By: Erik Pedersen, Senior Communications Manager, and Dr. Jane Ho, School of Pharmacy Assistant Professor
BALTIMORE – Key components of the mission and vision for Notre Dame of Maryland University’s School of Pharmacy include an emphasis on compassion, caring for diverse populations, and a dedication to transform societal health. All three of these ideals are featured as part of NDMU’s unique AdvoCaring program, which provides students with meaningful opportunities to develop their clinical skills while serving community members at a variety of local organizations.
The initiative, which has been built into the curriculum since the School of Pharmacy was established in 2008, matches students with one of eight current AdvoCaring partnership sites throughout their four years on campus. NDMU’s partner organizations assist a variety of underserved populations, including the elderly, low-income groups, those with a history of substance abuse, and people experiencing housing/food insecurity or unemployment.
“The AdvoCaring program offers immense value to our student pharmacists by providing a meaningful partnership with local community nonprofit organizations,” said Dr. Matthew Shimoda, dean of NDMU’s School of Pharmacy. “Through this program, students gain practical experience, develop a strong sense of social responsibility, and contribute to the betterment of their communities while honing their professional and clinical skills.”
An example of tasks that students complete in the first year at their AdvoCaring site include collecting a community member’s medical and medication history, checking their blood pressure, or educating on basic healthy lifestyle strategies. Students provide more clinically based services as they gain more skills through the pharmacy curriculum over the years: by their third year they might be asked to administer immunizations or provide answers to a variety of medication-related questions under supervision by a licensed pharmacist.
“NDMU faculty members are assigned as advisors to each group of students to guide and serve with them at our partnership organizations,” said Dr. Jane Ho, assistant professor and director of the School of Pharmacy’s AdvoCaring program. “Students have often expressed that, through these experiences, they become more confident in their communication and medication counseling skills, they become more empathetic, and they gain a greater appreciation of the need to assist underserved communities.”
The assistance provided by NDMU students goes beyond healthcare. They participate in a variety of community service initiatives, ranging from meal distribution and ice cream socials to community bingo and wheelchair washing.
“Social isolation is a major concern with our older adult population,” said Tiffany Mack, service coordinator at the DePaul House and St. Joachim House Catholic Charities Senior Living Communities. “Partnering with NDMU’s AdvoCaring program has helped us address this, while also educating our residents on important health topics. Beyond the educational component, the students have come to play Wii Bowling, work on arts and crafts, or just engage in conversation. Most residents just want someone to talk to – they love engaging with the students.”
The experience also provides leadership opportunities for the students, with one for each site designated as the AdvoCaring group leader. In that role, they interact with both their faculty advisor and site coordinator to arrange service opportunities throughout the academic year. Other leadership opportunities include documenting outcomes of each AdvoCaring event as the AdvoCaring Outcomes Coordinator, and taking pictures as the AdvoCaring Historian.
For many students involved in the program, AdvoCaring leads to experiences which will remain with them long after their graduation from pharmacy school. One memorable moment for Jahanvi Patel D’25, group leader for the DePaul House and St. Joachim House AdvoCaring sites, was an immunization clinic in which students administered vaccinations and had an opportunity to provide counseling to the residents.
“I learned a great deal about each person I spoke with, and was able to establish strong relationships with them,” Patel said. “That helped facilitate communication about their concerns or medication problems. These kinds of interactions help students become more understanding and mindful of situations which they will likely encounter again in the future. AdvoCaring provides us with priceless and meaningful experiences that we will be able to directly refer to in our future career.”
“Most of the time, student life is focused on academics and how we perform on in-class assignments,” added Iman Hawkins D’24, group leader for the Baltimore County Department of Aging site. “AdvoCaring allows us to use what we have learned and apply it to real life, where there are no multiple choice answers to select and grey areas exist. This program is where we truly begin our training to become pharmacists.”
Learn about how the AdvoCaring program has impacted additional NDMU students and local community organizations below:
I had the opportunity to participate in a vaccine seminar with my AdvoCaring group, where we talked about vaccine recommendations for a certain age group and the disease states for those vaccines, and clarified any myths or concerns they might have heard about vaccines. At the end of the seminar, a group of Spanish speakers from the AdvoCaring community approached after they heard me talking in Spanish, and they brought me a situation where they had lost their vaccine records and could not access them.
We came up with the idea to talk to the administration and, as part of a Public Health project, we researched how we could help this community. We learned that Maryland has MyIR, a partnership with Maryland's Health Department, where patients can register for free on their phones and/or computers and access their vaccine records. This was a learning experience for the AdvoCaring community and for my AdvoCaring group, because we both learned about this resource that can help many people. It was also a special opportunity for me, because by speaking Spanish, I was able to communicate with this community, identify their problem, and find a solution.
The students help BCDA achieve its mission of strengthening lives by providing services, programs and connections to resources. The senior population has benefited from AdvoCaring through the students’ creative and educational presentations, from resource fairs to Narcan training. Articles provided by the students were also very informative. The seniors have enjoyed the social interaction provided through these events.
The AdvoCaring program is unique, because it offers students of diverse backgrounds a solid foundation in understanding the pharmacy profession. It grants us the rare opportunity to venture beyond our comfort zones early on in our professional journey, and make meaningful contributions to our local communities. Personally, my time at Notre Dame has been immensely enriched through this program. Not only have I been able to form valuable connections with community members and potential future patients, but it has also honed my skills as a leader, caregiver, and team player. Through the hands-on outreach experiences the program provides, I have gained practical knowledge that deepens my understanding of the essential concepts and skills necessary to succeed as a pharmacist.
NDMU’s AdvoCaring program has helped me develop transferable life skills. After observing the Gallagher Mansion’s culture and interacting with the residents, I have strengthened my service attitude and improved on my adaptability to work with different personality types. NDMU enhances the student experience through this program by providing multiple opportunities for service to those in need. A strong patient-pharmacist relationship is critical for understanding effective patient care.
My AdvoCaring group participated in different initiatives, including designing and implementing a workshop in over the counter (OTC) medications for people in an elderly home care sponsored by BCDA, a 2022 BCDA 5k run/walk, and a workshop and newsletter about opioid overdose and naloxone. The most meaningful event for me, however, was the BCDA Senior Expo in Timonium. Attendance at the event was exceptional, and elderly people from different locations in Maryland had the opportunity to enjoy a fun day. I had the opportunity to provide flu shots in collaboration with Safeway pharmacies, host a jeopardy game for over-the-counter medication education, raise awareness about herbs, OTC, and natural products, and promote BCDA services. The event was an amazing opportunity to give back to the community in Baltimore.
Students have done presentations on smoking cessation, educational bingo, and memory games to help improve cognition. The AdvoCaring program has been a big help in encouraging residents to take greater responsibility for their medication adherence. An annual event through the program is the Brown Bag event. Students assist residents in creating a current list of their medications and, with their professor present, are able to answer some of their health questions in relation to the medications they are taking. Some residents don’t even know what they are taking, or may need a little encouragement in knowing what questions to ask their health provider or pharmacist.
Established in 1895, Notre Dame of Maryland University (NDMU) is a private, Catholic institution in Baltimore, Maryland, with the mission to educate leaders to transform the world. Notre Dame has been named one of the best "Regional Universities North" by U.S. News & World Report.
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