A seat at the table: How one PharmD student is ensuring his peers play a key role in decision-making

David Joseph does it all, but you’d be hard-pressed to get him to admit it. 

A Class of 2026 PharmD candidate, Joseph has made his way into just about every leadership role imaginable. He serves as the president of his PharmD class, chief intern at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James) and he’s just been elected as the first pharmacy student to serve as a student delegate for The Ohio State University Foundation’s Board of Directors. 

It’s a heavy lift when you look at those titles together, but Joseph insists that all it takes to succeed is the ability to slow down. 

“I work intentionally to ensure that I’m not spreading myself too thin,” he said. “I’ve struggled with that at times, and it’s taken a lot of work to improve. Now, I focus on one thing at a time. I’ll tell myself, ‘Over the next hour, I’m only chief intern, not class president,’ and vice versa.”

What keeps Joseph coming back to these leadership roles, even at the cost of free time, is the opportunity to connect with and uplift his peers. Since joining the PharmD program, he has hosted events inside and outside of the classroom with community-building in mind, such as the PharmD volleyball tournament. (Last year, the “Beta Blockers” took home the trophy.) 

Outside of the sandpit, Joseph also facilitates academic-focused conversations between faculty and students about curriculum and student resources.

“Working as the facilitator between faculty and students has made me appreciate how seriously our professors take our success,” Joseph said. “We’ll hold group discussions about what’s working , what isn’t and how we can work together to make the necessary changes.

If we can continue to improve these relationships every year, then the college will be in a really great place moving forward.” 

Sitting in on these conversations at the college and coordinating his fellow interns at the OSUCCC – James has had an invaluable impact on his perspective.

“At The OSUCCC – James, I’m always checking in with the team of interns, making sure I know what’s going on with them,” Joseph said. “It’s grown my communication skills, but more than that, it’s given me a space and reason to interact with really different people with the same passion for care.” With his recent appointment to The Ohio State Foundation Board of Directors, Joseph is excited to offer his cultivated insight on the lives of professional students and medical center workers to university decisionmakers.

“I’m thrilled by the opportunity to offer my perspective to the board of directors,” Joseph said.

“As class president and chief intern, I’ve connected with such a wide range of students, and I truly believe that Ohio State is the students. When I work with the board, that’s what I’m advocating they incorporate into their decision-making and fundraising.” 

The Ohio State University Foundation is the primary fundraising and gift-receiving organization for the university. As such, the foundation board of directors influences what receives priority in fundraising
campaign efforts and distribution of philanthropic gifts. 

Joseph was nominated for the student representative role on the board by Dean Deanna Kroetz, PhD, BS Pharm ’85, and Associate Dean for Student Success James McAuley, PhD.

“David has done a superb job of navigating challenging issues and is very professional in his approach to
his colleagues, faculty, staff and our college leadership,” Dr. McAuley wrote in his nomination letter.

“In my opinion, David is the right mix of passion, dedication and thoughtfulness. Class president is not an easy leadership position and is compelling evidence of David’s service commitment.” 

As a student delegate, Joseph has a seat at the table for every major board meeting. He joins his undergraduate delegate counterpart Megan O’Connor to serve as the voice of graduate and professional students at the university.

“Serving as class president, I view being the connector between students and faculty as my primary responsibility,” Joseph said. “Seeing faculty engage with students when we reach out has been the highlight of this role and facilitating that has given me a good foundation to connect students with a new group of
decision-makers.”

In his vision for the board’s future, Joseph is hopeful to see more of a focus to support students through fundraising efforts. To do this, he believes the board must engage with students as a resource. 

Managing a team of interns at The James and offering mentorship to his fellow PharmD candidates has proven to Joseph just how much students are capable of. To champion student support, he’s encouraging the board of directors to listen closely to the students and uplift their stories. 

This is an opportunity for Joseph to continue to support his peers, and set up a future for professional and graduate students’ success for years to come.

“My knowledge as both a student and Wexner Medical Center employee can combine to make sure that we allocate funds to invest in our facilities and our students,” Joseph said. “Supporting current medical students sets us all up for a better future in health care.”

Joseph is supported by the William Craig Orr and Mary Black Orr Scholarship in Pharmacy and the Ron Saylor Memorial "Pay it Forward" Scholarship for Oncology Pharmacy.