AWARxE Campaign: Initiative to Educate Middle School Students

I hope everyone is enjoying their week! I had an excellent visit at the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy last week on November 28th. The College is one of two finalists for the Lawrence C. Weaver Transformative Community Service Award. Several individuals were in attendance to present their initiatives to the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) team who was visiting and has the responsibility of deciding which of the finalists will receive this prestigious award. I attended all of the various presentations and supported Julie Johnson in her presentation focusing on advocacy efforts and the strong relationship between MPhA and the College. I spoke about the AWARxE campaign and our initiative to educate middle school students on the dangers of prescription misuse and abuse, the existence of rogue Internet pharmacies, the risk of acquiring counterfeit medications, as well as the approach student volunteers exploit while presenting to middle school students.

The AWARxE presentation is informal and the volunteers are encouraged to wear jeans and the AWARxE t-shirt to relate better with the students and avoid ‘preaching’ to them. The presentation facilitates a fun, relaxing atmosphere where students can learn about AWARxE and not be hesitant to ask questions or share stories. During the presentation, we provide a demonstration for the students to keep the crowd interested and engaged. This demonstration consists of displaying four containers on a table each containing a different ingredient such as milk, orange juice, and ginger ale. We then reveal a covered container that has the various ingredients combined with added oatmeal. After asking if any of the students would drink the mixture, and undoubtedly there are one or two eager students who agree to the challenge, we inquire if their agreement would be retracted knowing that syrup of ipecac was in the container. The purpose of this activity is to remind and educate students about the harmful effects that can result from participating in Skittles parties and consuming an unknown array of medications that can have fatal interactions or side effects.

The AACP team listened to my presentation on the AWARxE campaign and was impressed with the initiative middle schools are taking to use the College as a resource for educating their students about this important topic. Other presentations focused on transformative community partnerships and advocacy, service to rural regions and underserved urban areas, the College’s expansion to Duluth in an effort to improve access to care through graduating more students interested in rural pharmacy, as well as the multitude of community and public engagement initiatives taken by faculty and students. Student representatives from the Phillips Neighborhood Clinic (PNC), HOPE Clinic, Puebla Mexico trip, REACH Haiti group, and other entities were all present to provide the AACP team with examples of the College’s community engagement efforts and excellent outcomes. This was certainly a rewarding experience!

Melissa Katzenberger

Pharm.D. Candidate
University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy
Class of 2013