Academic Fellowship Is First of Its Kind
New initiative aims to train pharmacy educators
The two-year fellowship, which officially begins on July 1, is designed to prepare pharmacy graduates for a career in pharmacy education by providing experience in research, clinical practice, and teaching.
Draime will teach various pharmacy practice modules in the school of pharmacy, as well as spend two days each week in a clinical practice. She will also dedicate a significant amount of time to research.
“I love teaching and I’m very excited for the opportunity that this academic fellowship presents,” said Draime. “It will give me all the skills necessary to make an impact in pharmacy education, which is something I am extremely passionate about.”
Draime’s research will focus on health outcomes for patients. She will research the clinical care, economics and overall human impact of pharmacy to discover new ways to improve patient care.
“Pharmacy is a very important area of health care that helps a lot of patients, but it’s not perfect,” she said. “There is always room to improve and move beyond the regular, everyday pharmacy practices in order to better serve patients.”
Draime has already had a hand in changing pharmacy practice through various student-led health initiatives such as Students Teaching Educational Plans for Success (STEPS) Program, which serves the homeless population in and around Dayton. STEPS, a joint effort between Cedarville and Wright State University, was recognized by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) with a Student Community Engaged Service Award.
The school of pharmacy plans to offer another academic fellowship next year, with the goal of providing more opportunities for graduates to enter pharmacy education.
“The academic fellowship is a great way for someone to prepare for a career as a pharmacy professor,” said Aleda Chen, Pharm.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of pharmacy practice. “It’s something we have been discussing internally for several years, and we’re glad to finally see this program up and running.”
One of the primary reasons the school of pharmacy launched the fellowship is to provide the much-needed research element for future pharmacy educators.
“Residencies are a great way for pharmacists to gain clinical experience, but for someone who wants to go into pharmacy education, they need the research experience that a fellowship affords,” said Chen. “The ability to perform as an independent researcher is vital to becoming a good pharmacy educator.”
Located in southwest Ohio, Cedarville University is an accredited, Christ-centered, Baptist institution with an enrollment of 3,711 undergraduate, graduate and online students in more than 100 areas of study. Founded in 1887, Cedarville is recognized nationally for its authentic Christian community, rigorous academic programs, strong graduation and retention rates, accredited professional and health science offerings and leading student satisfaction ratings. For more information about the University, visit www.cedarville.edu.