Passing the Baton: Meet Alex McQuade

Isabella Tobin:

You are listening to Living the Pharm Life, the official podcast of Purdue University’s College of Pharmacy. I’m your host, Isabella Tobin, a PharmD candidate with a passion for telling the stories of our college’s, phenomenal and loyal students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends who persistently pursue excellence in all they do.

Well, this is a bittersweet moment for me. Just finished recording my last episode as the Living the Pharm Life host, and I am kind of sad about it, but I’m really excited to introduce our new host, Alex Mcquade, and I’m excited for this mini episode where we’re going to learn a little bit more about you.

Alex Mcquade:

Hello to our listeners. My name is Alex Mcquade, and I’m the incoming host for the 2025 to 2026 podcast season two. I’m really excited. I’m a current P2 student and I’m also a double major in sociology. I’m from Pennsylvania, so we have that out-of-state student connection. And I chose pharmacy just because of the ability to work on all levels of the healthcare system. My mom’s a nurse, so growing up I always thought about ways that I could be in the healthcare system like her. She was just always inspiring to me. And when I had chemistry in high school, I was like, oh, this is kind of cool, watching how chemical reactions happen. And then when I realized that drugs are basically just chemical reactions in the body, I was like, wait, could I study that all the time? So that’s kind of what got me interested in pharmacy.

And then when I thought about where I was going to go for school, I actually toured 25 colleges all across the country.

Isabella Tobin:

Oh my God.

Alex Mcquade:

I really didn’t know where I wanted to be. I just wanted to be somewhere new, especially it was the middle of COVID lots of uncertainty in the air and I was like, let me make a bold move. And so then I came here to Purdue on a winter day, snow was falling on all the campus buildings and nobody was on campus, it was like winter break time. And I just saw how all of the red and orange tone buildings just on campus looked so pretty with the snow on top and just thinking about how this big campus hidden in a small town just felt so comfortable for a place to be for school. And so, I was actually on my drive back and I signed my offer of admittance. And so here I am and I have no regrets. This is the best decision I’ve ever made in my life.

So yeah, coming to Purdue, like I said, was so impactful for me. And so I’m really excited to share all the amazing things I’ve learned so far here at Purdue and to learn from our amazing guests that we’re going to have in the second season of the podcast on Living the Pharm Life. So I’m very grateful for this opportunity.

Isabella Tobin:

Yeah, I’m really excited that you’re going to be taking over as the new host, and I really liked your description of campus in the winter. I hate the cold. I hate snow. I like snow if I’m inside. But if I’m outside walking around campus, I can stop for a and be like, wow, it’s so pretty. And I’m like, I’m dying of the cold. So I really loved the poetry of it. I was like, that’s gorgeous and [inaudible 00:03:14] I’d be like, I hate snow.

Alex Mcquade:

I mean, it was nice when I stepped out of the car, but then I was thankful to be back in the car, obviously.

Isabella Tobin:

Oh, yeah. Yeah. But even with me hating snow, for a second you got me. For a second I was like, oh, I want to see campus in the snow. And I was like, wait a second, I live here.

Alex Mcquade:

Yeah, we’ve seen it too many times.

Isabella Tobin:

I know. I was like, I live here. I’m tired of snow by now. It’s April. I don’t want any more snow. But anyways, talking about the podcast, what got you interested in being the next host?

Alex Mcquade:

Well, sure. So I’m actually a longtime fan and listener of the podcast. As soon as I saw that we were starting a podcast, I was really excited because podcasts are really a medium for me to learn about topics that maybe are outside of my normal interests. But whenever I see a podcast that’s kind of related to my current experience, I’m like, let me see what my perspective is on it. So I’ve always thought that it was interesting.

I know there’s Life at Purdue, that podcast, I always thought that was really cool to hear from Purdue alums. And so when the Purdue Pharmacy podcast came out, Living the Pharm Life, I thought this could be a great way to learn about people who have impacted Purdue from a pharmacy perspective. Because I know there’s a very long legacy of amazing pharmacists that have come out of and I’m hoping to carry out that legacy in my future actions as a pharmacist and a Purdue grad. So that’s what kind of got me interested in the podcast.

