Kaysi Royston Brock has been selected as president-elect of the Tennessee Society of Student Pharmacists. Brock is a native of Hampton, Tennessee and will begin her two-year term in February 2026, representing student pharmacists from across Tennessee as a member of the Tennessee Pharmacists Association Board of Directors.
David Miller spoke with Kaysi Brock about the news.
Transcript:
David Miller: Our guest today is Kaysi Royston Brock of Hampton, Tennessee. She is a student with the Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy on the campus of East Tennessee State University. She has been selected as the president-elect of the Tennessee Society of Student Pharmacists. Kaysi, as I said a moment ago, you will hope to graduate in 2027. Looking toward the future for you, where would you like to be maybe five, ten years from now?
Kaysi Brock: Yeah, so I'm definitely interested in pursuing a residency. I really found a passion for working in an ambulatory care setting, so working in a clinic. I've also really enjoyed my time working at small independent community pharmacies, and I really just love this region so whatever I can do to stay here in the Tri-Cities, that's what I'm gonna do.
David Miller: With the presidency coming next year, this will be an opportunity for you to interact with student pharmacists all across the state. What are some of the proactive things you would like to do as the president of the Society and making things better for student pharmacists?
Kaysi Brock: I think just making sure that every student realizes that they have a voice that they can use to be heard is my main priority. I want all of the student pharmacists in Tennessee to come together, get to know one another, because it's really connections that drive the future. And in pharmacy, we always joke and say that it is a very close tight-knit community and everybody knows everyone. So I think just building those relationships now will not only improve patient care but also help us down the road. I also think that just we're actually coming up on 140 years of the Tennessee Pharmacists Association. So another part of my campaign, I really want to focus on its history and realizing how far that we have come in pharmacy, especially in just the past forty years, it's been tremendous what we've been able to do. And just try to focus on making pharmacy better. You step into any independent pharmacy, and they're extremely busy. I'm sure there's complaints from many pharmacists in many settings, and I just want that to be different for us.
David Miller: You, of course, have worked in local pharmacies as you were attending the Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy. What are some of the things that concern you at that level at this time?
Kaysi Brock: I think the biggest issue is working with insurances and of course PBMs are a huge part of pharmacy in general, and that's actually one thing that we're working for is protecting 340B drug pricing for patients and trying to make sure that PBMs do abide by the law and don't hurt pharmacies and don't hurt patients because we really, you know, just want to give the best care to patients that we can.
David Miller: The fact is that there are a lot of people that depend on the pharmacy as much as they do their care provider.
Kaysi Brock: Yes, we are the most accessible healthcare provider, you know, you drive down the street, you'll pass several pharmacies, and you may only see one clinic. So, the amount of patients that we see on a regular basis is tremendous. Um. Even if someone has an emergency they might stop into a pharmacy and ask for advice, and at that point we can possibly help them or send them on to the ER.
David Miller: How is it being a student at the Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy?
Kaysi Brock: It has been absolutely wonderful. I've always said, you know, growing up, I knew that I wanted to work in health care, but I wasn't quite sure where or what my path would lead to. I actually thought that I wanted to become a dentist, and after shadowing dentists, it wasn't setting right with me in my heart. And so I was looking at other healthcare professions and came across pharmacy, absolutely fell in love, and honestly, going to Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy has changed my life, not only for the profession, but just the ways that I've been able to grow as a person, as a student, as a friend, and as a mentor, there's just not enough good things that I could say about that school.
David Miller: Kaysi, I appreciate your time with us and best of luck in the new position as the upcoming president of the Tennessee Society of Student Pharmacists. And once again, thank you much.
Kaysi Brock: Thank you.
David Miller Kaysi Royston Brock of Hampton, Tennessee. She is a student with the Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy on the campus of East Tennessee State University. She has been selected as the president-elect of the Tennessee Society of Student Pharmacists.