Complement your Doctor of Pharmacy degree with a concentration in Public Health.
Pharmacists are called upon to provide a link between physicians and patients who need medical and preventative care. A Public Health Concentration as part of your Doctor of Pharmacy degree will equip you with the skills needed to meet the dynamic issues and challenges in your community, in the country and around the world.
There are many benefits to incorporating the Public Health Concentration into your Pharm.D. curriculum including:
- Courses that can be taken as part of the Pharm.D. program and won’t require extra semesters.
- Credentials that give you an extra edge in competitive career environments.
- A capstone project that gives opportunities for application of concepts.
A Public Health Concentration along with your Pharm.D. will dramatically widen your career opportunities and can include:
- leadership in government health agencies;
- key roles in health policy development;
- emergency and humanitarian response organizations;
- global health agencies;
- hospitals and clinics;
- insurance and managed care organizations;
- universities.
I’m really interested in being a pharmacist in public health because I want to help and work with underserved communities, and having the public health concentration will give me the skills and knowledge to do that. Because of the concentration, I was given opportunities to help out at a homeless clinic, and to go on a public health service trip to Alaska. What really makes the pharmacy program at Wilkes unlike any other are all of the opportunities, and close relationships with your professors who want you to succeed and will do whatever they can to help you reach your goals. — Antonia Gobo, Pharmacy (P3)
Pharmacy is a diverse profession with pharmacists having the ability to fulfill multiple roles. While pharmacists have influenced public health, most have only skimmed the surface of the impact that could be made. By participating in a public health concentration I hope to gain the knowledge and skills which will allow me to positively affect the health of more patients. I love that the Wilkes Pharmacy program is small enough that all the professors know and care about their students yet large enough that the professors have diverse pharmacy experience. — Mia Lussier, Pharmacy (P3)
Taking on the public health concentration is my way of growing my perspective on different cultures and communities, though through providing healthcare. While there are many unique areas to practice in pharmacy, my professors presented the public health concentration as a fulfilling opportunity to focus on issues like healthcare inequality, the distribution of medical sources, and world health crises. I’m excited to see how I, as a future pharmacist, can impact communities that equally deserve quality healthcare. The Nesbitt School of Pharmacy has inspired a humble way of practicing pharmacy and has proven that while small, can make a strong, positive impact to the local area. — Julie Nong, Pharmacy (P2)
There are five required Public Health Concentration courses, and these can be completed within the scope of the Pharm.D. program:
PHA 564: Clinical Research and Design Honors - P1 spring semester
PHA 562: Social and Behavioral Aspects of Public Health - P2 fall semester
PHA 563: Public Health and Pharmacy - P2 spring semester
PHA 561: Principles of Environmental Health for Public Health Practice - P3 fall semester
PHA 565: Public Health Independent Research Capstone - P3 spring semester
Mary McManus, PhD
Pharmaceutical Sciences
570-408-4273
mary.mcmanus@wilkes.edu
Marie Roke-Thomas, PhD
Pharmaceutical Sciences
570-408-3290
marie.roke@wilkes.edu
Jennifer M. Malinowski, Pharm.D.
Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs
Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice
570-408-3294
jennifer.malinowski@wilkes.edu