In the world of pharmacy education, clinical skills and medication-related knowledge are critical and therefore central to training. However, for Elise Moore, the journey through pharmacy school became equally defined by community engagement, advocacy, and a mission to serve and enhance health outcomes for diverse patient populations. As a pharmacy student, Elise found multiple avenues to connect with various communities, both within and outside the College.
All about Community. All in from the Get-go!
With guidance from a then P4 student mentor, Elise joined the Black/African American Affinity group where she found support and community with others of shared identity and lived experience. This early engagement, along with joining SNPhA (Student National Pharmaceutical Association), set the foundation for her community engagement journey.
One of her early commitments was with the Phillips Neighborhood Clinic, where Elise initially applied to and served as an interpreter for Spanish-speaking patients. "The Phillips neighborhood has a high Spanish-speaking population," Elise explains. This role offered her a unique perspective on patient care – as this afforded her the opportunity to work with patients from start to finish of their visits and often serve as their advocate."
“As an interpreter, you are translating their story, their concerns, their opinions to the rest of the care team," she notes. This experience revolutionized her perception of pharmacy practice, highlighting the role of advocacy in patient care. "Pharmacists really are still patient advocates... your patient might see you a lot more often than they see their providers. Are their needs being met? Are their ideas being represented? Are their medical concerns being taken care of?"
Elise's commitment to community engagement extended beyond direct patient care. Through SNAFA, she attended the annual meeting in Atlanta, which exposed her to the nationwide efforts towards supporting students and communities of color. This experience inspired her to seek "a more lasting impact and involvement in research," particularly after being at presentations highlighting the importance of diversity in clinical trials.
Preparing Students for Effective Engagement
Perhaps Elise’s most significant contribution through community-engaged efforts came through her leadership with the Phillips Neighborhood Clinic. As part of the Community Relations team, she helped develop curriculum around ethical community engagement for student volunteers. This training focused on professional identity, cultural humility, and structural humility - helping students understand not just the backgrounds of patients but also the systemic structures impacting their health and care.
"We built this curriculum that we gave to first-year volunteers in the spring around ethical community engagement," she explains. The initiative has been presented at conferences, including the American Public Health Association, and resulted in a published manuscript aimed at establishing best practices for community engagement among healthcare professional students. Evaluation data from this effort shows improvement in students' understanding and approach to these concepts, demonstrating the program's effectiveness despite the challenges of student volunteer turnover.
A Call to Embrace Community in Pharmacy Practice
To the pharmacy student in the early phase of training, Elise offers a passionate perspective about community pharmacy practice. Despite the significant number of pharmacy graduates that enter the community pharmacy workforce, she notes that this path is often undervalued in the curriculum and culture of pharmacy education. "It kind of devalues this place that we hold in the community," she observes, lamenting the disconnect between pharmacists being among the most trusted health professionals yet not embracing their role as "community leaders or community pillars."
She notes that working closely with communities in various roles (community pharmacy, ambulatory care, managed care) requires the pharmacist having "the right intentions and perspective”, pointing out that "you could be a community pharmacist in a community, and not serve that community." She describes this missed opportunity as "low hanging fruit" where people "miss the forest for the trees" - focusing so much on just doing their job rather than seeing the potential to "immerse yourself as a community member." She therefore encourages new students to recognize and embrace the important role community pharmacists can play as healthcare leaders embedded in their communities.
Looking ahead . . .
Elise sees her community engagement experiences as formative to her professional identity. "Starting with advocacy," she reflects, "there have been different facets of building that throughout my time in pharmacy school." She describes a progression from self-advocacy to patient advocacy to policy and professional advocacy - all ways of "using your voice in an intentional way." The leadership positions and research opportunities at the College of Pharmacy have helped her "grow in my confidence, in my knowledge, in my experience as a leader and as an advocate."
Upon graduation, Elise will be transitioning to a position at Cub Pharmacy, where she has worked for seven years, and intends to stay focused on "being that direct community connection." Additionally, she hopes to continue engaging in research endeavors with specific focus on implementation science and policy effectiveness through a post-doctorate Research Fellowship at the College of Pharmacy.
Clearly Elise’s experiences have shaped a clear mission: to elevate community pharmacy practice and demonstrate how pharmacists can be vital advocates within their communities. "I want to hold that space. And I want to lead that directive here," she states with determination. As she embarks on this next chapter, Elise brings with her the interprofessional experience, community engagement skills, and curricular development knowledge to, as she puts it, "lead that charge" - reimagining what community pharmacy practice can and should be.
