Discovering the World of Healthcare Through HOSA
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Discovering the World of Healthcare Through HOSA
Guest-written by Dr Madison Ricco and Dr Chandler Follett
Imagine stepping into a space filled with young, ambitious students, all eager to explore careers in healthcare. This is the energy of HOSA – Future Health Professionals, an organization dedicated to inspiring and preparing the next generation of medical professionals. Whether students dream of becoming pharmacists, paramedics, researchers, or healthcare innovators, HOSA provides opportunities to develop leadership skills, compete in events, and gain real-world experience. For many, it’s the first step on an exciting journey toward making a real impact on people’s lives.
Bringing Science to Life
At this year’s Colorado HOSA State Leadership Conference, we had the privilege of sharing our experiences in pharmacy and research with rooms packed with over 30 engaged students. Dr. Chandler Follett, PharmD, who works with aspiring healthcare professionals daily, and Dr. Madison Ricco, PharmD, an educator and researcher passionate about mentoring young scientists, guided students through different career paths, including the distinction between a PharmD and a PhD. While a PharmD primarily focuses on patient care and medication management, a PhD tends to center more on research and discovery. However, pursuing one career doesn’t prevent you from exploring opportunities within the other’s primary focus. Dr. Ricco states “Many PharmDs are involved in patient-focused research, and many PhDs work with medical professionals on healthcare-related projects. At their core, both are essential to advancing medicine.” At HOSA, it was exciting to see students consider how their own interests could shape their future careers.
A Room Full of Curiosity and Big Ideas
What stood out most was the students’ curiosity and enthusiasm. They weren’t just interested in our shared projects—they wanted to know how to start their own. How do you launch a research project? What steps can you take in high school to prepare for a doctorate? The answers: Keep an open mind, find a mentor who aligns with your passions, and pursue what excites you. It was incredible to see students realize that they, too, could contribute to the future of healthcare.
Using the Body’s Own Defense System to Improve Cancer Treatment
HOSA participants checking in the event.
Dr Madison Ricco giving a presentation at the conference.
Participants listening to Madison’s presentation.
All photos © CU Pharmacy
One of the projects Dr. Ricco discussed involved reducing chemotherapy side effects by harnessing a natural immune response. “By leveraging the body’s own mechanisms, such as how it innately responds to viruses like the common cold, our project aims to make cancer treatment less taxing on patients. Less side effects and decreased accumulation of harsh chemotherapy on our healthy organs was our goal, but early data has shown some promise that the chemo could possibly be more effective.” As Dr. Ricco explained the concept and shared the Futurum-published article that dove deeper into the laboratory’s work, students’ faces lit up with excitement—connecting what they had learned in biology and chemistry to real-world innovations that could change lives. These moments of discovery make events like HOSA so special, as they inspire students to see science not just as something in a textbook but as a field they can actively shape.
The Message: Keep Doors Open and Say Yes to Opportunities
If there’s one takeaway from our time at HOSA, it’s this: Whatever your passion, there is a place for you in healthcare. These paths offer ways to make a difference in pharmacy, research, medicine, and beyond. The key is to remain curious, embrace new experiences, and say yes to opportunities that come your way. HOSA is just the beginning, and we hope it was a launching point for exciting futures in healthcare and science for the students who attended our sessions.
Dr Madison Ricco
Post-Doctoral Academic Fellow, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences,
Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, USA
Watch Madison talk about the event: https://youtu.be/bu9qIl0KpNI?si=RalZkq9uj4zDSXK0
Dr Chandler Follett
Pharmacy Outreach Specialist, Clinical Instructor, Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, USA
Do you have a question for Madison or Chandler?
Learn about the pharmaceutical science research that Madison has been a part of:
www.futurumcareers.com/exploiting-an-immune-response-to-alter-the-side-effects-of-cancer-treatment
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