SGA Groups Collaborate on Back-to-School Event for Local Elementary School Students
Written By: Julie Jeong, Third-Year Student Pharmacist
On Sept. 16, 26 student pharmacists from the School of Pharmacy’s chapters of the American Pharmacists Association-Academy of Student Pharmacists (APhA-ASP) and the Pediatric Pharmacy Association (PPA) volunteered at their first community outreach of the year at Westport Elementary School in Baltimore. APhA-ASP and PPA coordinated organized fun health education outreach during Westport’s annual back-to-school night.
Student pharmacists educated parents and children about the importance of childhood immunizations, the differences between cold and flu, and poison prevention. Second-year and third-year student pharmacists worked with a preceptor to answer questions regarding the COVID-19 vaccine.
“Visiting Westport Elementary was an amazing experience for me and our classmates because it was the first time since the pandemic that we were able to apply the skills and knowledge we learned in class,” says Rita Chen, a second-year student pharmacist. “I loved being able to foster impactful discussions regarding childhood immunizations and the COVID-19 vaccine. The most rewarding thing about this outreach was seeing the children as active participants and the interest they had in public health and the benefits of cold and flu prevention. One of the students even told me she wanted to be a doctor. It was so gratifying to be able to play even a small role in the well-being of our Baltimore community.”
The event was a great introduction to patient outreach for the student pharmacists. We hope to have more opportunities for engagement with the local Baltimore community this academic year.
If you are interested in learning more about APhA-ASP and PPA’s initiatives, please follow us:
APhA-ASP
Facebook – @UMSOPAPhAASP
Instagram – @umsop_apha_asp