And then as I was listening and learning new stories, I was just thinking about how I as a listener had a unique perspective. I mean, obviously all of our listeners have a unique perspective and things that they want to learn. And so I really want to be the host that’s asking those questions, finding out the things that the listeners really want to know, the true experience. I love that I get to delve deep into pharmacy topics and stories from our field. And so I think this podcast will be a really great way for me to learn more, get to know some amazing Purdue alum, Purdue faculty, students even, get to know them on a more personal level and bring those experiences into my future professional experience.

Isabella Tobin:

Yeah.

Alex Mcquade:

I’m curious about you. You took on this role as the inaugural host and you did a fantastic job.

Isabella Tobin:

Thank you.

Alex Mcquade:

Very inspirational. And so I’ve learned a lot from you, but I’m kind of curious on what drew you to the role in the first place and how did you make it your own when you first started out?

Isabella Tobin:

Yeah. I first found out about the applications for the role, it had been posted in the newsletter, This Week in Pharmacy that goes out to all of the pharmacy students here at Purdue. I was like, that sounds fun. I’m going to apply. I want to see what happens. I have always enjoyed public speaking. I did a decent amount of public speaking in high school. I had done a spoken essay contest. I love poetry. I’ve done a lot of poetry readings. I was like, well, I’ve never done a podcast before. I was like, I’ll give it a shot. I’ll apply, see where it goes. Probably nothing’s going to come of it. And now two years later we are.

But it was one of those things that I was like, well, I enjoy speaking publicly. I enjoy talking to people. I enjoy learning questions. Learning questions. I enjoy asking questions, learning from people, but it was, I like talking to people. I like knowing their life stories. I go to get blood drawn and they’re trying to find my vein because I have terrible veins. And so they’re rubbing my arm trying to find the vein, and I’m like, so what made you want to be a phlebotomist? Do you like being a phlebotomist? How long have you been working here? And they’re like, please stop talking to me. Things like that. Things like that. I went on a tour of Mackey Arena and I was talking to the tour guide. I was like, do you do a lot of tours? How long have you been a tour guide? Are you a tour guide? What is your actual job position? He was standing there, arms crossed, he was kind of giving me a bit of a side eye, what is this girl on?

Alex Mcquade:

You’re a natural at this. Yeah.

Isabella Tobin:

Yeah. So it was just one of those things. I was like, I like talking to people. I like talking publicly. I’ll apply. I’ll give it a shot. I’m not going to get it though, and then I did get it. But I’m very glad I did because this has been one of the highlights of my Purdue career.

Alex Mcquade:

Yeah, that’s so amazing. I’m glad that it’s been such an enriching experience for you.

Isabella Tobin:

Yeah. And I’m really excited to see the rest of season two and everything else you do with the podcast. Do you have anything in mind? Can you give me any sneak peeks on what it’s going to look like?

Alex Mcquade:

Well, sure. I mean, the thing is I’m coming in season two, most things when you come in as season two, there’s still a lot to grow from and still a lot to learn, but we have such an amazing foundation here already that you and the crew that we have has set up. And so I’m really excited about the fact that we get to start at a very high level, and I can hopefully just make it even better from there, give future hosts a great formula for what a good host will be like. We’re the first two, we got to make the groundwork, lay the groundwork for our future hosts and make this a really enriching experience because it really is. It teaches you a lot, I’m sure. And so it can be so valuable for the host, but also for our listeners to see different perspectives as hosts and how they interview our guests who come from a wide array of backgrounds.

So for me, I really want to focus on what ties all of us as future pharmacists, pharmacists, pharmaceutical scientists, people who are donors to the College of Pharmacy, what ties us all to the Purdue Pharmacy mission. So I want to try to isolate themes from every episode, even in the ones that we’ve already recorded I’ve tried to pick up on things that guests have laid down and be like, oh, so your theme of the episode is this. Because there’s always a key takeaway and something that we can all learn from people’s experiences. And that’s what I hope is that our listeners really at the end of an episode feel like they gained at least one major piece of advice that they can take with them through their career.

