From the pharmacy counter to the lab: Cein Cunningham prepares for a career in medicine
In between classes and long hours mapping the genome of a bacteriophage, Cein Cunningham has spent much of his time at Montana Tech behind the counter of Safeway’s pharmacy, serving the community of Butte.
Since his freshman year, the Butte native has worked as a pharmacy technician, helping process prescriptions, manage insurance issues, and administer vaccines to members of his community. The job has given Cunningham a front-row seat to the realities of healthcare while he pursued a biological sciences bachelor’s degree at Montana Tech. Cunningham will graduate on Saturday, May 9, 2026.
“Working in the pharmacy, you see a lot,” Cunningham said. “You’re handling prescriptions, working with insurance, and helping patients understand their medications. You also have to learn medication names and classes so when patients describe something, you know what they’re talking about.”
Technicians handle many of the steps that ensure prescriptions reach patients safely. Cunningham enters prescriptions into the system, prepares medications for dispensing, and works closely with pharmacists who verify the accuracy of each order.
Another part of the job he particularly enjoys is administering vaccines.
“When I immunize someone, I think about how what I’m giving them is helping their immune system fight off something that could cause serious harm,” Cunningham said. “The first few times it’s nerve-racking, but after a while the process becomes like clockwork.”
The experience has reinforced Cunningham’s desire to pursue a career in medicine.
“I really want to go to medical school,” he said. “If I could do something in oncology or cancer biology, that would be really interesting to me. I’ve always been fascinated with cancer, especially growing up in Butte. It seems like it affects a lot of people for being such a small community.”
That curiosity deepened during high school when several students in his school were diagnosed with the disease.
“There was one student in my grade, one above me, and one below me,” Cunningham said. “Butte High isn’t that big of a school, so you start wondering why.”
Cunningham knew he would be able to get hands-on research experiences at Montana Tech that would give him a firm foundation for a career in medicine.
As a freshman he worked under Dr. Jack Skinner in the Montana Tech Nanotechnology Laboratory, studying nanoparticles and their use in extracting rare earth elements. Cunningham also briefly went into the field with Dr. Amy Kuenzi, to assist in collecting blood samples for hantavirus research. However, Cunningham finally connected with his favorite research project, mapping the genome of Bezza, a bacteriophage, found by another student in Butte in 2005 through the SEA PHAGES program led by Dr. Marisa Pedulla. Bacteriophages are viruses that infect bacteria.
While bacteriophages are measured in nanometers invisible to the human eye and extremely tiny, the genetic material they are made up of is surprisingly complex. Cunningham’s project involves mapping over 156,000 base pairs on over 256 genes.
“It’s been a really great process,” he said. “You get to see how proteins line up between different bacteriophages and understand how they’re related.”
The work is also important to Cunningham as an aspiring member of the medical community.
“Bacteriophage research is really important for the medical world,” Cunningham said. “There are actual cases we’ve seen where phage therapy has helped people with some really terrible antibiotic-resistant diseases.”
Balancing a rigorous biology program with a demanding job in healthcare has not been easy. Cunningham typically works 20 to 25 hours a week during the semester and even more during school breaks.
“The most challenging part has definitely been balancing schoolwork and work,” he said. “The classes are rigorous, and you still have to keep up with your job.”
Cunningham credits several mentors at Montana Tech for helping guide his journey.
“Dr. Pedulla and Dr. Kuenzi have taught me so much,” he said. “They really reinforced what it means to get a bachelor’s degree in biology.”
He also credits his mother, a teacher in Butte, as one of his biggest supporters.
“For a good portion of my life she was a single mom,” Cunningham said. “She’s worked multiple jobs with being a teacher since I was a kid.”
After graduation, Cunningham plans to take the MCAT, gain additional medical shadowing experience, and apply to medical school. His ultimate goal being a doctor would be much the same as the one he’s lived out as a pharmacy tech: making sick people feel better.
“Helping people as a doctor would be pretty cool,” he said.