First-year college of pharmacy students participate in annual population health poster session

First-year University of Florida College of Pharmacy students from the Jacksonville, Gainesville, and Orlando campuses showcased their academic progress during the annual Pharmacy and Population Health poster session on Sept. 21. This session marked a significant milestone in their pharmacy careers as it followed the completion of one of their first classes this semester, Pharmacy and Population Health, taught by John Allen, Pharm.D., clinical associate professor and associate dean for accessibility, belonging and community health in the UF College of Pharmacy.

“The pharmacy and population health course focuses on helping first-year students develop a deeper understanding of a socioecological model of health, including individual, interpersonal, community, and health policy factors that influence population health,” Allen said.

For several weeks these student teams have researched communities that experience health disparities by discovering their underlying causes and developing potential solutions that address the social determinants of health and health care-related needs for these groups. The poster session displayed the work of 43 student teams who presented to faculty on each campus — focusing on health disparities in vulnerable communities such as children in the foster care system, residents of under-resourced communities, and migrant and seasonal farmworkers, among others. This event serves as a valuable opportunity for pharmacy students to enhance their skills, knowledge, and attitudes needed to meet the needs of vulnerable communities as health care providers. ­­

“This poster session is unique to our education because it provides us with in-depth knowledge into these communities so we can provide beneficial health care to these patients,” said Natalie Rodriguez, a first-year student at the Gainesville campus.

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