Lake Erie College of Osteopathic
Medicine School of Pharmacy
NATIONAL AWARD
Combining Traditional & Social Media
The team from the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine School of Pharmacy in Erie, Pennsylvania, used a combination of more traditional media like television news broadcasts and billboards to complement social media e!orts to reach a broad audience in its community. During the course of the eight-week challenge, the students planned and executed weekly events to educate their community on the importance of medication adherence. Photos and videos were taken during the events, which were used across a variety of media, including the local nightly news broadcast, billboards around the community, and social media posts. The news segments and billboards reached an estimated 257,000 members of the community
Western University of Health Sciences
MEDIA AND COMMUNICATIONS AWARD
Social Media
To maximize their reach, the team from Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, California, decided to focus on using popular social media sites like TikTok and Instagram to post educational videos on the importance of medication adherence. The team also posted its videos on Facebook and YouTube, as well as on its website. Over an eight-week period, the school’s videos were viewed over 3,500 times across all platforms. TikTok accounted for the most engagement, where the videos were viewed more than 2,500 times
University of Charleston School of Pharmacy
Interprofessional Award
Advocacy at the State Capitol
The team from the University of Charleston School of Pharmacy in Charleston, West Virginia, joined pharmacists and business leaders to participate in advocacy events at the State Capitol, including Rural Health Day and Pharmacy Day. During these events, they met with dozens of legislators to advocate on the importance of medication adherence and vaccine confidence, prior authorization policies, and other key issues. Students participated directly and not only educated dozens of legislators, they also gained confidence in their ability to advocate on behalf of the policies that allow pharmacists to fully participate as healthcare professionals in patient care.
Temple University School of Pharmacy
Health Disparities Focused Award
The “3 Minute Clinic” & Community Baby Shower
Through a partnership with a trusted community service organization, the team from Temple University School of Pharmacy in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was able to reach community members who have unstable or no housing. These community members come to a church center one Saturday morning a month to receive education on a home- or health-related issue and receive food. The school’s pharmacy students were onsite at the church to check patrons’ blood pressure and talk about their medications. The students also presented a “3 Minute Clinic” to educate on routine vaccinations
that have booster or age requirements. Students also served as translators for community members who did not speak English. These community members may not have the time or resources to see a healthcare provider, so having access to pharmacy students was a great way to contribute and encourage them to be mindful of their health.
The team from Temple also hosted another event where they partnered with another pharmacy student organization to host a Community Baby Shower for pregnant members of a medically underserved population in their community. The event also included panel discussions on gestational diabetes and women’s health. Students displayed poster presentations on pediatric vaccinations, safe drug disposal, and medication adherence.
University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy
Technology Innovation Award
The Wilkes University Nesbitt School of Pharmacy Script Your Future team utilized a variety of media sources to help spread the word on medication adherence and vaccine confidence, and to promote their community events. The Wilkes University team produced a video on medication adherence featuring tools and techniques to help patients take their medications as directed. The team collaborated with local community pharmacies to use as the setting for the video, which you can watch here. Additionally, the Wilkes University team hosted a Facebook Watch COVID-19 Q&A with a School of Pharmacy faculty members, discussing the hot-topics of vaccine hesitancy in light of the COVID-19 vaccines being approved for emergency use authorization. To watch the video, click here.