The College of Pharmacy will offer its students a more in-depth look at the concepts of diversity, equity and inclusion in a course to begin in the fall of 2022.
Course coordinators Jordan Cooler, 2016 Pharm.D., clinical assistant professor and Christina Cox, 2006 Pharm.D., clinical associate professor in the Clinical Pharmacy and Outcomes Sciences department, were among ten awardees from across the University of South Carolina to receive a grant of up to $2,500 from the Center for Teaching Excellence to develop a course that centers on the voices, experiences, and contributions of members of marginalized populations, contextualize inequality within broader contexts, and reflect inclusive pedagogical approaches.
The course, entitled Off the SCRxIPT: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Perspectives in Healthcare, will allow students to further increase the skills needed to interact with and treat a variety of patient populations, including those who have been historically marginalized.
“Now, more than ever, the concepts of diversity, equity and inclusion must be incorporated into health professional education,” says Cooler, “in order to improve the quality of care provided to all patients and to enhance outcomes.”
Students in the course will work collaboratively with a multitude of health care professionals and faculty from the UofSC School of Journalism to develop podcasts as an innovative and impactful source for information and discussion on these concepts.
As the future of health care, it is important that our student pharmacists learn to educate and build trust.
Christina Cox, Pharm.D. Clinical Associate Professor
“As the future of health care, it is important that our student pharmacists learn to educate and build trust,” says Cox. “This education goes beyond future patients. Students will be educating current faculty, their own colleagues, future employers and employees, and the community.”
“Developing podcasts is also an opportunity to be creative, not something that you necessarily think of in pharmacy education,” they add. “It is exciting to see what the students will produce and how they can enhance their skills through this course.”
Cooler and Cox are grateful for all faculty members involved in developing the course, including Betsy Blake, clinical associate professor, director of Interprofessional Education, and UofSC co-director of Interprofessional Education for the Health Sciences; Julie Ann Justo, clinical associate professor and course faculty; Amy Grant, associate dean for Student Affairs and Diversity and course faculty; and Laura Smith, instructor with the School of Journalism and course faculty.
Topics: Pharm.D. Program