Formulary Book Club: Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
Amber Frick, Assistant Professor in the Division of Pharmacotherapy and Experimental Therapeutics has our January ’24 book recommendation
Story and photo by Ryan McDaniel | Published January 30, 2024
Each month, the Formulary Book Club introduces a student, staff, faculty, or alumni of the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy and gets their recommendation for a great read.
This month’s recommendation comes to us from Amber Frick, PharmD ’09, PhD ’14, Assistant Professor in the Division of Pharmacotherapy and Experimental Therapeutics (DPET). Amber’s Formulary Book Club recommendation is Smoke Gets in Your Eyes & Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty.
In the book, Caitlin chronicles her early years working in the funeral industry. Through unforgettable scenes, she gives readers a peak behind the curtain of the history and current world of undertaking. She covers a wide range within this world – from the descriptions of postmortem biological changes to cultural differences and similarities in funeral practices and processing grief.
“At first glance, this book may seem like only a description of the macabre mysteries surrounding death,” explains Amber. “However, by lifting the metaphorical death curtain, the knowledge within this book translates into power for yourself and loved ones.”
“Caitlin’s content also often includes parallels to pharmacy and health care in general,” she goes on. “For instance, everyone in health care can benefit from more transparency and knowledge regarding difficult issues, such as sustainability, cultural awareness, and disparities.”
Amber brings these issues into the School’s clinical pharmacology course series as its Course Director. Her focus is on implementation and assessment of new approaches to and best practices in teaching.
She did not initially start down this path; after earning both her PharmD and PhD from the School, Amber was set for a career in pharmacogenomics, but she transitioned to educational research after completing a post-doctoral project that examined how personal genotyping affected pharmacy students’ attitudes and self-perceived competence about clinical pharmacogenomics.
Outside of work, Amber loves caring for her cat, Gabriel, and her plants. She is a fan of the K-Pop band, BTS, and of Korean dramas – in fact, she is learning Korean herself!
Thanks, Amber, for the book recommendation!