Patient Care Projects
Get involved with caring & advocating for patients in your community.
Find out more details below on the patient care project that fits you best! Then, contact the corresponding project director to get more info on how YOU can participate!
Arthritis [Claire Hwang, clairehw@usc.edu & Kevin Nguyen, kevintng@usc.edu]
Arthritis is one of the most prevalent chronic health problems and the nation’s leading cause of disability among Americans over age 15. It affects people of all age groups including 300,000 children, which is approximately 1 in every 250 children. In addition, one in five (22+%) adults in the United States report having physician diagnosed arthritis. It is responsible for limiting everyday activities such as walking, dressing, and bathing. Half of the Americans with arthritis don’t think anything can be done to help them. However, the truth is that arthritis is completely manageable. Thus, the goal of this project is to educate the population on ways to relieve the symptoms of arthritis, as well as to spread awareness in preventing progression of the disease. The project consists of a committee that will serve in providing education sessions to fellow students and being involved in the upcoming health fairs to educate the general population. The project will specifically cover the three most common forms of arthritis: osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and gout. We are also planning to expand the project by increasing the clinic type involvement such as consultations and by holding educational presentations at senior centers, clinics, and long-term care facilities.
Asthma [Jane Suh, janesuh@usc.edu & Edward Thanasombat, thanasom@usc.edu]
Asthma is a chronic disease often overlooked by both patients and healthcare providers. Due to poor disease management and education, asthma accounts for at least one-quarter (2 million) of all emergency room visits in the United States each year. The Asthma Awareness Project sets out to educate patients on proper medication use, self-monitoring of the disease, and disease awareness. Emphasis is placed on training students to deliver proper asthma education to the community.
The target populations for this project are both male and female patients in the Los Angeles and Orange County areas. The most affected ethnic population is the African-American community. The majority of the Los Angeles population is made up of Hispanic or African-American ethnicities.
There are 22.2 million adults (approximately 7.7% of the US population) and 6.5 million children who are currently diagnosed with asthma. Females have a 40% higher prevalence rate than males. Patients with a family history of asthma, obesity, exposure to allergens, tobacco smoke, and environmental pollutants are at greater risk for developing the condition.
As part of our committee, you will get the chance to participate in the following:
- Camp Nawakwa (Asthma camp for kids) , Summer
- Educating patients about asthma at Health Fairs
- Patient counseling at Weingart Clinic
- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Education/Training
- Develop your own projects!!
Body Fat Analysis [Jennifer Baynes, baynes@usc.edu ; Andrew Williams, andrewwi@usc.edu ;
Deana Hanna, deanahan@usc.edu ; uscbodyfat@gmail.com]
Individuals who are overweight or obese have an increased risk of developing diseases and health conditions including hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and cancer. Our goal is to identify individuals who are overweight, obese, or at risk for obesity, in order to find treatment options and offer lifestyle modification plans to improve both their health and their way of life.
Individuals who approach our booth will receive screenings of their body fat percentage and body mass index (BMI). Based on each individual’s results, private consultation and information will be given to these participants.
Cancer Awareness [Christina Wong, wongcj@usc.edu]
Skin cancer is the most prevalent form of cancer today. Currently, over one million Americans develop skin cancer every year, with those who have fair skin being the most susceptible. It is currently estimated that 40-50% of Americans who live to age 65 will have skin cancer at least once in their lives. Most skin cancer appears after age 50, but the process begins during a person’s youth. A majority of people suffer from skin cancer due to excessive exposure to UV sunlight, but it can also form due to exposure to sunlamps and tanning booths. Given this, while skin cancer is the most common form of cancer, it is also the most imminently preventable type.
The purpose of the project is to provide patient education on skin cancer prevention and early detection for patients of all ages. Students will clarify common misconceptions, discuss and demonstrate proper sunblock application, offer lifestyle advice, and demonstrate how to perform a skin self-exam. With this, we hope that patients will be more prudent when it comes to tanning and more aware of what they can do to help prevent the development of skin cancer.
In addition, the cancer awareness committee will strive to educate the public on other common forms of cancer as well. We will distribute information on prevention, detection, risk factors and screening recommendations for these prevalent cancers. However, the main focus will remain on skin cancer since it is one of the most common and preventable types of cancer.
Cholesterol Awareness [Grace Cheng, gcheng@usc.edu & Saleema Kapadia, saleemak@usc.edu]
Cholesterol screenings allow members of the general public to become aware of their total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, and triglyceride levels, and learn about risk factors and lifestyle modifications that can prevent and lower high cholesterol. With these cholesterol screenings, early detection can help patients reduce their risk of coronary heart disease, ischemic stroke, and transient ischemic attack.
