Ryan was born and raised in Houston, Texas, but later moved to New Orleans, Louisiana for his undergraduate studies. Ryan received his bachelor’s degree in Chemistry and Pharm.D. from Xavier University of Louisiana. During pharmacy school, he was deeply involved in pharmacy leadership and community service. Ryan is passionate about improving patient outcomes for those with chronic disease states and serving underserved communities. He enjoys learning about new cultures through food, bike riding, and spending time with his loved ones.

Health Care Professional’s and Patient’s Perspective and Opinions of Pharmacist Conducted Point-Of-Care Testing for Infectious Diseases

The purpose of this study is to determine health-care professional’s perspective and opinions of pharmacists conducting point-of-care testing for group A streptococcal pharyngitis, influenza virus, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and hepatitis C virus (HCV). Also, this study will determine patient needs, perspectives, opinions, and comfort level with pharmacist conducted point-of-care testing for group A streptococcal pharyngitis, influenza virus, HIV, and HCV. Upon the results of this study, the goal is to determine provider’s willingness to enter a collaborative practice agreement with pharmacists to treat acute infectious diseases and appropriately refer chronic infectious diseases.

Tate is from Lake City, South Carolina, and graduated from the University of South Carolina College of Pharmacy. In her free time, Tate enjoys binge-watching Netflix, playing tennis, and spending time with her two Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppies, Harper and Hampton. She is passionate about working with the geriatric population and enhancing pharmacist-led services. Tate is excited about beginning her pharmacy career at Hawthorne Pharmacy and enthusiastic about helping patients improve their health while working on expanding the role of pharmacists in the community.  

Evaluation of Pharmacist and Patient Perspectives on Pharmacist-Prescribed Hormonal Contraceptives in South Carolina

In May 2022, South Carolina passed the Pharmacy Access Act, which allows pharmacists to administer and prescribe hormonal contraceptives to patients 18 years or older or patients younger than 18 with evidence of a previous prescription for a hormonal contraceptive from a practitioner. The purpose of this study is to evaluate pharmacist and patient perspectives related to pharmacists prescribing hormonal contraceptives. A survey was distributed to pharmacists residing in South Carolina on November 1, 2022, that addresses demographics, pharmacists’ comfort prescribing hormonal contraceptives, plan for implementation, interest, and barriers. The pharmacist survey was distributed prior to the release of the state protocol; however, the patient survey will be distributed afterward. This questionnaire will be given to women <50 years old that fill a prescription for a hormonal contraceptive at one of Hawthorne Pharmacy’s eight locations. The survey will focus on patients’ confidence in their pharmacist prescribing birth control, their willingness to see their pharmacist for this service, and their willingness to pay for these assessments. The goal of this study is to provide insight into the perceptions of pharmacist-prescribing of hormonal contraceptives. 

Leigh is originally from Manning, South Carolina, and received her Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of South Carolina College of Pharmacy in May 2022. Before starting residency, Leigh served as the Phi Lambda Sigma Pharmacy Leadership Society National Student Intern and worked in the community setting as a Pharmacy Intern at an independent pharmacy. She is excited to spend the next two years growing clinically and professionally through her experiences as a resident.

Implementation of a Pharmacist-Led Quick Response Code-Based Patient Education and Engagement Initiative at an Employee Wellness Clinic

The employee wellness center is a patient-centered medical home that provides comprehensive health services including medical, pharmacy, dental, optometry and physical therapy, to employees and dependents of a manufacturing plant in South Carolina. In addition to dispensing services, pharmacists within the clinic provide chronic disease state management services through individualized visits, scheduled on an every 3-month basis. The health center operates under a self-funded insurance plan, which means our patient population is limited. As a result, improved employee/dependent clinic familiarity, accessibility and satisfaction is a major priority of the wellness center. This study aims to evaluate the implementation of a pharmacist-led QR code-based patient education and engagement tool. The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the barriers, time spent, and challenges to initiating the pilot project. If implementation is successful, flyers with QR codes will be created to be placed in high-traffic areas within the manufacturing facility. Once placed, employees within the manufacturing facility will have the opportunity to scan the flyer and fill out a survey on Microsoft Forms. The survey would be constructed to provide the patient with access to information regarding the wellness center, how to schedule a visit, and medical education resources. Additionally, the form would allow the user to include health-related questions to one of our providers within the wellness center. Upon completion of the survey, a pharmacist would then respond to the patient to provide the requested education or to connect the patient with a specialty provider. The implementation of a QR code-based patient education & engagement initiative led by pharmacists could provide insight into how expanded patient outreach services can be implemented, and the barriers and challenges to implementation.

Brianna was born and raised in Ellenwood, Georgia, which is a part of the Metro Atlanta area. Brianna attended Georgia Southern University where she obtained a bachelor's degree in Chemistry. She later went on to receive her Pharm.D. from Mercer University College of Pharmacy. While in pharmacy school, she led multiple community outreach programs and had the opportunity to teach a seminar for the Atlanta Diabetes Association. Brianna is passionate about arming patients with knowledge to foster patient independence regarding health outcomes and serving the underserved. In her spare time, she enjoys long walks, trying out new restaurants, and watching movies.

Assessing Barriers to Medication Adherence in Patients Participating in a Pharmacist Led Diabetes Management Program with Waived Copays

The objective of this study is to assess barriers to diabetes medication adherence (defined as a Proportion of Days Covered (PDC) of at least 80%) in patients who have regular interactions with health care providers, including pharmacists, and waived copays. This study will help identify barriers to adherence in a population that, presumably, does not have what is considered common barriers to adherence (cost and access to care). With these barriers identified through a patient reported survey, the aim of this study would be to mitigate these barriers and increase patient adherence to a PDC goal of 80% or higher. 

Pharmacy Resident Awarded American Pharmacists Association Foundation Research Grant

Thayra is from Ponce, Puerto Rico, and received her Pharm.D. from the University of South Carolina College of Pharmacy. She is passionate about chronic disease state management and loves to empower patients to take charge of their health. Thayra communicates fluently in both English and Spanish to assist underserved patients reach optimal health outcomes. Thayra hopes to pursue a career in an Ambulatory Care role after residency. In her free time, Thayra enjoys spending time with her family, husband, and her two cats Milo and Max.She loves interacting with patients and is proud to be part of the most accessible health care profession. She is excited to begin this new step in her career!

Assessment of pharmacist-led interventions to increase recombinant zoster vaccine immunization rates

With an estimated 1 million cases of varicella-zoster virus (VZV) in the United States each year and over 99% of those older than 50 years old being infected with VZV, these individuals are at risk for developing herpes zoster. Despite the proven effectiveness of the recombinant zoster vaccine (RZV), uptake remains low with only 29.4% of adults aged 50 or older and 39.1% of adults aged 60 or older having received a shingles vaccine. Interventions are needed to improve shingles vaccine uptake. Therefore, the objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of a multi-faceted pharmacist-led intervention on initial RZV dose acceptance.