DUBLIN, Ohio — Cardinal Health Inc. has granted nearly $1 million in funding to eight pharmacy schools across the nation through the Cardinal Health Pharmacy Scholarship Program.
The pharmaceutical distributor said Wednesday that the schools receiving pharmacy scholarships were the Samford University McWhorter School of Pharmacy (Birmingham, Ala.), University of Florida College of Pharmacy (Gainesville, Fla.), University of Connecticut School of Pharmacy (Storrs, Conn.), Western University of Health Sciences College of Pharmacy (Pomona, Calif.), University of Southern California School of Pharmacy (Los Angeles), Southwest Oklahoma State University College of Pharmacy (Weatherford, Okla.), Butler University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (Indianapolis, Ind.) and East Tennessee State University Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy (Johnson City, Tenn.).
According to Cardinal, the eight schools were selected based on their commitment to advancing the independent pharmacy profession. The company said these institutions offer curricula focused on operating an independent pharmacy, support student-run chapters of the National Community Pharmacists Association, endorse internship and co-op programs with local independent retail pharmacies, and demonstrate high post-graduate placement rates in community pharmacy settings.
"Cardinal Health serves more than 7,000 independently owned retail pharmacies across the United States, and we’re committed to supporting the continued growth of community pharmacy," Mike Kaufmann, chief executive officer of Cardinal’s pharmaceutical segment, said in a statement. "We passionately believe in the essential role that community pharmacists play in making sure patients have convenient access to high-quality, personalized health care, and we’re proud to partner with these universities in developing tomorrow’s pharmacy leaders."
The company added that it has donated more than $2.1 million to 20 universities through the Cardinal Health Pharmacy Scholarship Program since its launch in June 2011. Participating universities have received scholarship funding ranging from $50,000 to $125,000.
