Midwestern University Pharmacy Students Receive National Award for Community Service

Students from Midwestern University's Chicago College of Pharmacy recently received a national award for their community service project to provide Chicago's underserved Chinatown neighborhood with quality healthcare.

Midwestern University was one of four higher-education institutions to receive the 2012-13 American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) Student Community Engaged Service Award for an outstanding student-led community program delivering consumer education about medication use.

Students from the Chicago College of Pharmacy participated in the Asian Community Health Education Initiative (ACHEI) and provided monthly healthcare screening events and laboratory consultation. The ACHEI uses student pharmacists of Asian backgrounds to assist in diagnosing and translating medical information for residents. After the screening events, results are mailed to residents who are invited back for more thorough explanations. Most patients attend these follow-up visits to better understand their current health status and for student interpretation in their native language.

The national award is sponsored by Teva Pharmaceuticals and includes a $10,000 award to be used exclusively to support the expansion of the recognized program or new community engaged service projects at the school.

This project is another example of Midwestern University's commitment to community service. Recently, the University was named to President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for outstanding institutional commitment to service.