Dr. Thomas Sherrer grew up watching his parents run independent pharmacies and chose to follow in their footsteps for his own career. The Mercer University alumnus co-owns six pharmacies in Metro Atlanta and surrounding areas.
Sherrer’s father, John T. Sherrer, is a registered pharmacist who graduated from Mercer’s College of Pharmacy in 1977, and his mother, Dr. Sharon Sherrer, completed her Pharm.D. there in 1984. Dr. Thomas Sherrer earned his undergraduate degree in business at University of Georgia before heading to Mercer to continue the family pharmacy tradition.
“I did undergrad at UGA, but both my parents are Mercer alumni. I had a choice, but I had grown up around Mercer, and going to the alumni events, I knew a lot of the alumni and faculty. It fit,” he said.
Dr. Sherrer said the College of Pharmacy’s environment and Alumni Association made a big impact on him.
“It’s not just going to the classroom and studying and learning. It’s the interactions that I had with alumni and faculty and then the people I got to meet and the things I got to do,” he said. “Mercer really focuses on your professional development.”
After finishing his Pharm.D. in 2015, Dr. Sherrer returned to Marietta to join the family business. The Sherrers have expanded and bought additional pharmacies over the years, many of them with their own Mercer pharmacy connections and family legacies. Dr. Sherrer now co-own Poole’s Pharmacy in Marietta with his family as well as independent pharmacies in Dallas, Smyrna, Canton, Jasper and Marble Hill with Dr. Austin Tull, a 2013 Mercer College of Pharmacy graduate.
“Pharmacy is just a small-world, tight-knit group. As we’ve purchased and grown, it’s really about continuing the legacy of small town pharmacy,” Dr. Sherrer said. “I love independent pharmacy, community pharmacy, the interaction with the patients and the community. There are tough days, but it’s enjoyable, and it’s fun.”
Dr. Sherrer loves the opportunities his work brings and being able to support the community that has supported him. In addition, being an independent pharmacist gives him more freedom and flexibility in his decision-making and allows him to make a more immediate impact.
Dr. Sherrer is a member and past president of the College of Pharmacy’s alumni board. He also serves as a preceptor to pharmacy students from Mercer and the University of Georgia.
“I like having that opportunity to interact and teach. Getting to work with students and interact, that’s a big piece,” he said. “There are a lot of people in this profession that have done amazing things and worked really hard for this profession. I hope to get the opportunity to make an impact on the profession like those before me.”
Dr. Sherrer offered a few words of wisdom to Mercer pharmacy students and future pharmacists.
“Be active and engaged in your profession and what’s going on. It’s constantly changing. Be on the lookout and don’t let a good opportunity pass you by,” he said.
Dr. Thomas Sherrer is among the Mercerians featured in Mercer Illustrated: The Places, People, and Experiences of a Uniquely Impactful University. This coffee table book from Mercer University Press can be ordered online. Mercer faculty, staff and students can receive a 40% discount when they order by phone at (478) 301-2880.
