Manchester Pharmacy Student Recognized for Public Health Leadership

Press Release

Cindy Lu, who is beginning her fourth year in the Doctor of Pharmacy program at Manchester University, was 1 of only 8 pharmacy students in the nation chosen as a Paul Ambrose Scholar.

Sponsored by the Association for Prevention Teaching and Research and the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, the selective program is designed to prepare public health and clinical health professions students to address population health challenges at the national and community levels.

From June 26-29, 2015, Lu, along with 39 other student leaders from 36 institutions around the United States, participated in a leadership symposium in the nation’s capital. They attended presentations on subjects ranging from health care and the economy to project planning and community organizing.

“There are also networking luncheons with fellow Paul Ambrose scholars and mentors to exchange ideas on project implementation and to learn about various public health careers,” Lu said.

The participants will use what they learned to develop a project to benefit their local communities. Lu’s project focuses on nutrition and obesity.

“I believe maintaining a healthy lifestyle is essential in disease prevention and preserving one's quality of life,” she said. “I will work with the Neighborhood Health Clinic at downtown Fort Wayne to evaluate the usage of Farmer's Market Nutrition Program vouchers by those in WIC.”

Indiana WIC Program serves about 168,000 women, infants, and children each month through a statewide network of 145 clinics. The program supports $114 million in food sales at more than 780 sites.

“My eventual goal is to promote Farmer's Market utilization among not only WIC participants but to the rest of the Fort Wayne residents to eventually increase their daily intake of fresh fruits and vegetables,” Lu said.

“Our school is committed to advancing health care and how pharmacy is practiced,” said Özlem Ersin, associate professor of pharmaceutical sciences at Manchester and one of Lu’s project mentors, “Cindy’s project represents an ideal state where prevention is integral to patient care.”

“From the forums offered by the symposium, I have gained practical skills—such as identifying the stakeholders in my community, ways of becoming a health-policy advocate and implementing my community project with long-term sustainability in mind,” Lu said. “I hope to use these skills to successfully complete my community project for the next year.”

Ultimately, Lu hopes to become a public health policy advocate for pharmacists.

“I would also like to support and write policies to enhance pharmacy-provided services to patients,” she said.