University
Pharmacy Students Win Service Award
By Gabrielle Olya on January 21, 2011 8:15 AM
The USC School of Pharmacy again has been recognized for its dedication to community outreach.
The American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy recognized students Terrance Yu, Phuong Ho, Jennifer Fu, Tina Patel and Sana Vaiyani for their leadership and active participation in the USC Volunteer Outreach Initiative & Community Education (VOICE) with the 2010-11 Student Community Engaged Service Award.
VOICE aims to implement outreach catered to specific locations in order to increase access and optimize health outcomes of the targeted population groups. The goals are consistent with those of the federal government’s Healthy People 2010, including increased access to health care, diabetes care, education and community-based programs, heart disease and stroke education and prevention, and body fat and BMI awareness.
The two main components of VOICE are the pharmSC Clinic and SHARE (Students Helping and Receiving Education). The pharmSC Clinic is located at the Botica del Sol Pharmacy in Boyle Heights, where there is a largely underserved population.
PharmSC, the first student-originated and student-run clinic at the USC School of Pharmacy, was created to make up for the lack of health services available to people in the area surrounding the Health Sciences campus. Students screen, counsel, vaccinate and provide brown-bag medication reviews to local residents.
“The clinic is really special because it allows students to actually go in and see patients in a one-on-one setting,” explained Patel, co-director of pharmSC. “Students conduct screenings and counsel patients on what to do to get their health back on track.”
Vaiyani, a co-director of the clinic, said, “I have loved being a part of pharmSC because it’s a place where pharmacy students can work together to make an impact on the surrounding community, and in the process we’re learning how to improve our clinical and patient counseling skills.”
SHARE, the other project recognized in the award, offers mental health and smoking cessation courses to people living in a temporary housing facility on Skid Row. “SHARE is a unique program because it is very specific to the needs of the community members,” said Yu, who leads the project.
“Many people in this area smoke, and many want to quit but don’t have the resources or the support,” he said. “We try to motivate and inspire participants to quit smoking, and to see them want to make these changes has been amazing.”
As part of the award, Dean R. Pete Vanderveen will receive $10,000 to be used to support program expansion.
“We are so proud of the work students at the School of Pharmacy are doing to aid our community, and we are very honored to receive such a prestigious award,” Vanderveen said.
In addition to benefiting the VOICE programs, both Yu and Vaiyani feel the recognition from the award has helped them personally.
“This recognition has helped me to realize that there’s a variety of opportunities out there for pharmacists to initiate projects like these that have real impact on the community,” Yu said.
Added Vaiyani, “The award has motivated me and all of the other students involved to continue to work in community outreach programs and to work to expand them even more.”
The Student Community Engaged Service Award recognizes student-led community engagement projects that involve service learning, delivering consumer education about medication use, expanding access to affordable medications and improving public health. Pharmacy schools from across the country apply for the award and four are given out annually.
“This award is confirmation that we’ve done something good and that we’ve made a real impact,” Patel said.
TAGS: honors and awards, pharmacy
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