JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (April 11, 2025)—Student pharmacists in ETSU Bill Gatton College
of Pharmacy’s Rural and Underserved Pharmacy Care Track recently tackled real-world healthcare challenges at the ETSU-Eastman Valleybrook
campus, home to Project EARTH and the Niswonger VILLAGE, a unique public health simulation
lab.
Students worked in teams to design safe medication storage solutions for families
in South Africa and Rwanda, where refrigeration and healthcare access are limited.
They also explored Rus Pumps, a water purification system using natural filtration.
Innovative Medication Storage in Low-Resource Settings
Yvonne Asomaning Sakyi’s team focused on an aluminum-sheet home model, where heat
posed risks to insulin stability and child safety concerns arose regarding medication
storage.
“The challenge involved identifying potential safety issues related to medication
storage in this environment,” said Sakyi. “Our task was to propose practical solutions
to ensure medication safety in this setting, considering both environmental and household
factors.”
Drawing from her Ghanaian background, Sakyi introduced traditional cooling techniques:
“One common method is placing perishable goods in water and regularly changing it
to keep them cool. This inspired my idea for storing insulin in a water container
to prevent heat degradation. Another option is using a clay pot, which naturally insulates
and maintains a lower temperature.”
Brunella Martinelli de Medeiros Fiuza, from Brazil, shared another resourceful approach.
“In my country, we often repurpose everyday items. One solution is using empty soda
bottles as sharps containers for diabetic patients, providing a safe and sturdy disposal
method.”
Building a Future in Underserved Care
For both students, this experience reinforced their passion for rural healthcare.
“I learned how important creativity and teamwork are in places with limited resources,”
said Fiuza. “It made me realize you need to think outside the box and work together
to come up with solutions.”
“My experience at Valley Brook taught me that solutions to complex problems don’t
always have to be complicated or expensive,” added Sakyi. “Practical, low-cost solutions
can significantly improve people’s lives when applied thoughtfully."
"Both students plan to work in underserved communities, ensuring accessible, innovative
healthcare solutions for those in need.
We are really pleased to provide an opportunity like this for our students,” said
Dr. Emily Flores, Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice. “It was nice to see them
consider and operationalize medication storage solutions for temperature, but also
for safety, such as keeping medications out of reach of children and secure from animals.
This experience allowed our students to demonstrate a level of awareness and creativity
that is hard to achieve in traditional classrooms, but even more crucial in low resource
settings.”
“Our Rural and Underserved Pharmacy Care Track equips students with practical skills
that can be applied wherever they take their pharmacy careers,” said KariLynn Dowling-McClay,
Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice. “Even though this learning experience took
place in South African and Rwandan homes, pharmacists will encounter limited resource
environments that challenge health care delivery anywhere around the globe, including
right here in Appalachia.”
Dr. Mike Stoots, College of Public Health, facilitated the event at the ETSU-Eastman
Valleybrook campus.
Learn more about the Rural and Underserved Pharmacy Care Track.