Cedarville Pharmacy Grad Works on Development and Administration of COVID-19 Vaccine

Only a year after his graduation from Cedarville University School of Pharmacy in Ohio, Kofi Amoah, PharmD, joined the Pfizer team developing its coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine. This led to an entrepreneurship opportunity that is helping to vaccinate members of his community.

Amoah graduated from pharmacy school in May 2019 and started an internship at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. In August 2019, he accepted a job at Pfizer and by March 2020, he was asked to join the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine team.

The opportunities available to him at Cedarville prepared him for the unique experience with Pfizer, Amoah said.¹

"It was a huge responsibility, but it wasn't scary," Amoah said. "I learned at Cedarville how to collaborate with a team of people from different types of backgrounds. I knew from my education how to seek out information and how to learn from others in a collaborative setting."

At Pfizer, Amoah works as a medical outcome specialist, acting as an intermediary for various Pfizer clinical sites. He collected and collated data on the adverse effects of the vaccine and then transferred data from 1 test site to another to ensure all investigators were following protocols during the study.¹

Although he continues to work for Pfizer doing testing research, Amoah has started his own business, Sterling Rapid Response, which has been approved by the US Department of Health & Human Services as a vaccine provider for 500,000 patients. The business set up a mobile clinic at the Tri-County Mall in Springdale, Ohio, to administer the vaccine with the support of local health organizations, including Hamilton County Public Health and Springdale Health Department.^1,2

Amoah reached out to Cedarville University School of Pharmacy to request the aid of students, interns, and professors during the upcoming vaccination clinics.

"I'm able to hire pharmacists, pharmacist interns, pharmacy technicians, nurses, and doctors to work with public health departments, hospitals, and the community to get the vaccine out," Amoah said.

Amoah will collaborate with public health departments to receive support in scheduling patients, and his company's staff will administer the vaccine to patients.

Amoah noted that he has greatly appreciated the support and welcome he has received as a Cedarville University School of Pharmacy alumnus.

"I am most grateful to Cedarville," Amoah said. "My wife, Veronica, and I both graduated from the Cedarville School of Pharmacy, and we have always been welcomed with open arms by the faculty. They are always there to help and guide you. Interim Dean Aleda Chen, [RPh, PharmD, PhD], has called me to see how things are going, and Thad Franz, [RPh, PharmD], has been following up, as well."

Franz, the pharmacy school's vice chair of experiential programs, and an associate professor of pharmacy practice, explained that he has been encouraged to see the innovation of graduates such as Amoah as they have stepped into the pharmacy field.

"I am so proud of Kofi and all of our alumni who leave the Cedarville School of Pharmacy program with a heart toward serving our communities," Franz said. "It is what our profession needs as we continue to face the pandemic and care well for the patients we love."

REFERENCES

1. Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine aided by Cedarville Pharmacy grad. News release. Cedarville University. January 28, 2021. Accessed February 12, 2021. https://digitalcommons.cedarville.edu/news_releases/1266/

2. Johnson K. Largely vacant Tri-County Mall will be home to new mobile vaccination clinic. WLWT5. February 11, 2021. Accessed March 11, 2021. https://www.wlwt.com/article/largely-vacant-tri-county-mall-will-be-home-to-new-mobile-vaccination-clinic/35482319