The Spectrum Comes Full Circle
As my tenure as Editor-in-Chief comes to an end, I’ve been thinking back on this whirlwind of a journey. When I first became Editor-in-Chief, I honestly thought it was going to be fun and straightforward: I’d brainstorm with my team, gather articles, fix a few typos, upload, boom — Editor of the Year. The joke was on me. I didn’t realise I’d forfeit sleep on some nights to edit, and spend more than a few days chasing writers to meet deadlines (you all know yourselves 👀). But somehow, through the chaos, the laughter, and the adrenaline of hitting “publish,” we made it.
Our newsletters weren’t just emails. They were mini time capsules of pharmacy life, filled with a perfect mix of serious talk and banter.
We had conversations that mattered, including tackling life after pharmacy school in The Graduate Diaries, discussing mental health in pharmacy school, and spotlighting sports through Rx for Sports, where we broke down different games and their oddly complicated rules.
We also had our fun moments — 10 Types of PANSites You’ll See Before Pharmalympics, The Valentine’s Edition of Humans of Pharmacy, and so many other gems that kept us all laughing, nodding, or mildly offended (in the best way).
Moments That Made It All Worth It
1. Reaching 1,000+ Subscribers
Nothing screams validation like watching the subscriber count go from hundreds to over a thousand. The day we crossed a thousand subscribers felt unreal. It was like finding out people actually enjoyed reading our work and weren’t just opening it out of pity.
2. PANS Wrapped
Seven straight days of newsletters, each covering major events from the past year. It was chaotic, but we pulled it off. I was editing nonstop for days on end. I randomly remember the night of Boxing Day when “Did Somebody Say Pharmalympics?" was published. That had to be the most stressful night out of all seven days.
3. Humans of Pharmacy
We kept Humans of Pharmacy running, capturing stories that made us laugh, think, or sometimes appreciate that we’re all figuring it out.
4. The Pharmacy Spectrum
The magazine — my problem child and my proudest creation. It took a village to bring this to life. Sleepless nights, design revisions, and last-minute edits that had me questioning my life choices, but in the end, it was worth every minute.
If you haven’t read it yet, what are you waiting for?
My People (A.K.A. The Reason I Still Have Sanity)
No Editor-in-Chief survives alone, and I’m glad I had amazing people to help me during this journey.
To my incredible editorial team —the perfect mix of mind-blowing ideas, talent, and a sprinkle of procrastination —thank you for your creativity, passion, and for consistently proving that “I’ll send it tonight” actually means 11:59 p.m. sharp. It was a pleasure working with you guys. ❤️
To the past editors who always picked up my calls, answered my random questions, and gave advice while I was panicking over the magazine, thank you. You all made the work lighter.
Special shout-out to Gabriel, who handled most of our graphics and somehow did not block me despite my many texts to tweak something and my last-minute graphics requests.
This won’t be complete without thanking my friends and confidants who helped me through this journey. Those who read first drafts of articles and the magazine, people who helped me decide on the final magazine cover, those who sacrificed their time to serve as judges for the essay competition, those who celebrated my wins like it was theirs and held me down when I was panicking about things not working out. Thank you ❤️
Most importantly, I hope PANSites enjoyed reading these newsletters as much as we enjoyed creating them. It’s been an honor to tell your stories, celebrate your wins, and sprinkle in a little humor along the way.
The End
I won’t pretend this role was easy. This job taught me patience, leadership, and how to stay calm while everything’s falling apart behind the scenes. There were moments of doubt and weeks that felt like deadlines were out to get me personally. But every article published, every reader feedback, every “this made my day” message made it all worth it.
If you’ve read even one of our newsletters, laughed at a headline, or shared a story that stuck with you, thank you. You’re the reason we kept showing up.
To the incoming editor, I’m rooting for you 💪🏽
As for me, I’m just grateful, and maybe a little emotional, but mostly grateful. It’s been a ride.
Signing out for the last time,
Aisha Olusanya
Outgoing Editor-in-Chief (2024/2025 session)
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