Pharmacist and entrepreneur Karine Wong ’97, PharmD has married her passion for patient education with her love of dessert. In addition to her role as a clinical pharmacist she is the chief executive officer for My Guiltless Treats.
She established My Guiltless Treats in 2013. Her direct-to-consumer products were inspired by her work as a pharmacist. “My ‘a-ha’ moment came to me when I was counseling a diabetic patient about carb-counting and what to eat on a diabetic diet,” said Dr. Wong. “Today My Guiltless Treats offers healthy desserts for diabetics, pre-diabetics and those who struggle on a low-carb diet.” In 2018, she developed a healthy panna cotta, which currently comes in four flavors.
Dr. Wong serves as an adjunct professor for the Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy. She recognizes students can feel overwhelmed during their clinical rotations. She has found encouraging students to “think like a PharmD and act like a PharmD” helps boost their confidence. Dr. Wong also uses humorous videos to promote healthy lifestyle choices and teach key health care concepts. For example, one of her TikTok videos uses dance moves to help pharmacy students remember how to respond during a code blue when a patient is experiencing ventricular tachycardia.
“My ‘a-ha’ moment came to me when I was counseling a diabetic patient about carb-counting and what to eat on a diabetic diet.”
Dr. Wong champions work-life balance. Her advice for current students and alumni is to take one hour a day for yourself. Setting aside time allows for creativity and can lead to innovation. “You could be the pharmacist that paints murals for non-profits,” she said. “You could be the pharmacist that owns their own concierge pharmacy service. You could be the pharmacist who created and patented the first collagen-based mascara that helps grow eyelashes.”
Dr. Wong is a clinical pharmacist at Santosha Health, a remote-based telemedicine clinic. “As a certified pharmacogenomics pharmacist, I evaluate patients for genetic testing,” she said. “If they qualify, I order and interpret the results. Results are discussed with the patient and forwarded to the prescriber.”
She is also passionate about writing. She published the novel “Call Me Doctor” and the children’s book “Don’t Sit on Her.” In 2020, she launched the quiz-based Pharmacy Pearls application on the Apple Store to help pharmacy and medical students prepare for rotations. She currently hosts the podcast “Girl Talk” to offer advice on navigating personal and professional relationships.
By Anne Marie H. Bergthold
