Following the completion of her undergraduate degree in biology at the University of Memphis, where she was a Magna Cum Laude Presidential Scholar in 2001, Dr. Chelsey Hunter Tate earned her Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy in 2006, again graduating with honors. Since then, she has worked primarily in hospital, specialty, and managed care pharmacies, holding multiple leadership roles with focal areas of health informatics, quality and auditing, and regulatory affairs and compliance. Her current role ties Clinical Quality and Regulatory Compliance for insurance-related prior authorization medication requests. She assists with writing and updating clinical policies as well as auditing the work of the clinical review team.  

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Q. Did you always know you wanted to be a pharmacist? 
A. I am a second-generation pharmacist, and there are numerous healthcare professionals in my family. I always knew that I wanted to work in healthcare, but I did not settle on pharmacy until college. Many people suggested teaching and law as potential careers during my youth. The quality, auditing, and compliance side of pharmacy came naturally once I took our pharmacy law class in professional school. 

Q. Why are you passionate about what you do?
A. I have always been a person who operates on high standards and wanted to meet or exceed expectations. I am also naturally a teacher/coach who wants to make things better for others and push people to give their best. Putting our best foot forward as it relates to people’s healthcare needs always seemed integral to me as a healthcare professional.

Q. What was your favorite tradition at GPS? Why? 
A. May Day because it was always a beautiful, exciting tradition that signaled that the end of the school year was near. It makes GPS unique that we still celebrate May Day. I remember shedding a tear as I watched my classmates start the processional for our own May Day as seniors.

Q. If you could offer one piece of advice to current GPS students, what would it be? 
A. GPS provides a unique academic experience—the most obvious aspect being the female-focused educational setting. There is incredibly large power in females coming together for a common purpose. Do not take it for granted because the real world does not necessarily empower females in the same way, especially in leadership roles. 
  
Q. Do you stay in touch with your classmates? What impact have they had on your life?
A. I have maintained relationships with many GPS alums from other graduating classes, not just my own. They often keep me grounded in remembering where I came from, but also challenge me to keep moving forward and embrace new possibilities. 

Q. Can you point to anything that GPS did to prepare you for your future?
A. Of course, time management and study skills. GPS expects and encourages students to be well-rounded and tap into a wide variety of interests while being curious to try new things. The leadership development (being willing to speak up, take a chance with something new, be a trailblazer) served me well in my adult life. Many healthcare professionals lack solid writing skills because our training focus lies in the sciences. Having duties where I write clinical policies, I have become increasingly aware of the writing skills that I developed during my time at GPS. I also believe GPS encouraged me to be open to people who may be different in obvious ways (physical appearance, culture, religion, etc.) or have a different perspective from my own. I have always prided myself on being an approachable person, whether I agree with another individual or not. 

Q. What is your proudest accomplishment thus far? 
A. Being a girl mom and imparting and developing the female empowerment aspects that I received at GPS to my own daughters. I wasn’t a girly-girl and I’m an only child, so having two daughters provides a level of comedy and insight that I could not have anticipated. They both are similar to me but have their own unique qualities, as well. I have been challenged as a mother in appreciating their individual qualities while giving them the same foundational principles.

Q. Are there any quotes that really resonate with you/guide you in your daily pursuits? 
A. A few Maya Angelou quotes:
“A wise woman wishes to be no one's enemy; a wise woman refuses to be anyone's victim.”

“I learned a long time ago the wisest thing I can do is be on my own side, be an advocate for myself and others like me.”

“You are the sum total of everything you've ever seen, heard, eaten, smelled, been told, forgot—it's all there. Everything influences each of us, and because of that I try to make sure that my experiences are positive.”

Q. Are there any experiences or memories from your time at GPS that really stick out?
A. My senior year of volleyball did not go as planned. There were six of us who had played together since seventh grade. By senior year, there were two of us remaining. I had to challenge myself to continue to be a leader to our very young team of mostly sophomores and freshmen despite my sadness about the attrition of my classmates and the fact that our dreams about our senior year were dashed. We made it to the state tournament and beat the eventual state champs in round-robin play. It was a testament to being present and engaging people around me even when things did not shake out the way I anticipated. Stay the course, make the adjustment, play the hand you are dealt, and you can still be successful. 

Q. Why is Black History Month important to you and why is it important that we acknowledge and honor the month at GPS? 
A. Black history is American history, and it’s something to be acknowledged all the time. Acknowledging the contributions of unsung Black Americans uplifts our society as a whole. Black lives, Black inventions, and Black contributions matter because all lives, innovation, and contributions matter. To shine light on one group does not diminish the impact for all groups. It only serves to increase knowledge and awareness while giving credit where credit is due.