Nine student pharmacists are leaving this week for a week-long medical mission to Nicaragua and Haiti. The students are members of the Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (EACPHS) chapter of the World Health Student Organization (WHSO).

For the second consecutive year, they are joining the WHSO-School of Medicine chapter to set up free health clinics and to take the lead for the distribution of medications, providing underserved populations with medication counseling and general health education. The WHSO-EACPHS board members have been working since summer collecting medications and fundraising in preparation for the upcoming trips.

Under faculty advisor Helen Berlie, assistant professor, Department of Pharmacy Practice, the students on the Nicaragua trip leaving Dec. 16 are Priyasha Patel, Corey Tschannen and Nicole Ploszewski, second-year student pharmacists; and Mostafa Aboutaleb, first-year student pharmacist. On the Haiti trip leaving Dec. 15 are Sabrina Grandi (WHSO-EACPHS president), Ashley Powell, Jordan Masse, Josephine Cheng, all third-year student pharmacists; and Jessica Chyz, second-year pharmacy student. The students are expected to return on Dec. 23.

The WHSO-EACPHS is comprised of pharmacy students whose mission is to gain diverse medical and cultrual experiences outside their immediate communities. The goal is to provide free medical care and medications to underserved populations around the the world through medical mission trips. The organization also promotes interdisciplinary advancement by working in collaboration with other healthcare professionals, specifically medical students and physicians. In addition to the global efforts, the organization encompasses vounteering at community outreach projects that serve the citizens of Detroit.

December 11, 2012

Media Contact: Kathleen Karas, APR
Phone: 313-577-2312
Email: kkaras@wayne.edu