AmerisourceBergen Foundation, Good Neighbor Pharmacy Launch Scholarship to Support Pharmacists of Color

Good Neighbor Pharmacy has partnered with the AmerisourceBergen Foundation to launch the Good Neighbor Pharmacy Scholarship Program, which aims to help Black and African American graduate students pursuing their PharmD, preferably at a Historically Black College or University (HBCU).

“Today, less than 22% of all licensed pharmacists in the United States are non-white—and only 5% are African American,” said Ann Anaya, JD, AmerisourceBergen’s senior vice president and chief diversity, equity, and inclusion officer, in the press release. “And while the total number of Black and African American students enrolled in pharmacy schools has increased in recent years, this group represents only 9% of the total pharmacy school population. Diversity in health care is essential to advancing health equity and supporting cultural competencies within specific communities—and as this data implies, there is still more work to be done to build a pharmacy workforce that is truly representative of the diverse patients and communities that pharmacists care for every day.”

The scholarship is accepting applications until February 28, 2023. Recipients will be announced in April, with all scholarships benefiting students starting in the 2023-2024 academic year.

In the first year of the program, 4 pharmacy school students (1 rising P1, P2, P3, and P4) will be selected to receive $25,000 for each remaining academic year of their program. In the case of the P1 student, the scholarship will provide a $100,000 total investment toward their education. In subsequent years, a new rising P1 student will be selected to join the pool of previous winners.

“At Good Neighbor Pharmacy, we firmly believe that advancing health equity starts at the community level, and that pharmacies—which are highly trusted, accessible, and ingrained in their communities—are leading this charge,” said Jennifer Zilka, president of Good Neighbor Pharmacy, in a press release. “We are keenly focused on supporting our Good Neighbor Pharmacy customers in their endeavors to ensure equitable health care access, and with the launch of the Good Neighbor Pharmacy Scholarship, we are extending that focus to support historically underrepresented groups within pharmacy practice.”

The AmerisourceBergen Foundation is the philanthropic arm of AmerisourceBergen and aims to support efficient and safe access to pharmaceutical care around the world. Good Neighbor Pharmacy is a national independent pharmacy network offered through AmerisourceBergen.

“By empowering and uplifting the next generation of Black and African American pharmacists and pharmacy owners, we come one step closer to ensuring equitable and culturally competent care for all,” said Gina Clark, president of the AmerisourceBergen Foundation, in the press release.

REFERENCE

The AmerisourceBergen Foundation and Good Neighbor Pharmacy Launch Scholarship Program to Support Aspiring Black and African American Pharmacists. News release. Amerisource Bergen; January 10, 2023. Accessed January 16, 2023. https://www.amerisourcebergen.com/newsroom/press-releases/ab-foundation-and-gnp-launch-scholarship-program