As a part of the National Heart Project, our goal is to screen individuals for cholesterol with an emphasis on those individuals with risk factors. Following the screening, the individuals will have a private consultation with a student pharmacist who will educate them about appropriate lifestyle modifications to reduce or prevent hyperlipidemia. By participating in cholesterol screenings and patient education, student pharmacists will learn to identify high risk patients by the use of written questionnaire and become competent in managing this particular disease state and enhance their patient counseling abilities for those with hyperlipidemia.
Educational Programming [Lev Protas, protas@usc.edu]
Educational Programming strives to enhance students’ pharmacy knowledge and experience outside of the classroom environment. We provide various workshops and seminars throughout the year, including, Spanish language workshops to enhance the student-patient interaction in health related settings, and opportunities to explore unconventional pharmacy careers such as nuclear pharmacy and academia. We are also looking for a motivated 1st year student/s who is interested in getting involved to work with the Educational Programming director. By joining the Educational Programming team you will be gaining leadership experience right away. You will be leading discussions and you will have many opportunities to forge connections with professionals from all different areas of pharmacy.
Geriatric Care [Aimy Vo, avo@usc.edu]
Did you know? There are more than 38 million people that are currently age 65 or older in the United States and by the year 2030 that number is estimated to nearly double. The growing geriatric population, along with the increased amount of drugs available and used, has created a unique opportunity for pharmacists to get involved in the care of the geriatric population.
Geriatric care is a new focus of APSA here at USC and the program is in its beginning stages. Our goal is to provide patient care to the geriatric community and to spread awareness about the special needs of the senior population and also about the need for pharmacists’ involvement in providing quality pharmaceutical care for them.
Some upcoming events this year include educational modules for both students and seniors. Come learn about fall prevention and how to help seniors avoid injuries. Also learn about Medicare Part D, Medication Therapy Management and how to help seniors manage their health. There will be lots of opportunities to learn about consultant pharmacists, attend health fairs, and screen elders at our main event in the spring, senior prom! If you are interested in getting involved and learning more, please contact us and join our new Geriatric Care Committee!
Heartburn Awareness [Tony Tan, tonytan@usc.edu]
Over 60 million people in the United States suffer from heartburn, of which 25 million experience the condition daily. Heartburn symptoms can be controlled and complications can generally be avoided with proper treatment and monitoring. As the most accessible healthcare professionals, pharmacists are key players in educating heartburn sufferers on how they can improve their quality of life and avoid further complications resulting from chronic heartburn.
The Heartburn Awareness project goal is to increase education and awareness of heartburn in the local community. Under the supervision of practicing pharmacists, student volunteers will provide information on the causes of heartburn, its common trigger factors (including both foods and activities), severe consequences of heartburn, lifestyle modifications to manage heartburn, and over-the-counter medications recommendations. For those suffering from heartburn, student volunteers will conduct screenings to determine heartburn severity and recommend appropriate lifestyle changes and medications to properly manage symptoms. When necessary, severe heartburn cases will be referred to a physician for further evaluation. Student volunteers will keep in mind target populations, such as the elderly and pregnant women, while they are counseling, and distribute bilingual literature to ethnic populations.
Healthy Living/Alternative Medicine [Jaclyn Kaladjian, kaladjia@usc.edu]
Living a healthy lifestyle is important preventive measure against chronic diseases such as hypertension and hyperlipidemia. These conditions can only be treated effectively if a proper drug regimen is followed in conjunction with healthy changes in lifestyle. The key to promoting healthy living and preventing disease is education. If you are interested in these public health issues then you should join the Healthy Living/Alternative Medicine Committee, where you can help educate the public by:
- Spreading awareness about the effects of nutrition on health and ways to improve eating habits
- Becoming a nutrition expert and educating the public at health fairs
- Helping to create health profiles and administering healthy living quizzes
- Teaching middle/high school students about healthy living topics
- Developing educational materials about alternative medicine and healthy living
Legislative Affairs [Rylan Hanks, rhanks@usc.edu]
It has become very apparent this past year that the healthcare industry is undergoing a major overhaul. Many of the changes will have a direct impact on the future of pharmacy. As this transformation continues we all must stay active in policy development and legislative affairs because the policies and laws passed today will determine our scope of practice in the future; ultimately expanding or limiting the delivery of healthcare to our patients. The USC APhA-ASP Chapter (APSA – American Pharmacy Student Alliance) encourages student pharmacists to be actively involved at the grassroots level and within the legislative arena to advance the profession of pharmacy. APSA’s legislative events allow our members to interact with policy makers, legislators, faculty and pharmacists, stressing the importance of the student prospective while working with esteemed leaders to shape pharmacy policy and legislation. Our chapter’s participation in the APhA and CPhA House of Delegates and other legislative committees illustrate this ability to influence the creation of policy via student pharmacists. By helping student pharmacists gain insight into their own capacity to influence the decisions that shape our profession, our chapter fosters and promotes the development of future leaders who are dedicated to the growth of pharmacy.
