In my own words by Daniel Bruckbauer, DPH-2 student

Group photo of 2015 PEOPLE program participants2015 School of Pharmacy PEOPLE program participants
Looking back on the past six weeks as an instructor for the PEOPLE program, I find how amazing of an experience this has been. Not only have I been able to get to know 10 truly unique students and help them in their future careers, but I was also able to learn so much about myself as well. This experience has solidified my desire to teach in my future profession. The interaction with students is wonderful, and seeing a struggling student finally grasp a concept, and grasp it well, is an otherworldly feeling. I am so very thankful for this experience, and I hope that it has impacted the lives of the students who participated for the better.

My responsibilities were to essentially teach these students about pharmacy; to show them how wonderful a career option it is, and also to get them interested and excited in pursuing it. On a daily basis, I gave them introductions to biology, chemistry, biochemistry, physiology, anatomy, pathology, and medicinal chemistry. From the Pharmaceutical Sciences Division, Bonnie Fingerhut, faculty assistant and Dispensing Laboratory Coordinator, and Beth Rosen, faculty assistant, assisted me in providing labs in both compounding and synthetic chemistry. Karen Kopacek, associate professor (CHS) in the Pharmacy Practice Division and Associate Dean, Student & Academic Affairs, helped me by organizing pharmacotherapy labs, teaching the students about asthma, patient consults, and CPR. We toured the UW Health and a local Walgreens pharmacy so students could see firsthand what pharmacists actually do. A tour of the simulation lab in the nursing school allowed them to test their CPR and blood pressure skills on life-like dummies. Pharmacy Practice Division faculty, Denise Pigarelli, associate professor (CHS), and Eva Vivian, professor (CHS), attended a session to discuss their roles as pharmacists. In summary, the six week program was a crash course on everything that is pharmacy—and it is my hope that the students learned a lot.

I first learned about this program from fellow student, Stephanie Free, DPH-4, who served as an instructor 2 years ago. I mentioned to Free that I was interested in pursuing teaching in my future, and she suggested that this would be a wonderful opportunity to get some amazing teaching experience. I then spoke with Susan Degrand, Director of Outreach and Recruitment, and Joyce Wang, DPH-3, and program instructor this past year. Their comments and experiences solidified my interest. When the application process was announced, I submitted my materials and was lucky enough to be chosen for this position. While I had assistance from many members of the faculty for labs and as guest speakers, for 95% of the time, it was just me in front of the students.

The School of Pharmacy hosted 10 PEOPLE Program students for its summer pharmacy internship program. The PEOPLE Program is a precollege educational outreach program whose mission is to assist student successful transition from middle school to high school and from high school to college. This program is specifically designed for students of color and students from low-income backgrounds. PEOPLE Program pharmacy internship participants took part in a structured 6-week curriculum that was comprised of course work to prepare students for pre-pharmacy course work, exposure to the pharmacy profession and practice, and an opportunity to connect with School of Pharmacy faculty and staff.