Forbes-Hurd steps into statewide leadership role

For Scout Forbes-Hurd, pharmacy has always been about people.

That philosophy has guided her journey from Mobridge to South Dakota State University’s College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions, where she serves as an assistant professor and experiential education, continuing pharmacy education and advanced pharmacy practice experience coordinator. Along the way, relationships, mentorship and service have shaped every step of her career.

“I had a lot of mentors in life that believed in me and encouraged me,” Forbes-Hurd said. “It takes one caring adult to change a kid's life. I had several caring adults that changed mine.”

Growing up, she spent time around pharmacists Russ Hatch and Mark and Diane Dady in her hometown. What stood out was not just their expertise, but the trust they built within their community. People turned to them for answers.

“In a rural community like Mobridge, many patients depended on their expertise and access to medications and medical supplies,” she said. “I remember the first time my daughter became sick, and I was a 17-year-old mom just trying to survive. When I went to pick up her medications, I was visibly overwhelmed. Russ took the time to sit down with me and give me extra assurance that I could do this,” Forbes-Hurd said. “From that moment on, I wanted to be the person who could do the same for others.”

That early exposure sparked an interest in pharmacy that grew stronger during high school, especially as her mentors saw her strong talents in science and math. As part of a career research project, she shadowed pharmacists and connected once again with Hatch as a mentor. Through those experiences, she began to see the breadth of the profession and the important role pharmacists can play in patient care from inside the pharmacy.

Forbes-Hurd's path to a Doctor of Pharmacy was not a typical one.

Forbes-Hurd became a mother at 16 and began college while raising her young daughter. A first-generation college student, she faced challenges that might have caused others to rethink their goals. Instead, she said, the supportive relationships she was surrounded by served to reinforce her persistence at pursuing her academic goals while raising her family.

After graduating from SDSU in 2011, Forbes-Hurd joined Brookings Health System, where experienced pharmacists took her under their wing and helped her develop as a clinician.

In return, she made a commitment to support the next generation and became a pharmacy preceptor. As a pharmacy preceptor, Forbes-Hurd welcomed students completing experiential rotations.

“I really made it a point to kind of take them under my wing,” she said. “It was a way of giving back to the pharmacy community and those who had given so much to me.” Forbes-Hurd also welcomed the opportunity to join a team directed by Jodi Heins, professor and director of experiential education at SDSU.

“This is my dream job, honestly,” Forbes-Hurd said. “To be able to work with students in a mentorship and preceptorship role and do teaching, too.”

Today, her responsibilities include much more than coordinating experiential education opportunities, supporting pharmacy preceptors across the state and overseeing continuing education programs. This past spring, she received an Excellence in Teaching Award. Her research focuses on sterile products instruction, as well as supporting and improving the relationships between students and preceptors. She is also the adviser for SDSU’s chapter of Kappa Epsilon, a national pharmacy fraternal organization.

This fall, Forbes-Hurd will take on another role focused on service and leadership when she becomes president of the South Dakota Pharmacists Association. Having served on the organization's board for five years, she views the position not as a personal achievement, but as another opportunity to give back to a profession — and the people — that have given so much to her.

“I see this as an opportunity to help guide the future of pharmacy and, most importantly, to give back,” she said.

Looking back, Forbes-Hurd sees a common thread connecting every chapter of her journey: caring people willing to invest in others. Today, she is paying that investment forward by helping students as well as other pharmacists and technicians build careers and connections of their own.