Uraiwan P. Tesfaye, PharmD
Uraiwan P. Tesfaye is an experienced pharmacist with more than four decades of dedication to patient care and community health. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy from Texas Southern University in 1985 and began her professional career at Methodist Hospital in Houston. From 1982 to 1995, she worked in a satellite pharmacy located just outside the cardiac surgery department, where she supported the medical team by preparing and dispensing medications in a fast-paced hospital environment.
In 1995, Uraiwan transitioned into community pharmacy, joining Maritime Pharmacy, a small pharmacy located within a clinic setting in Houston. In this role, she discovered a passion for working closely with patients. Unlike the hospital setting, community pharmacy allowed her to interact directly with individuals, providing medication counseling, answering health questions, and helping patients better understand how to care for themselves. She values the personal relationships she has built with patients and finds great fulfillment in helping them manage their health safely and effectively.
Originally from Thailand, Uraiwan came to the United States to pursue her pharmacy education. Her family initially settled in California, but she moved to Texas after being inspired by a cousin who attended pharmacy school there. Texas quickly became her home, where she built both her career and her family life. She met her husband, who is also a pharmacist, while attending pharmacy school, and the two married after earning their licenses. Now in her seventies, Uraiwan continues to practice pharmacy because she genuinely loves connecting with people and serving her community.
• Texas Southern University
• RPH
• Pharmacy Association
Areas of Specialization/Expertise
- Community pharmacy
- Patient counseling and medication education
What do you enjoy most about practicing medicine?
What I enjoy most about being a pharmacist is communicating with people and having the ability to educate them about how to take their medication correctly. I love working in community pharmacy because I have the chance to work very close to my patients. They come and talk to me about their health, and if they need any recommendations for over-the-counter medications, I'm there to help them. Unlike hospital pharmacy where it's mostly just dispensing with limited patient contact, in community pharmacy I can talk to patients directly. I have the opportunity to introduce them to information about their health and how to take care of themselves. That's what I really like about my job. I'm not bored because I have the chance to meet people every day, and I enjoy it very much.