dr. Mona’s intense six years of pharmacy school and many years of professional experience as a Compounding Pharmacist in Los Angeles leaves her with a wealth of information to share, she points out that she’s also just a normal woman who wants to help people in a relatable way. “I’m a professional who is excited about sharing my knowledge with the world,” she says.
“People with important questions about medicine and other wellness topics don’t always have access to someone with my kind of diverse expertise who can help them,” Dr. Mona adds. “Anyone who knows me is aware that I could talk forever about health, wellness and medication, and I have always found it rewarding to counsel people who need help or want a deeper knowledge of things to better take control of their health.
Dr. Mona’s road to becoming The Modern Pharmacist has found her at a crossroads of tradition and ambition. After graduating as a Doctor of Pharmacy, she settled in L.A. and worked first as a retail pharmacist before switching to a clinical pharmacy where she specialized in compounding – a fast growing part of the field that allows pharmacists to create customized strengths, combine ingredients, compound a tablet or capsule into a liquid, eliminate preservatives and prepare special formulations.
“All of this is driven by my passion for so many things,” says Dr. Mona. “Just like someone who is into cars who wants to talk about them all day long, I love to talk about wellness and medicine – and I am lucky to have chosen a profession that allows me to do that. When you love something, you want to share it, just like when something exciting happens in your life and you want to post the moment on Facebook. I have so much information that I want people to know and I want to be that trusted resource they can turn to for answers, insights and compassion. It’s a proven fact that when people go to doctor’s offices, their blood pressure goes up because of anxiety, or what we in the industry call ‘white coat syndrome.’ I’ve been wearing the white pharmacist coat for a long time, but I’m here to put people at ease and show that there’s nothing to be nervous about. I’m here to help!”