Mental Health [Karen Gana, gana@usc.edu]
The Rho Chi Honor Society organizes and implements projects for student pharmacists to learn about various mental health disorders, such as major depressive disorders and generalized anxiety, in order to educate target populations at health fairs. The chapter has also added sleep disorders, like insomnia and sleep apnea, into the mental health project to address its growing prevalence and burden on society. Furthermore, we also give presentations regarding mental health and sleep disorders to medically underserved patients at Los Angeles clinics. The mission of our project is to train pharmacy students to tailor their pharmaceutical care and conversational styles to the different backgrounds and needs of specific patient populations to effectively convey important health issues and provide comprehensive care.
Operation Diabetes [Christopher Munoz, munozcj@usc.edu & Hovik Mekhjian, mekhjian@usc.edu ;
USC.OperationDiabetes@gmail.com]
Operation Diabetes is a national APhA-ASP patient care project dedicated to battling the growing diabetes epidemic. We coordinate the diabetes screening services at health fairs throughout the year, as well as diabetes education for our fellow students and the local community. This consistent involvement empowers the community with knowledge while creating awareness of the services offered by pharmacists and student pharmacists. Our committee members play a key role by supervising the screening booths, creating presentations, and advertising for our events. This project is an excellent way to give back to the community while gaining experiential and hands-on knowledge on a wealth of topics relating to diabetes.
Operation Immunization [Amy Lee, amycl@usc.edu & Joanna Lee, joannajl@usc.edu]
The broad goals of Operation Immunization are three-fold. It serves to inform the public about pharmacists’ currently underutilized ability to vaccinate, educate about the mechanism, efficacy, and safety of immunizations in an understandable and refreshing way, and of course provide vaccination opportunities to the public.
Through USC Operation Immunization, we delivered 5,039 vaccines with the help of 687 pharmacy students, and educated 5,441,750 people through numerous health fairs and media presentations during the last flu season. USC won the national awards for the Operation Immunization care project in 2008, and we need the help of dedicated and motivated committee members to help make history for the ’10-’11 flu season. Please apply today, and feel free to email us any questions that you have.
Pain Management [Linda Tran, lindahtr@usc.edu & Winny Yang, yipingwy@usc.edu]
Everyone has experienced pain at one point in their life. While pain is considered the fifth vital sign, it is often poorly managed and inadequately treated. Recognizing the growing need to properly educate patients about this important health topic, the American Pharmacy Student Alliance at USC School of Pharmacy, in conjunction with the Student Industry Association at USC, added the Pain Management module to its roster of community service projects.
The object of the Pain Management Project is to help patients take control of their pain. The student pharmacists will be trained to provide information about the indications, common side effects, drug interactions, potential for abuse, contraindications, and proper dosing of commonly prescribed narcotic analgesics and over-the-counter pain relief products.
The student pharmacists will attend health fairs and provide patients with information about topics such as headache, arthritis, lower back pain, bone/joint pain, muscle pain, and pain associated with menstrual cycle.
PharmSC [Raymond Chao, rchao@usc.edu]
The pharmSC clinic, the only student pharmacist run clinic in the nation operating out of the Botica del Sol pharmacy, is now collaborating with APSA to provide its services to the community. Together with the employees of Botica del Sol and the students of USC, the clinic strives to provide quality healthcare services to the underserved community. The target population does not have reliable access to medical care, and as a result, this population is at risk for developing chronic diseases and further complications. This clinic will offer pharmacy students practical hands-on experience with health screenings (hypertension, cholesterol, diabetes, body fat, osteoporosis), consultations, medication review and immunizations. The ambulatory care setting of the clinic provides students with a unique experience to become directly involved with the clinic participants and allows students to monitor the progression of repeat participants. By volunteering at the pharmSC clinic, students can directly contribute to the community while improving upon their skills and knowledge of pharmacy.
Poison Prevention/AWARE [Tiffany Chang, changtif@usc.edu & Daniela Um, danielau@usc.edu]
Each year, poison control centers report approximately 2.5 million poisonings, many of which occur in unsupervised young children. Furthermore, 96% of unintentional poisoning deaths are due to drugs. Our goal through Poison Prevention is to educate school age children about common household items that may be poisonous, including medicine. Through educational games, entertaining puppet shows, fun worksheets and interactive activities, we plan to educate children in the LA area about the dangers of poisons.
AWARE (Alliance Working for Antibiotic Resistance Education) is a national program that promotes the appropriate use of antibiotics. Our goal through AWARE is to teach the public the differences in the treatments of viruses and bacteria, with an emphasis on proper use of antibiotics. There is also a section of the project devoted to the importance of proper hand-washing to prevent sickness.
