GoodRx Helps Announces 2022 Equity in Pharmacy Scholarship Winners

GoodRx Helps is proud to announce the winners of our 2022 Equity in Pharmacy Scholarship. Driven, compassionate, and academically successful, these recipients are all from culturally diverse backgrounds.

With equity in mind, they have used their experiences to develop ideas about how to face ever-present healthcare challenges - both within the pharmacy profession and within patient care.

In recent years, the role of pharmacists in patient care has been evolving. We asked applicants to address the effects of pharmacists' expanding roles, specifically on the relationship between prescribers and pharmacists, as well as on patient care.

Here we've summarized all 10 winning entries, each one compelling and provocative. We're proud to support these aspiring pharmacy professionals and wish them the best in their studies.

Ayomipo Adeyemo

Appalachian College of Pharmacy, Class of 2023

Ayomipo joined the Army in 2018 to serve as a combat medic. He is currently enrolled in both pharmacy and healthcare management school. He spends his time tutoring other students, volunteering, and serving as the president of the Student Government Association and the Diversity Task Force at school.

Ayomipo proposes allowing pharmacists to treat minor issues according to guidelines while reserving treatment of more serious illnesses for physicians. This role expansion would be especially beneficial in rural areas, where healthcare is inaccessible for many people. He believes that because people generally trust their pharmacists, expanding their roles could bridge the gap in care, saving patients time and money while also improving outcomes.

Beauty Kolade

University at Buffalo, Class of 2024

Beauty has taken on multiple jobs to support her family and career aspirations, including various teaching positions. She has a strong interest in research, particularly in the areas of risk prediction and health disparities.

Beauty believes that expanded roles for pharmacists could allow them to provide care to people with limited access to healthcare, especially those in more rural areas and underserved communities. She also believes that pharmacists and physicians can learn from each other and share responsibility in patient care. Incorporating interprofessional coursework into medical and pharmacy school curricula can introduce these roles and relationships early on and encourage collaborative working relationships.

Jessica Samuel

University of Rhode Island, Class of 2024

While balancing her roles as a pharmacy student, intern, academic tutor, and president of an oncology organization, Jessica assists and inspires both her patients and peers. She aspires to educate others and expand her own knowledge base and skillset as a pharmacist.

Jessica focuses on contraception access as an area where pharmacists' expanded roles could benefit patient care. Jessica is a proponent of additional focus and training on contraceptives in pharmacy school in order to better prepare pharmacists for this role and also garner more trust from patients and other healthcare providers. Increasing pharmacists' role in this area would increase access to contraception and allow patients more flexibility in timing their healthcare visits.

Jill Patel

The Ohio State University, Class of 2026

Jill grew up in a small town, and the lack of diversity in her hometown inspired her to establish a sorority at her school to create a safe space for South Asian-identifying women on campus. Jill is also a pharmacy technician who works to educate patients and dispel misconceptions about medications due to cultural beliefs. She encourages people to take advantage of their pharmacy as a resource and safe space.

Jill believes in expanding the scope of pharmacists' roles to include prescribing for a limited number of diagnoses. This would allow people in underserved communities to have better access to healthcare and reduce their costs by not having to see a doctor every time. It could also reduce wait times for patients who need medication adjustments or have follow-up questions about their treatment.

Jill believes expanding pharmacists' roles would also benefit people with limited English speaking skills, as it would prevent multiple rounds of communication or office visits if issues with the original treatment plan were uncovered later.

Josilyn Schenk

Southwestern Oklahoma State University, Class of 2024

Moving frequently due to her father's military career gave Josilyn the opportunity to experience different cultures and communities. Her experience as an intern in the health unit of the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa inspired her to pursue a career in pharmacy.

Josilyn advocates for additional, advanced training for pharmacists - through residencies and continuing education requirements - in order to support prescribing abilities. She also has ideas to change the physical space within pharmacies to improve the patient counseling experience. She believes expanding pharmacists' roles would increase access to care, reduce costs, and improve medication adherence over time.

Kanayo Akosa

St. Joseph's University, Class of 2023

Kanayo is proud to have brought a chapter of the Student National Pharmaceutical Association to his campus. The chapter's goal is to educate, collaborate, and problem-solve on healthcare issues such as representation and health disparities.

Kanayo believes expanding prescribing roles for pharmacists can reduce physicians' workloads. It can also reduce the burden on patients, for whom time, cost, and transportation can be barriers to care. He uses the pharmacist's ability to administer the flu vaccine as an example. However, clear and professional communication between pharmacists and physicians is critical to optimize patient care.

Kayla Tolbert

University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Class of 2024

Kayla interns at CVS Pharmacy and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, and is a proud member of the Student National Pharmaceutical Association and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.

Allowing pharmacists and physicians to collaborate during the prescribing process could help facilitate positive relationships between the two parties, Kayla says. She advocates for allowing pharmacists to prescribe medications in some instances, but says physicians should still have the main responsibility for prescribing medications and diagnosing patients. She believes people in underserved communities will benefit when pharmacists can ease the load of physicians and offer a broader range of care.

Nadim Gamarra

St. Joseph's University - Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, Class of 2023

Growing up in an underserved community has shaped Nadim's perspective. She is proud to use her background, skills, and research experience to find new ways to bridge gaps in healthcare. Her goal is to provide holistic care.

Nadim believes the pharmacist's role on the healthcare team is often overlooked and underappreciated. If pharmacists can better advocate for their profession, there can be improved communication and mutual trust between physicians and pharmacists. This collaboration can benefit patient care, especially in underserved communities, and also potentially reduce medication errors. Nadim believes the key to holistic care is accessibility, and that expanding pharmacists' roles can achieve this.

Nana Esi Komeh Bray

University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, Class of 2026

Nana says she knew she wanted to be a pharmacist after a community pharmacist helped her father recover from a severe accident. She has worked as a pharmacy technician for nearly 2 years while finishing course prerequisites. She recently completed an associate's degree with honors.

Through experience, Nana believes it would be beneficial for everyone on the care team to have more opportunities for pharmacists and physicians to work together. This could be done through technology to enhance communication and increasing visibility of the professions in education and training programs. She also believes that creating a more equitable environment to provide healthcare in underserved communities begins with a solid foundation of understanding between patient, pharmacist, and physician.

Soo Kang

Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Class of 2023

Soo is currently pursuing a PharmD and a healthcare management MBA. Through volunteering, she was able to connect with members of her local community and developed a holistic attitude to public healthcare. She is a dedicated patient advocate but also works to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion as student body president.

As Soo puts it, it's a revolutionary time for pharmacists, where roles are expanding and getting redefined. She's excited to join the workforce and improve awareness and communication between physicians and pharmacists. She advocates for the implementation of two ideas: an interdisciplinary communication app and interdisciplinary internships in medical and pharmacy school curricula.

She says that incorporating the values of pharmacists in a team-based care setting can improve patient care, access to healthcare in underserved communities, and communication between physicians and pharmacists.

Public link

Please use the above public link if you want to share this noodl on another website.