And also as a prospective student now almost four years ago, I like to think about what would be valuable for me when I’m thinking about my decision between all those schools? How would I decide that Purdue is right for me? So I would really love to do an episode where we get to focus on those prospective students, telling them a lot about what they can expect when they come here, so many ambitious goals. And obviously things will come as more episodes come along. But I’m super excited for where we’re at now and how much room for growth there is still since this is so early on.

Isabella Tobin:

Yeah. And I’m really excited to watch your future episodes.

Alex Mcquade:

Thank you. That’s very sweet. Thinking about the future can be super exciting, but I really wanted to ask you, what were some standout learning moments as your time here has gone as a host? You’ve hosted fellow students, current pharmacists, some alums, donors, so many people from vastly different backgrounds. And I’m kind of curious, what were some moments that left you with a better understanding of your approach and goals for the podcast?

Isabella Tobin:

I think that honestly, kind of the beginning parts before the camera starts rolling, those are some of my favorite parts because a lot of times the people, no matter if it’s a student and alumni, no matter high ranking an individual is in their company, they’re always kind of nervous to be here and I’m always kind of nervous too. And that’s always one of my standout moments because even though we’re both nervous, this is my show. And so I always take that moment to connect with them. Be like, we’re just having a conversation here you and I. Sure, there’s cameras rolling and we have a whole crew and everything, but we’re just having a good time.

And that’s always one of my favorite moments is taking that time to realize we’re all doing this for the first time, even though I’ve done, I don’t even know how many of these I’ve done, but it always feels like the first time. Especially you have so many different guests, and just taking that time to realize this was always the first time. We’re about to go into something. Everything in life sometimes feel like it feels really high stakes, especially in pharmacy school. And my favorite moment is when me and the guests, we get to take a breath together. We’re like, it’s not that deep. We’re having a good time. It’s going to be great. It doesn’t really matter what happens, it’s going to be great. Cameras don’t capture that, but that’s always my favorite moment.

Alex Mcquade:

Yeah, I’m sure it’s so rewarding too, when you’re having the conversation on camera and suddenly it feels like, oh, I’m just having a conversation.

Isabella Tobin:

Exactly.

Alex Mcquade:

Now I’m just talking to this person. Sometimes even in the episodes we’ve filmed thus far, I’ve had moments where I’m like, oh, the cameras are rolling.

Isabella Tobin:

Yes.

Alex Mcquade:

We’re having a chat.

Isabella Tobin:

Exactly.

Alex Mcquade:

You learned much.

Isabella Tobin:

We just happened to be here with all of these fancy seats in the background and these golden chairs. We just happened to walk in and just having a good time.

Alex Mcquade:

Yeah. I’m also curious about what are some funny not so serious moments that you’ve had on the podcast? As the first host I’m sure there’s some bloopers or things that you think about when you’re like, wow, I had so much fun in that experience on that one podcast episode. So tell me about some of those.

Isabella Tobin:

Well, definitely for the bloopers, especially some of our more high profile guests that we’ve had, sometimes I can never remember what their job title is. Sometimes job titles are very, very long and I’ve got the paper in front of me and I’m trying not to look at it because I’m like I got this memorized and I’m going for it and I absolutely butcher it. So many times we’ve had to rerun me trying to say job titles. I’ve butchered a lot of job titles. So we could have at least an hour long bloopers reel of me butchering everyone’s job titles.

But I think one of the funniest episodes I recorded was with Maureen de la Paz, also a fellow Purdue student. I can’t even remember if the cameras were rolling or not, but we were just joking back and forth talking about the different islands we grew up on and kind of trash talking Indiana a little bit just for its lack of ocean property.

Alex Mcquade:

Yeah. And mountains [inaudible 00:14:19]-

Isabella Tobin:

Yeah. Lack of mountains. Lack of oceans. I grew up on an island, so I moved to a landlocked state, and that was a decision I didn’t realize I was making until I had made it. Obviously Indiana is a landlocked state. Obviously most of the country is landlocked. But it was one of those, I was like, oh, there’s no ocean here. But it didn’t really occur to me until I had actually moved here. So we had a whole very long conversation about that. So that was one of the moments I look back on, and I laugh a lot at that one.

