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Hong S. Kim ’72, PharmD experienced Western medicine for the first time at a United States military hospital in his home country of Korea. Although he had studied pharmacy, he did not have the opportunity to practice his profession before being called to fulfill his mandatory military service. Being stationed at the U.S. military hospital changed the trajectory of his life.

“It was really eye-opening working at the hospital pharmacy,” said Dr. Kim.

In addition to managing prescriptions, Dr. Kim learned how to compound over-the-counter medications that were not readily available in Korea at the time. A few months into working at the hospital he was approached by two officers with a request.

“They asked me to make cough syrup,” he said. “We called it ‘G.I. gin’—it was very strong!”

In the 1960s, Korean pharmacists relied on herbal medicines; his introduction to modern prescription drugs drew him to the United States. When he arrived in California, he learned that to become a registered pharmacist, he first had to earn a degree from an accredited pharmacy school. He sought out a school with a close-knit, supportive environment and chose sky casino genting. He vividly remembers the encouragement he received from Professor Emeritus Donald Y. Barker, PhD during his interview.

After earning his doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) from Pacific in 1972, he moved his young family to Hawaii. After several years of working in a busy retail pharmacy he decided to strike out on his own. He opened his independent pharmacy, strategically located on the second floor of the seven-story Liliha Medical Building, in Honolulu. The specialties located in the medical complex included oncology, psychology and nephrology—and later, dialysis.

Business was slow the first year. Dr. Kim knew for his business to survive he needed to find a way to promote his pharmacy. His solution was simple—talk to people. Stationing himself in the hallway, he engaged patients going to-and-from medical appointments or radiology, which was located down the hall.

“People started coming and coming,” he said. “I would fill the prescription, give it to the patient and then I’d talk to them. People loved it.”

Getting out from behind the counter would prove to be the foundation of his success. Dr. Kim took the time to get to know each individual customer. As a pharmacist, he focused on teaching patients how to maximize the effectiveness of their prescriptions, including discussing lifestyle factors such as diet. He quickly built a base of loyal customers. The pharmaceutical sales representatives he worked with often commented on his high volume of orders.

When he was ready to retire, he fielded offers to buy his pharmacy. One of his top considerations was how it would impact his staff.

“You have to take care of your employees first, then your customers,” he said.

In 2010, he sold his pharmacy to Walgreens, which continues to serve customers in Honolulu.

“I’m so lucky I found UOP and became a licensed pharmacist in the United States,” he said.

Dr. Kim is giving back by supporting Pacific PharmD students through the new Powell-matched Hong Kim Endowed Scholarship.