Pharmacist-Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri | U.S. Army
Originally from Pakistan, his family immigrated to the U.S. when he was two-years-old. After completing his pre-pharmacy requirements from the University of Maryland-College Park and attending pharmacy school at the University of Maryland-Baltimore, Major Aatif Sheikh began a career with the U.S. Army.
“During pharmacy school, I completed several rotations,” he said. “I was inspired with my rotation at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. I was surrounded by these superior military professionals and became interested in pursuing my career through the Army.”
Major Sheikh’s career has taken him to places around the world including South Korea and Honduras. However, he made time to stop by Ft. Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas, to complete the Army-Baylor graduate program in health and business administration.
“When people think of a pharmacist, they may picture something like a Walgreens or CVS pharmacist,” he said. “In the Army, there are quite a few more responsibilities involved. I found out about the joint MHA and MBA program offered through Baylor and thought it would be a perfect fit for me.”
Using his training in health and business administration, Major Sheikh currently serves as chief of the Pharmacy Division at General Leonard Wood Army Community Hospital in Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri.
“Running a pharmacy is a lot like running a small business with managing personnel and budgets,” he said, “only we don’t have to focus on profits. I use training from my organizational behavior and management classes I took through Baylor every day- from establishing strategies and managing the work environment to hiring personnel.”
By serving his country and patients, Major Sheikh said he enjoys his job every step of the way.
“I love what I am doing in the Army,” he said. “There have been many opportunities that I may not have had as a civilian. The reason I am at the hospital is to take care of patients in the best possible way. More importantly, we are taking care of patients that are returning from the war and patients with loved ones in the Army that are still deployed. It is our job to take care of our beneficiaries on the home front, so that those soldiers that are deployed can focus on protecting our freedom and American way of life without having to worry about their loved ones at home.”