Alex Mcquade:

That’s awesome.

Isabella Tobin:

As an audience member, do you have a favorite episode, either funny or serious?

Alex Mcquade:

Sure. I mean, that’s such a tough question because I feel like I picked up a lot from different episodes. And so when I was reflecting back thinking about what my favorite episodes were, it’s actually funny you mentioned Maureen, her story about how she had tried to apply to Purdue and there were some issues with on the end of Purdue with time zones and all of these things. Just thinking about how impactful being at Purdue for pharmacy has been for me, just thinking about how that experience almost didn’t happen for her, just based on a small error like that.

Now thinking about today, how much of an inspirational student pharmacist she is, how involved she is, just those small miracles that happen, just that sort of thing kind of taught me to not take every thing that seemed like a roadblock so seriously. You know what I mean? That situation, I bet in the moment would’ve been so frustrating, but now thinking back can be so helpful for her when she’s thinking about how to contextualize her experience. So that episode was really impactful for me. I’m also interested in nuclear pharmacy, so it was so wonderful seeing Dr. Weatherman, come on. This is a really exciting time for nuclear pharmacy, and I think you guys had her on at the perfect time. She could really speak to all the amazing things happening even here in our home state of Indiana, our home state of Indiana. But there is so many opportunities coming down the pipeline and so we’re really lucky to have her here at Purdue with so many opportunities and really giving them directly to the students because we’re some of the best trained nuclear pharmacy students in the country. So yeah, it’s really awesome that we had that.

And then the Cheneys are a really special family for me, and getting to see their episode was wonderful just because they’re so passionate about Purdue and I just loved hearing about the global impact that they’ve seen Purdue have. Just being able to see even the pharmacy students in Kenya, just seeing how they acted and helped the people in Kenya, along with many other students in other programs like IU, students from all over the country. I thought that was just really, really awesome.

So it’s really hard to pick, but to any of the guests that we’ve had on season one, you guys have been so amazing, really inspiring, and we’re really excited for our next batch of guests for season two.

Isabella Tobin:

Yes, and I’m very excited to hear it, and especially going back to the Cheneys, I did love hearing all their travel tips and everything. I was taking notes mentally. I was like, oh, so where’s our next vacation?

Alex Mcquade:

Yeah, can they take me along? They seem to have it on lock.

Isabella Tobin:

I know. I know. Throughout all my time here at Purdue, I still got another year left, but I’m hitting rotations starting at kind of the beginning of May, which is kind of crazy to think about. Just one of my biggest takeaways and personal growth in everything has been I need to stop saying I can’t. That it’s kind of like, okay, why not? One of my rotations I’m going to Wales in November, and before, actually, I had looked at it and I was like, well, that’s going to be a long flight. I’m going to be overseas. If anything happens… I’m a planner. I’m a little paranoid about things. I like to have all my ducks in a row. I was like, well, if anything happens, I am going to be overseas. Maybe I shouldn’t. And I was like, but why shouldn’t I? I’m like, I’m going to give it a shot.

And that’s kind of been one of my biggest… I’m so grateful that I’ve been trying to do that over the last couple years. Even applying to pharmacy school in general, I was like, I’m 20 years old. Should I really be applying to a doctorate program? I don’t know if they’re going to accept me. What if they don’t accept me? It’s safer to do something else. It’s not even that much of a risk. But I’m just not a risk-taker in general. So it’s just why not? I need to stop saying I can’t or I shouldn’t.

I traveled by myself to Las Vegas on a scholarship for a conference, and I got the award for the scholarship, and I said, I can’t do that. I was like, I can’t fly to Las Vegas by myself. I was like, yeah, but why can’t I? I drove myself across the Canadian border one year for spring break, and I was looking at it and I was like, I shouldn’t do that. I was like, well, why shouldn’t I?

Alex Mcquade:

Right.

Isabella Tobin:

I think that’s one of my biggest things. And even with this podcast itself, I looked at the thing and I was like I probably won’t get it but I’ll apply anyways, and then I got the position. I was like, maybe I shouldn’t do that. I was like, that could be a lot of time. What if I’m not that good at it? I probably shouldn’t do that. I was like, yeah, but why shouldn’t’ I? I was like, well, if it’s not that good, they’ll find somebody else to do it. But clearly I wasn’t the worst. I wasn’t the worst.

