Public health matters: the role of the pharmacist and the academy
Abstract
Heart disease and cancer are responsible for up to half of the more than 2 million deaths each year in the United States.1 Pharmacists ought to contribute to reducing mortality when they take an active role in prevention. Academic and community pharmacists can join the cadre of existing public health pharmacists who provide access to preventive care and disease management services. The intention of this paper is to incite discussion among faculty in schools and colleges of pharmacy, with the hope that an increased interest in public health occurs in the academic environment and that pharmacists assume additional leadership roles in public health matters. Descriptions of pharmacist-designed programs that address public health concerns, as well as the results of these programs, are presented. A suggestion for how medical missions can serve as a model of interprofessional and public health education is included.
dFood and Drug Administration, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, Rockville, MD
eDepartment of Veterans Affairs (Central Office), Pharmacy Benefits Management SHG, Veterans Health Administration, Washington, DC
fGood Clinical Practice Branch II, Division of Scientific Investigations, CDER, US Food and Drug Administration, Bethesda, MD
gDepartment of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Midwestern University Chicago College of Pharmacy, Downers Grove, IL
Corresponding author. Ruth E. Nemire, BSPh, EdD, PharmD, Associate Dean for Professional Education and Community Engagement, Professor Pharmacy and Health Outcomes, Touro College of Pharmacy, 2090 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd., New York, NY 10027
No official support or endorsement of this article by the Food and Drug Administration is intended or should be inferred. The views presented in this article do not necessarily reflect those of the Food and Drug Administration.
ABSTRACT