Ms. Sax is a freelance writer based in Chevy Chase, Maryland.
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Heather Graham |
Heather Graham, a third-year pharmacy student at Ferris
State University's College of Pharmacy, believes that,
since health care is a limited resource, pharmacists
provide plenty of value to patients.
This month's Pharmacy Times/Wal-Mart RESPy Award winner
is convinced that educating patients about their medication and
helping them manage their health care is a job that is best done
by pharmacists, and she is already committed to providing that
care for patients through her work with professional and public
health?related activities, such as Operation Diabetes screening
events and Operation Heartburn.
"I organized 2 glucose test screenings by myself and helped
to organize a third. We screened a total of 100 patients," said
Graham. She is proud of her ability to make a difference and to
have made a connection with many of the patients she
screened. "One patient wrote me a poem about phlebotomy,"
she said. "It was really cute."
The Wal-Mart/Pharmacy Times RESPy AWARD
(Respect, Excellence, and Service in
Pharmacy) is presented to the
student who has made a difference
in his or her community by demonstrating
excellence in pharmaceutical
care. For more information, please
visit www.PharmacyTimes.com.
Graham's commitment to pharmacy extends beyond the
classroom and her volunteer efforts, according to Nabila
Ahmed-Sarwar, PharmD, assistant professor of pharmacy practice
at Ferris State. "Heather has demonstrated a continued
commitment not only to developing as a pharmacy professional,
but also to promoting public health issues," said Dr. Ahmed-
Sarwar. Graham also is very involved in voluntary public service
activities. "Heather feels that it is important to serve as a role
model for young lives. This led her to serve as a volunteer for the
Bulldog Area Reading Klub, reading to young students and
assisting in homework completion, and working with elementary
students on science projects at the local school district's
Math/Science/Technology Center Outreach
Program," said Dr. Ahmed-Sarwar.
As a volunteer at the Kalamazoo
Caring Network, a resource for single
mothers with small children, Graham
helped organize food and gift donations
for the holidays. Part of
that project included hosting a
Thanksgiving dinner for needy
families.
About the School
The College of Pharmacy at Ferris State University is the principal
source of pharmacy practitioners for the state of Michigan. The college
is committed to preparing students to meet the challenges of a
constantly changing global society through programs that reflect
contemporary practice. The college is focused on maintaining an
optimal academic environment through faculty development, an
active service component, a commitment to scholarly activity, and
resource development.
Ian Mathison, PhD, DSc, dean of the college of pharmacy, said
Ferris's pharmacy program is one that has enjoyed an exceptional
reputation, both within the state and throughout the nation, for
over 100 years.
She brings that upbeat attitude
to her extracurricular university
work as well. Dr.Ahmed-Sarwar said that Graham not
only participated in the honors program, she was actively
involved in improving the program by serving on its advisory
committee. "Heather's excellent leadership skills contributed to
her role as chair of the Dean's Advisory Board, where her
responsibilities included organizing elections, student volunteers
for orientation, and meetings with the dean of the college
of pharmacy to discuss student issues," said Dr. Ahmed-Sarwar.
"As the chair of the advisory board, I had to know the students'
concerns and not be afraid to tell them what was happening,"
said Graham. The biggest student concern was balancing
competing demands from the university's honors program
and its pharmacy track. "While we did not solve the issues, we
were able to open a dialog to encourage people to find ways to
meet the demands of both areas," she said.
Ambulatory care, hospital pharmacy, and community pharmacy
all appeal to Graham. She plans on pursuing a residency,
but she is not certain which practice setting will be her final
goal. "Ambulatory care offers the chance to be involved in drug
therapy right at the beginning of a patient's treatment; hospital
pharmacy provides an opportunity to really see the effects of
drug therapy quickly; but I cannot imagine not working in a
community setting," she said. "I would like to find a job that
allows me to do all 3."
Inside the Issue
