The NACDS Foundation announced $175,000 in scholarships and grants through the NACDS Foundation Scholarship Program as part of an ongoing commitment to advancing patient care through pharmacy education.

This year, the NACDS Foundation recognized six schools and colleges of pharmacy for their innovative and diverse educational programs — which aim to advance patient care and public health. The recipients were presented with their awards last night at an NACDS Foundation event during the 2023 NACDS Annual Meeting in Palm Beach, FL.

The NACDS Foundation distributed four innovation-focused awards in the amount of $20,000 each in order to fund patient-centered, community-based programs or other curricular innovations.

In addition, two diversity scholarship winners were selected to each receive $15,000 grants. These scholarships 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 NACDS Foundation also awarded $2,400 scholarships to each of the colleges and schools of pharmacy that did not receive another award and whose deans participated at the in-person event.

Awardees were selected from a competitive pool of applications submitted from accredited colleges and schools of pharmacy across the country.

The awardees of the 2023 NACDS Foundation innovation track scholarships include the following initiatives:

• Binghamton University State University of New York School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences will offer pharmacy students the opportunity to participate in direct patient care in free clinics. The initiative will foster multidisciplinary collaboration and enhance health literacy and cultural competency education, while also delivering essential care to underserved, rural populations.

• Howard University College of Pharmacy in Washington, D.C., aims to support African American patients who are affected by heart failure. The initiative will optimize medication initiation, dosage, and safety monitoring to help lower associated mortality, morbidity, and hospital re-admission.

• University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center College of Pharmacy will expand medical support for an inter-professional, student-led community shelter. The initiative will support clinical education and offer healthcare screening and services to underserved and vulnerable populations.

• University of the Pacific Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy in Stockton, California, seeks to improve access to — and education surrounding — diabetes care and prevention. The initiative will host health fairs and provide free healthcare screenings, services, education, and devices to minority and underserved groups within the community.

The awardees of the 2023 NACDS Foundation diversity track scholarships include the following initiatives:

• Medical College of Wisconsin School of Pharmacy will develop immersive experiences focused on the pillars of scholarship, patient care, and community service. The initiative will provide high school students opportunities for patient-centered care in the community pharmacy setting.
• University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy aims to diversify recruitment for post-graduate pharmacy education programs. The initiative seeks to raise awareness among undergraduate students from minority-serving institutions through outreach, experiential initiatives and mentorship opportunities.

“Congratulations to the 2023 NACDS Foundation scholarship awardees. We are particularly excited about this year’s project proposals, which aim to positively impact community health and enhance patient outcomes at the local level,” said NACDS Foundation President Sara Roszak. “We’d also like to thank our generous benefactors for their tremendous and ongoing support of the Scholarship Program, and for their commitment to the next generation of patient-centered community care.”

The NACDS Foundation Scholarship Program is designed to fund prospective projects that advance patient care by creating new learning opportunities for students and fostering diversity in pharmacy. 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.

Since the inception of the NACDS Foundation Scholarship Program, more than $4.5 million in scholarships have been provided for pharmacy education thanks to the program’s generous supporters.

The NACDS Foundation looks forward to bringing the NACDS Foundation Dinner, in its 25th Anniversary year, to the energetic and high-profile value of the NACDS Total Store Expo. This move will empower the continued expansion of the NACDS Foundation’s reach for the ultimate benefit of the American public.