Alex Mcquade:

No, you did so fantastic. And that really is a testament to you too, because something that you were skeptical of at the beginning, you really rose above and made it your own, especially as the very first host of this podcast. I think that should really be good motivation for you going forward, that I actually do so many more things than I realize. So I’m really glad that you said that because a theme that I’m starting to learn myself now too, so that’s awesome.

Isabella Tobin:

Yeah. Especially with age and everything, I feel so young. I’m like, well, I’m 23. I shouldn’t be flying by myself to Wales or I’m 20 years old, I shouldn’t be applying to grad school. I’m 18 years old I shouldn’t be moving halfway across the country to Indiana in the middle of a pandemic. But here we are. I mean, it’s a testament to survival and to pushing our boundaries and pushing our capabilities. And even with limitations, everyone has limitations in our lives. We can’t all do everything. I could never be a football player, first of all. I don’t want to be a football player also.

But we all have limitations, but we should all try to push the boundaries of those limitations and question why we can’t and why we shouldn’t. And I think that’s been one of my biggest takeaways, especially as the host of this podcast, hearing all the incredible things people do. I’ll be like, I’m 23 years old, I can’t do that. I’m like, yeah, but why can’t I?

Alex Mcquade:

Right.

Isabella Tobin:

So I think that’s going to be one of my things moving forward, especially through rotations and graduating in just about a year, which feels crazy because I still feel like I’m 18 years old touring campus for the first time. And I didn’t have beautiful snow when I toured it, it was actually negative 10 degrees. I had a scarf wrapped around my head because it was so windy I couldn’t breathe. I still decided to move here.

Alex Mcquade:

There’s just something about Purdue that just draws everyone in. It doesn’t matter what the weather is, you just got to come here.

Isabella Tobin:

Yeah, exactly. And between this podcast and being a Purdue student and everything else, I wouldn’t change anything. This has been an incredible time, and I am so grateful to be here. I’m so grateful for the entire crew and for everyone that has taken the chance on me. And they looked and they were like, that’s a weird kid, but we’re going to let her try our best. So I’m incredibly grateful and I’m very glad that I could be here.

Alex Mcquade:

That’s so amazing. And before we wrap up today’s episode, I just wanted to ask, we always have a fun question, as you know-

Isabella Tobin:

Of course.

Alex Mcquade:

… and I plan on keeping that tradition going. So what is the best decade and why?

Isabella Tobin:

Ooh, the best decade, decade now. That is a tricky question. I love some ’80s music. I love some ’70s music, but there were a lot of serial killers, so I don’t know if I can-

Alex Mcquade:

Yeah, we don’t want to be around then.

Isabella Tobin:

Yeah, I know. I know. So with the serial killers, does the music outweigh the serial killers? I might have to go early 2000s. Love some early 2000s music. I actually just got tickets to see Kesha today.

Alex Mcquade:

Oh. I’m jealous.

Isabella Tobin:

Yeah, so I’m very excited. Kesha’s coming to Noblesville in July, so I’ll be there reliving the early 2000s, 20 years later. But just, yeah, the music was fantastic. I was a kid, so I didn’t have responsibilities. I had nothing I could possibly regret. And I loved being a child and all of the things. Just in my mind, I’m seven years old sitting on the beach reading a book, and I’m like, that’s fantastic. So I got to go early 2000s for the music and for that 7-year-old kid who’s sitting on the beach reading a book and doesn’t want summer vacation to end.

Alex Mcquade:

Simpler time.

Isabella Tobin:

Exactly. Thank you so much for being here, and thank you so much for being the next host of the podcast, I know it’s in good hands, and I’m so excited to see what happens next.

Alex Mcquade:

Thank you so much, Isabella. I’m absolutely honored to take on this role from you as a wonderful role model and inspiration, and so I’m really excited to see where we can take this podcast. Next, best of luck to you in living your pharm life and throughout rotations and beyond.

Isabella Tobin:

Thank you.

Alex Mcquade:

Thank you.