Pioneer Grad Builds on His Legacy of Care

Today, a trailblazer in the field of pharmacy, he exemplifies Touro’s commitment to service, leadership, and teaching on multiple fronts.

Dueñas, a member of the College’s founding cohort, owns and operates three independent community pharmacies in vulnerable areas: Vallejo, Pittsburg, and Richmond. Through these vital establishments, he ensures access of quality care for communities often overlooked.

But his impact doesn’t end there. As a dedicated alumnus, Dueñas actively supports Touro’s next generation of pharmacists.

He lectures to pharmacy students, served on the Alumni Association Board of Directors, and played a critical role in the University’s mobile community immunization clinics during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. His guidance and expertise were instrumental in protecting vulnerable populations through these efforts.

This past fall, Dueñas returned to Touro’s campus to share his journey at the Latinos in Education Conference during Hispanic Heritage Month, inspiring Vallejo High School students with his story of perseverance and service.

His commitment to mentorship continues as he welcomes two Touro alumni to manage his pharmacies. These new managers have joined the ranks of preceptors, shaping the next wave of pharmacists through hands-on training and mentorship.

From his work in underserved communities to his dedication to nurturing future leaders, Dueñas is a living testament to the power of service and the enduring value instilled at Touro University California.

Focus Remains on Service to Patients

It’s not so much a full-circle moment for Dueñas as it is an extension of a partnership that continues to evolve.

“One thing I’m very grateful for is my relationship with the University,” Dueñas said. “I partner with the University on a number of different things from the pandemic to community-based projects, and having that kind of connection opened up a lot of opportunities, I think both ways, for us. So whether you’re interested in a career change, or you’re just looking to participate in some of the community events that Touro does, I think it definitely shaped my career and being more community-based rather than just solely based on my business or just solely based on my work.”

Everything circles back to serving a community in need.

“Going to Touro, in Vallejo, I got to see a lot of disparities in health care. We opened up our first pharmacy less than a mile from the University, so in doing so you really got to see the need for pharmacy services there,” Dueñas said from his pharmacy in Pittsburg. “It became a natural idea to set up pharmacies where the need was greatest, so in Vallejo, in Richmond, here in Pittsburg, those needs are striking.”

“In pharmacy, it’s striking how chronic diseases are just disproportionately higher in urban areas and for folks that live along the poverty line,” Dueñas said. “Quality health care, quality pharmacy services, are definitely more in need in these areas.”

Alums of Different Decades Maintain Similar Mindset

Dueñas sees the benefits of having fellow alums manage his pharmacies.

They have shared experiences and value the education they received at Touro. All three foster the University’s mission – to serve, to lead, to teach – and bring that purpose to the communities they serve.

“I think we developed a similar way of thinking when we were being taught pharmacy at Touro,” he said, making reference to Touro’s mission. “Those are the things I see in their work, how they implement what they’ve learned, and this comes with some experience, too.”

“We’re fortunate to have folks who had been working out in the field, in the wild, for a bit, and how they’ve implemented what they’ve learned and turned it into the way that they practice,” he said. “We’re all kind of the same mind in practicing pharmacy here.”

Dr. Rizza Alcaria, PharmD Class of 2014, is the Pharmacy Manager at Central Pharmacy in Vallejo, while Dr. Erica Gray, Dual PharmD-MPH Class of 2023, is Pharmacy Manager at Zeta Pharmacy in Pittsburg.

Both talk of the importance of independent pharmacies located within communities with at-risk or underserved populations, and how the vision of service espoused by Dueñas allows them to practice in a manner that resonates with them as well.

Alcaria said shifting from corporate retail pharmacy to an independent pharmacy was attractive to her because the work is more in line with her education while at Touro and her desire to serve patients in general, but also the underprivileged.

“It really connected with my values in terms of serving the community,” Alcaria said.

Her patients benefit as well.

“It makes a big difference to know your pharmacist on a first-name basis and be able to talk to them on just a phone call instead of jumping through hoops to get a hold of someone,” she said.

Gray agreed it’s important for pharmacists to be accessible to patients.

“We have a little bit more time to spend with the patients and answer more questions instead of just giving them their prescription and sending them out the door,” she said. “We actually can spend time and talk with them and make them feel like they’re actually a person and not a number.”