Student Pharmacists Organize AIDS Awareness Week Activities

Student Section of the Maryland Public Health Association collaborates with 15 other student organizations on AIDS awareness and educational week activities

By Julie Mathias
December 9, 2009

In an effort to remember and recognize people living with HIV/AIDS, the School of Pharmacy’s Student Section of the Maryland Public Health Association (SMdPHA) hosted its largest AIDS Awareness Week in its history Nov. 30 through Dec. 4. This year’s recognition week was a collaborative effort of SMdPHA and more than 15 other University of Maryland student organizations, including the Schools of Nursing and Social Work and the Universities at Shady Grove.

Chai Wang, president of the School of Pharmacy’s Student Government Association and a member of the Class of 2011, noted, “The level of student participation during AIDS Awareness Week deserves to be commended. This is a great way for us to demonstrate a unified front on an important health issue affecting our community.”

Over 120 students attended a Nov. 30 HIV/AIDS forum hosted by Kappa Psi and the Student National Pharmaceutical Association. Representatives from Chase Brexton Health Services spoke about the organization’s HIV/AIDS Medical Care program, as well as the importance of counseling HIV patients, as this service is essential for patients to get proper treatment, care, and support. Two brave patients also came to share their experiences and struggles with HIV.

On Dec. 1, World AIDS Day, students were encouraged to wear red to show their support for the special day. More than 300 red ribbons were distributed across the UMB and Shady Grove campuses, thanks to the help of the Christian Pharmacists Fellowship International and the D.C. Metro Student Pharmacists Association. A special documentary screening, sponsored by the National Community Pharmacists Association, was also held that night at the School. “Pills, Profits, Protest” was a thought-provoking documentary that chronicles the international response to the global AIDS crisis. A lively and thoughtful discussion was held after the documentary to discuss the conflicts and struggles of AIDS treatment on a global scale.

Baked goods filled the air for Dec. 2’s AIDS event. Home-made baked goods made by the members of Lambda Kappa Sigma, Phi Delta Chi, and the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists were sold throughout the day on both the Baltimore and Shady Grove campuses. More than $230 was raised, and all the proceeds will be donated to the Pediatric AIDS Unit at the University of Maryland Medical Center.

Phi Lambda Sigma, American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, and the Society of Workforce Advocates in Pharmacy spearheaded the service project for the week. Health and hygiene donations, such as toothpaste, pocket tissues, sanitizers, condoms, and band aids were solicited from faculty, staff and students. On Dec. 3, students assembled 80 health and hygiene kits with the donations for distribution to the homeless in conjunction with Project Jump Start.

The last event of the week was the distribution of health information on Dec. 4. In order to inform health care professionals, not just pharmacy, about HIV/AIDS, an informational pamphlet was made and distributed across the entire UMB campus.

Also throughout the week, informational posters, designed by A Bridge to Academic Excellence, and the American Pharmacists Association- Academy of Student Pharmacists, were hung on the walls to promote awareness about the disease. A Christmas tree with red ribbons was also displayed in Pharmacy Learning Center to mark the occasion. Lastly, the Student Committee on Drug Abuse Education sponsored daily trivia questions about HIV/AIDS, in which students were able to submit their answers for prize drawings.

Deanna Tran, SMdPHA president adds, “We are thrilled that so many organizations and students participated and attended the week’s events. SMdPHA is honored to have hosted an event that not only brings more awareness about the disease, but puts pharmacists at the forefront of HIV/AIDS advocacy and patient care.”