Palm Beach, Fla. – Recognizing the important role of pharmacy education in helping to advance patient care, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) Foundation announced $230,000 in scholarships and grants through its 2016 NACDS Foundation Scholarship Program. The recipients were presented with their awards tonight at an NACDS Foundation event during the NACDS Annual Meeting.
The NACDS Foundation Scholarship Program is designed to fund prospective projects that hold promise to meaningfully improve patient care.
This year’s awardees were selected from more than 40 general and diversity scholarship applications submitted from deans of accredited colleges and schools of pharmacy across the country. Six grants were awarded to applicants for innovative education programs in the amount of $20,000 each, including two in the name of industry leaders: The Wayne Roberts Memorial Scholarship, provided by Apotex Corporation, and the Robert J. Bolger Scholarship, provided by Teva. Additionally, two one-time grants in the amount of $15,000 each were awarded for excellence in diversity programs.
The awardees of the 2016 NACDS Foundation Scholarships for excellence in education are:
1. Northeast Ohio Medical University College of Pharmacy will expand patient access to community pharmacist-driven medication management services by developing a new Innovation Center that will pilot cutting-edge telehealth technology and align professional development with new models of care.
2. Duquesne University, Mylan School of Pharmacy will help prevent opioid-related overdose deaths in collaboration with the Allegheny County Department of Health in Pennsylvania by improving access to naloxone, developing an education program for pharmacists, and promoting public awareness and community outreach.
3. University of Charleston School of Pharmacy will launch a rural outreach screening campaign in West Virginia in collaboration with public health entities in order to provide much-needed care in underserved communities and advance public health.
4. University of Colorado, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences will promote enhanced pharmacy services for underserved patients living in rural Colorado, strengthen inter-professional healthcare partnerships, and examine the health outcomes impact of improved data sharing among local healthcare entities.
5. University of New England College of Pharmacy will address the prescription drug abuse epidemic and its devastating health consequences for patients in Maine by creating a continuing education curriculum for prescribers and pharmacists that increases the appropriate use of the state’s Prescription Monitoring Program.
6. Midwestern University, Chicago College of Pharmacy will address the ongoing opioid crisis by infusing comprehensive educational programming into the student curriculum through the incorporation of a patient-centered education model and a state-of-the art Clinical Simulation Center (CSC) to promote better pain management, detection of opioid misuse and treatment of overdose.
Awardees of the 2016 NACDS Foundation Scholarships for excellence in diversity programs:
1. University of New Mexico College of Pharmacy will expand its current diversity program, which aims to increase access to healthcare providers whose cultural and ethnic background is similar to the populations they serve, by providing twelve (12) scholarships for tuition and culturally responsible professional development.
2. Texas Southern University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences will provide guided mentorship and intensive Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT) preparation to pre-pharmacy students from underrepresented African American and Hispanic minorities in order to prepare for pharmacy school admission.
The NACDS Foundation also awarded $2,000 scholarships to each of the colleges and schools of pharmacy whose deans were in attendance at the event.
The NACDS Foundation Scholarship Program is designed to fund prospective projects that hold promise to meaningfully improve 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 curriculum.
“We deeply appreciate the participation of our benefactors, whose generous contributions make the NACDS Foundation Scholarship Program a reality,” said NACDS Foundation President Kathleen Jaeger. “Their continued support demonstrates the commitment of community pharmacy and the pharmaceutical industry to advance public health by supporting innovative educational programs in patient care.”
The NACDS Foundation Scholarship Program began in 1997. Since then, more than $3.75 million in scholarships has been provided for pharmacy education thanks to the generous support of the program’s benefactors.
