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PALM BEACH, Fla. –The NACDS Foundation has distributed $220,000 in scholarships and grants as part of an ongoing commitment to advancing patient care through pharmacy education as part of the 23rd Annual NACDS Foundation Scholarship Program. The recipients were presented with their awards last night at an NACDS Foundation event during the NACDS Annual Meeting.
The Foundation awarded six traditional merit-based awards in the amount of $20,000 each, and two diversity scholarship awards for $15,000 each. The merit-based scholarships fund patient-centered, community-based coursework or other curriculum innovations. Specifically, the applicants are selected based on their programs’ potential to improve patient care through community pharmacy-led interventions or to advance community health through pharmacy course instruction for students.
The diversity scholarships are funded through a specific grant received by the NACDS Foundation to encourage and support educational diversity by awarding institutions based on their current or proposed diversity programs to advance pharmacy education in under-represented populations.
The awardees of the 2018 NACDS Foundation Scholarships for excellence in education are:
• Auburn University Harrison School of Pharmacy will implement a pharmacist-led transitions of care program in rural Alabama to examine the impact on medication adherence, readmission rates and emergency room visits among uninsured patients.
• Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Worcester/Manchester will help meet the growing need for Spanish-speaking healthcare professionals by creating a Spanish Pharmacy Experiential Outreach Track in its Doctor of Pharmacy program.
• St. John Fisher College Wegmans School of Pharmacy will have students develop a series of short films and educational materials using American Sign Language to share information about diabetes and healthy lifestyles, further reaching the deaf and hard-of-hearing community and supplementing its existing Deaf Strong Hospital Program for students.
• The University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy will create an interprofessional learning experience for community pharmacy residents in pain management to help patients avoid substance abuse and misuse and will assist patients through related transitions of care.
• University of New Mexico College of Pharmacy will explore the creation of a community pharmacy demonstration project in atrial fibrillation (AF) screening and education that is driven by student-advanced curricular initiatives as part of its Doctor of Pharmacy program.
• University of Wyoming School of Pharmacy will implement a Health Equity Leadership Program in partnership with Howard University College of Pharmacy in Washington D.C. to address rural and urban health disparities through an immersive student exchange program.
The awardees of the 2018 NACDS Foundation Scholarships for excellence in diversity programs are:
• University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Pharmacy will expand its Pre-Professional Summer Enrichment Program to include twice as many enrollees from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups and boost its pharmacy-based curricula in the program from 2.5 to 14.5 hours.
• Wingate University School of Pharmacy will mentor African American and Latino high school students from a health professions magnet school for ten months to introduce them to the pharmacy profession with the aim of creating interest in the pharmacy profession and patient care.
Thanks to the generous support of donors, the NACDS Foundation also distributed $2,100 awards to the other schools and colleges of pharmacy in attendance that did not receive a larger award.
The NACDS Foundation Scholarship Program is designed to fund prospective projects that have the potential to significantly advance patient care. Accredited colleges and schools of pharmacy were asked to submit applications for projects that may include community-based research projects and patient-centered coursework, or other innovative curricula.
“We are so appreciative to our benefactors for their generosity in supporting the NACDS Foundation Scholarship Program,” said NACDS Foundation president Kathleen Jaeger. “Their vision and engagement in advancing public health by supporting these patient care educational programs is vital and will serve to inspire and motivate upcoming leaders in community pharmacy.”
The NACDS Foundation Scholarship Program began in 1997. Since then, nearly $4 million in scholarships has been provided for pharmacy education thanks to the generous support of the program’s benefactors.
