Community pharmacy and community service have a
very close association for Laura Marran. The winner of
February's Pharmacy Times/Wal-Mart RESPy Award,
Marran has worked in a community pharmacy since she was 16.
Now in her third year of pharmacy school, Marran has "set a
pattern of effort and contribution," according to Theodore Tong,
PharmD, associate dean of academic and student affairs and
professor of pharmacy, toxicology, and public health at the
University of Arizona (UA) College of Pharmacy. "Laura came to
pharmacy school after working in a community pharmacy setting,
so she saw pharmacists contributing to community service
and had already adopted that value system," said Dr. Tong. "She
quickly saw opportunities and addressed them."
Her experience working in a community setting has helped
her identify needs. In early 2006, with the help of her advisor,
Kevin Boesen, PharmD, Marran developed a program that
trained pharmacy students to explain the complexities of
Medicare Part D to seniors. Many of the patients had low
incomes, limited literacy, and poor language proficiency and
were eligible for benefits under Medicare and ACCESS—
Arizona's program of subsidized assistance for health care services
to qualified state residents.
Students gave a presentation to seniors and followed with a
question-and-answer session. "I'm most proud of being able to
sit one-on-one with seniors to access the Medicare D Web site,
plug in their medications, and help them make the selection that
was best for them," said Marran. "Having a direct impact on the
quality of their health care
was very fulfilling."
Marran's outreach efforts
have also included children. As
president-elect and president
of the UA's student
chapter of the National Community
Pharmacists Association,
Marran created a chapter
membership outreach
program to increase participation
of fellow students in
the organization's service
and social activities.
Part of that effort was
creating volunteer service
opportunities
with the local
Ronald McDonald
House."I'm proud
of our ‘Katy's
Kids' program,"
she said of the
educational program
that teaches
kindergarten
children about
the proper uses
of medication and the role of the pharmacist. She also taught
kindergarteners about the proper care and management of
asthma through the American Lung Association's Open Airways
curriculum. "We teach them how to use an inhaler and how to
manage their asthma," said Marran.
Marran believes that pharmacy's role in health care will continue
to expand as long as "pharmacists show how useful and
accessible they are."
"Every day I go to work, patients are asking more and more
questions about their medication, she said. " It makes me very
excited to get out there and practice."
About the College
The University of Arizona College of Pharmacy
The UA College of Pharmacy was founded in 1947 and remains
the only college of pharmacy at an Arizona public university.
Regarded as one of the premier colleges of pharmacy in the nation,
was ranked fourth in America's Best Graduate Schools last year by
US News & World Report. The College of Pharmacy is home to the
first poison control center in Arizona and is a leader in toxicology
research and training. Its Center for Health Outcomes and
PharmacoEconomics Research is one of the first centers in the world
devoted to the study of pharmacoeconomics.
The college offers a professional PharmD program, as well as a
master of science and PhD program in the pharmaceutical sciences
and in pharmacology and toxicology to students who have completed
a minimum of 67 college credits of specific pre-pharmacy courses.
Completion of PharmD course work requires 4 years and includes
clinical rotations in hospitals, nursing homes, and community
pharmacies.
The Wal-Mart/Pharmacy Times RESPy AWARD (Respect,
Excellence, and Service in Pharmacy) is
presented to the student who has made a difference
in his or her community by demonstrating
excellence in pharmaceutical care.
Ms. Sax is a freelance writer based in Chevy Chase, Md.
