Walgreens Sponsors Temple University Pharmacy Student Mission Work
Monday, January 30, 2023 - The Temple University School of Pharmacy announced that Walgreens will be the title sponsor for a 5k Run/Walk event to raise funds for student global mission initiatives.
Temple builds the pharmacy workforce by graduating up to 160 new pharmacists per year. In the years before the COVID-19 pandemic began, cohorts from each Doctor of Pharmacy class participated in mission trips to Vietnam and Guatemala. The faculty leading the missions now seek to resume their medical service missions to support underserved communities abroad and give their students a first-in-a-lifetime clinical training opportunity.
"Our global mission trips are a unique feature of our Doctor of Pharmacy program. The experience is gratifying for all those involved - students, faculty, patients, volunteers, and donors. We are grateful to Walgreens and other companies and individuals who support our efforts," said Jayanth Panyam, PhD, dean and professor of the Temple University School of Pharmacy.
Cohosted by the School of Pharmacy and its student chapter of the Drug Information Association, the 5k Run/Walk event will bring together advocates for the profession of pharmacy on Sunday, April 16, 2023, at the Ambler Arboretum at the Temple University Ambler Campus. Proceeds from the event will support the school's global mission initiatives.
At a given time, Walgreens employs approximately 75,000 pharmacists across the United States, Europe, and Latin America. To address a shortage of staff pharmacists, the company is aggressively recruiting, in some cases offering sign-on bonuses of up to $75,000 in certain territories, and raising the standard for work conditions for pharmacists. Walgreens also offers early-career pharmacists chances to advance into specialty pharmacy, managed care, management, administrative, and other executive roles - an opportunity that is more limited to pharmacists working in other career settings.
Thanicatt commented, "At Walgreens, we have re-evaluated our roles as community pharmacists and we are improving our operating model to transform pharmacy. We are evolving from a transactional script-filling model to partner-driven clinical care programs which expand our clinical services. We are doing this so pharmacists can build lasting relationships with our patients with the emphasis on patient care. Walgreens seeks to strengthen its relationship with Temple to continue to cultivate a strong pipeline of future staff pharmacists."