We will interact with both children and adults during presentations and health fairs, providing educational information and prizes. We plan to reach out to the community to generate a greater public awareness on poison prevention and antibiotic resistance. Please feel free to contact us if you are interested in learning more about the project and becoming part of our committee!
Project Hypertension [Hien Tang, hientang@usc.edu & Jason Shan, jshan@usc.edu]
According to the American Heart Association (AHA), about 65 million Americans older than 6 years old have hypertension or high blood pressure with 30% that does not even know that they have high blood pressure. High blood pressure has been shown to be associated with heart disease and stroke; therefore, the risk of these diseases can be largely reduced by detecting and decreasing high blood pressure.
For adults between the ages of 40 to 89 years old, the risk of dying from heart disease or stroke doubles for every 20mmHg systolic or 10mmHg diastolic increase in blood pressure. Therefore, the goals of our project are to reduce the chances of heart disease and stroke through an approach of screening and education. By utilizing pharmacy students to screen and educate the patients, students will have the opportunity to receive hands-on practice and experience as well as demonstrate to the community that pharmacists can be invaluable resources for many disease states.
Sexual Health Awareness – HepB/STDs [Melissa Cartagena, melissa.cartagena@usc.edu &
Oni Chanthanasuksilpa, chanthan@usc.edu]
Hepatitis B and sexually transmitted diseases such as AIDS, Chlamydia, and Gonorrhea arebecoming more prevalent. From the general public to healthcare professionals, everyone is at risk for STIs and Hepatitis . The best way to prevent transmission of these contagious diseases is to educate ourselves and the public about prevention and protection methods. Our committee’s mission is to increase awareness about Hepatitis B and sexually transmitted disease by targeting the general public of both Los Angeles County and Orange County, and specifically focusing on the Asian Pacific Islander/Vietnamese populations. We offer educational sessions to college and high school campuses from around the Los Angeles and Orange County areas. We also collaborate with Hepatitis B screening organizations and Planned Parenthood to prevent the further spread of these diseases.
SHARE Program [Susie Yoo & Terrance Yu, usc.share.program@gmail.com]
Interested in helping the underprivileged population in Los Angeles? Looking for opportunities to brush up on your counseling skills? Interested in relaying valuable information learned in class to actual patients? Do all these things with SHARE by joining one of its programs!
SHARE currently offers patient services to underserved populations at several health centers located around Los Angeles: John Wesley County Hospital (JWCH), Weingart Center by Skid Row, and four 340b safety net QueensCare Family Clinics. The program consists of three major components: (1) health education classes, (2) smoking cessation program, and (3) year-round ambulatory care clinic student volunteer program. Interested student pharmacists are required to receive formal training from the project directors and faculty advisors. Training emphasizes cultural competence and patient counseling skills.
Women’s Health [Jessica Lee, lee115@usc.edu & Karen Tam, karentam@usc.edu]
Osteoporosis: Osteoporosis is often considered a “silent” disease that is characterized by low bone mass and structural deterioration of bone tissue. Many individuals are unaware of their bone health until they fracture a bone. Currently, 10 million individuals have osteoporosis and 34 million more are believed to have low-bone mass. Contrary to common belief, osteoporosis can strike both young and elderly adults. Although women are four times as likely to develop this debilitating disease as men, males comprise 20% of those diagnosed with osteoporosis. The mission of our committee is to provide osteoporosis screenings at community health fairs and offer healthy lifestyle counseling to all who want to reduce their risk of developing osteoporosis. Our data was recently recognized at the Clinical Osteoporosis 2010 Symposium for demonstrating the effectiveness of pharmacy students as a resource for osteoporosis screening and education in the community. We believe that emphasizing the keys to building strong bones now will help prevent the suffering associated with fragile bones later.
Emergency Contraception: Emergency contraception, commonly known as the “morning after pill”, is a form of birth control that may prevent pregnancy if taken within 120 hours after having unprotected sex or in the event of contraceptive failure. Taking emergency contraception will not disrupt an established pregnancy and it is not the same as the abortion pill. In California and many other states, pharmacists are allowed to dispense emergency contraception to both women and men aged 17 and older without a prescription. The goal of our project is to increase awareness about access to emergency contraception, including visits to sites such as the USC Main Campus and others. We also hope that the committee will enable its members to feel comfortable answering common questions related to dispensing emergency contraception.
Hormone Replacement Therapy: A few years have passed since the publication of the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) studies on the risks of hormone replacement therapy. Since then, newer studies continue to appear, all adding to the impression that hormone replacement therapies are dangerous to a woman’s health. The goal of the project is to provide patient education on menopause and hormone replacement therapy. In doing so, women will be better able to make decisions about their own health and take control of their transition through menopause.