National spotlight on rural health care

ETSU Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy’s initiatives highlighted in national publication

image for Community Outreach

Community Outreach

Students and faculty from East Tennessee State University volunteer at the Remote Area Medical (RAM) clinic in 2019. RAM provides free, pop-up clinics to those in need of health care.

JOHNSON CITY (Feb. 25, 2021) –  A national publication is spotlighting East Tennessee State University Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy’s innovative approaches to train student pharmacists to care for rural and underserved populations.



The latest issue of Academic Pharmacy NOW, the news magazine of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, addresses health disparities that can result in worse health care outcomes for rural populations and highlights ways in which pharmacy schools such as Gatton College of Pharmacy are helping to bridge the health care gaps. 


“Since the inception of Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy, our mission has been to develop progressive, team-oriented pharmacists who improve health care, focusing on rural and underserved communities,” said Dr. Debbie Byrd, dean of ETSU Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy. “This article highlights some key ways in which we have enhanced our curricula and forged critical partnerships that help our faculty and student pharmacists engage in our mission and serve our community.



“We are excited for the opportunity to share what we are doing with our peers, and we are continually implementing new ways to serve our community and better prepare our student pharmacists for the challenges and the rewards of serving in rural and underserved areas.”



The article includes several Gatton initiates, including a discussion of its advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE) program in which approximately 97% of the students completed at least one rural and/or underserved experience in 2019-20. It also discusses specific community outreach initiatives, such as Gatton College of Pharmacy’s work with Remote Area Medical (RAM), where they provide interprofessional care to underserved patients; assistance with COVID-19 vaccinations in the Appalachian Highlands; and work with the Flip the Pharmacy grant program.



To read the complete article, visit issuu.com/aacp/docs/apn-2021issue1. To learn more about ETSU Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy, visit etsu.edu/pharmacy. 

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