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This version of NSU News has been archived as of February 28, 2019. To search through archived articles, visit nova.edu/search. To access the new version of NSU News, visit news.nova.edu.
This version of SharkBytes has been archived as of February 28, 2019. To search through archived articles, visit nova.edu/search. To access the new version of SharkBytes, visit sharkbytes.nova.edu.
NSU College of Pharmacy and Asthma-Friendly Childcare Center Training Program form Partnership
L to R: Jamie Forrest, DOH Asthma Epidemiologist, Angela S. Garcia, Pharm.D., C.Ph., assistant professor NSU COP; Tenim Novoa, P4 student intern NSU COP; Julie Dudley, Department of Health Florida Asthma Program Manager; Don Torok, Ph.D., F.A.C.S.M., associate dean Florida Atlantic University and chairman South Florida Asthma Consortium; and Ryan DeBraganca, P4 student intern NSU COP.
Two fourth-year student interns in NSU’s College of Pharmacy, Tenim Novoa and Ryan DeBraganca, are collaborating with the Department of Health (Julie Dudley, M.S., and Jamie Forrest, M.S.) and the South Florida Asthma Consortium (Donald J. Torok, Ph.D., F.A.C.S.M., and Andrew Cuddihy, M.P.H.) to become the inaugural pharmacy team members serving as Mentor Partners in Broward County.The students are under the supervision of Assistant Professor Angela S. Garcia, Pharm.D., C.Ph.
The Florida Asthma Coalition through the Bureau of Environmental Public Health Medicine developed a program for Childcare Centers earning statewide recognition as being ‘Asthma-Friendly’, in efforts to reduce the burden of disease and assist with early recognition and self-management. Garcia, Pharm.D., and the student interns have been working to support Broward County American Lung Association (ALA), South Florida Asthma Consortium (SFAC) and Broward County Public Schools (BCPS) for over three years, providing education on self-management through curriculum such as Open Airways, Kickin’ Asthma, and Asthma Prevention and Management. Currently, Broward County does not have any recognized centers, although there are seven childcare centers that achieved statewide recognition, two of which are located in Miami-Dade County.
The student interns are two of several students who were able to participate in these programs through the experiential learning curriculum at the College of Pharmacy (Introductory and Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences) and collaborative community partnerships. The student interns provided education modules to children targeting asthma trigger awareness and disease management strategies. What made Tenim and Ryan unique was their continuous involvement in research collaborations and participation in additional activities the goals of which were to improve school attendance and decrease emergency department visits/hospitalizations. We see this as a very important step in public health contributions by pharmacists and pharmacy student interns in communities with pronounced racial and health disparities such as those seen throughout South Florida.
Recently, the Florida Asthma Coalition met in St. Petersburg, Florida, at the All Children’s Hospital Education Center to address progress toward strategic plans and statewide goals.