Hello everyone! My name is Paul Fina and I am a fourth year pharmacy student from The Ohio State University. I will be working here at Plain City Druggist for the month of February and just wanted to introduce myself!

I grew up in the village of Cary, a suburb an hour northwest of downtown Chicago. I attended Saints Peter and Paul for grade school and then went to Cary-Grove high school where I wrestled and played tennis until I graduated in 2005.  Jimmy John, the owner of the popular sub sandwich franchise, also graduated from Cary-Grove. I then attended the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign where I pursued a degree in both chemistry and molecular cellular biology. During my time there, I was a teaching assistant for chemistry lab and discussion sections. I was also an active member of Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity. In May 2009, I graduated from the University of Illinois, and, not too long afterwards, I began my career in pharmacy by starting my Pharm.D. at Ohio State in September 2009. I was drawn to pharmacy because I want a career where I can help other people daily and which also applies concepts from both chemistry and biology.

Currently, I am pursuing a community pharmacy residency, a year-long post-graduate program that helps prepare pharmacists to be leaders in the community.  I was not originally scheduled to intern at Plain City Druggist, but requested to be here for a month to see how independent pharmacies operate differently from large chains. I am interested in owning my own pharmacy business some day and hope to learn from the very experienced staff at Plain City Druggist. My other rotation experiences include working for Walgreens, OSU Wexner Medical Center, Grant Hospital, National Taiwan University Hospital, and an OSU neurology clinic.

In my free time, I like to stay active. I enjoy disc golf, tennis, lifting weights, and basketball. I also take classes in Krav Maga, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and Muay Thai. Additionally, I like doing crossword puzzles and am an avid gamer–I have an Xbox 360, Super Nintendo, Wii, and PS2 at home. When I have the time and money, I like to travel and love talking about past destinations. I have been to Canada, Mexico, U.K., Belgium, Netherlands, France, Spain, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Taiwan, Japan, China, and Indonesia.

If you ever have any questions regarding how to get the most out of your medications during my stay here, please do not hesitate to ask. I look forward to meeting you at Plain City Druggist!