News @ VCU School of Pharmacy

RAM provides outreach, service opportunities

You know a project’s popular (not to mention beneficial) when you receive more than twice as many applications as you have spots to fill. That was the case with this year’s RAM crew.

Fifteen School of Pharmacy students have been chosen to participate in the school’s third annual excursion to the Remote Area Medical project July 24-26 in Wise County. They are: Amy Dembowski (P2), Greetika Gandhi (P1), Holly Gurgle (P3), Emily Hall (P2), Sara Hwang (P1), Julie Jeong (P1), Adam Krukas (P2), Lindsey Madures (P1), Jessica McDowell (P1), Holly Moore (P1), Hoda Rostami (P1), Jessica Shad (P1), Michael Sinks (P3), Amber Smith (P2) and Erika Stiene (P1). Note: These are students’ class affiliations for 2008-09.

Congratulations, students! Accompanying them will be affiliate faculty member Rebeccah Collins (Pharm.D. ’00), assistant professor Sallie Mayer and assistant professor Evan Sisson (B.S. ’92, Pharm.D. ’94).

Sisson, who spearheaded the school’s first RAM experience in 2007, says applications were very competitive. “We regret that everyone could not be selected [but] those not selected for this trip will be given priority for future brigades.”

For information on Remote Area Medical and other outreach projects generated by and/or available to the School of Pharmacy, check out Sisson’s new Web pages by visiting www.pharmacy.vcu.edu and clicking on Global Health Initiatives (under Quick Links) or by clicking here.

Last year, 14 School of Pharmacy students and two professors were among the nearly 1,600 RAM volunteers who provided 5,475 services to 2,670 uninsured and underinsured patients. Other health professionals on site include medical doctors, nurses, ophthalmologists, dentists, dental hygienists and more.

Remote Area Medical, founded in 1985, is an all-volunteer, charitable organization. To learn more about it, click here.

Submitted By:
Cynthia McMullen
6/22/2009