From hosting vaccine clinics to preparing meals, the School’s student pharmacists bridge gaps in public health and serve Wisconsin families

By Archer Parquette

Ellie Maday’s favorite experience volunteering is a simple but meaningful one — showing kids that vaccines are nothing to be scared about.

“It’s nothing too complex, but I think it’s really cool,” says Maday, third-year PharmD student at the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Pharmacy. Maday is a co-director of community outreach for the Wisconsin Society of Pharmacy Students (WSPS), through which she volunteers to run booths at health fairs, educating and administering vaccines.

“Families will bring their kids, and we’ll explain that vaccines might hurt a little bit but they’re super important,” Maday says. “Afterward, kids leave a little less scared and with a little more understanding, and that’s always a great moment for me.”

Maday is one of many School of Pharmacy students volunteering across Wisconsin to help families, build community, support public health, and improve access for underserved communities.

“Going out into the community is so different from all our work in a lab. They’re really meaningful experiences.”
—Emily Phillips

Nearly half of the School of Pharmacy’s PharmD student organizations engage in community service, giving student pharmacists the opportunity to act as catalysts for positive change, actively serving their communities, and embodying the spirit of service.

“Going out into the community is so different from all our work in a lab,” says third-year PharmD student Emily Phillips, co-director of WSPS community outreach with Maday. “They’re really meaningful experiences.”

Supporting families and communities

In the fall, second-year PharmD student Ainsley McElligott made meals for the families staying at the Ronald McDonald House at American Family Children’s Hospital — a volunteer activity that several student organizations often participate in, including BadgerRxPeds and PRIDE in Healthcare.

“These families are going through a really tough time, with children who are being treated for cancer and other serious illnesses, and a small thing like a meal can go a long way,” she says.

As the co-chair of community outreach for BadgerxPeds, McElligott leads the pediatric-focused student organization in many volunteering efforts. Every year, the organization also volunteers with Babies & Beyond, sorting donated baby clothes for the Madison-based service group, which gives them at no cost to families that otherwise couldn’t afford them.

This December, BadgerxPeds partnered with another pharmacy student organization, Christian Pharmacists Fellowship International, for “Operation Christmas Child.” The two groups collected toys, blankets, craft supplies, and more to be sent to children outside the United States affected by war, poverty, natural disasters, and more.

Volunteering partnerships extend across many student organizations.

This past year, the Phi Delta Chi (PDC) professional pharmacy fraternity’s UW chapter partnered with the Inter-House Council for a community service challenge — pushing its members to reach service goals in the community. Their members led activities at the Madison Children’s Museum to celebrate Black History Month, supported the Red Cross Blood Drive, cleaned up highways, and launched the “100% Project,” a Thanksgiving food drive coordinated with doorstep food delivery around the Madison area.

Over the 2023–24 school year, PDC members spent an estimated 693 hours volunteering, serving about 2,000 total people.

“Spending time volunteering with and learning from various community partners has offered me valuable insights,” says third-year PharmD student Sophia Castillo, president of PDC. “Most importantly, it’s taught me how to take action to better different outlets in our local community, while increasing the visibility of future pharmacists in a positive light.”

Improving public health

Volunteer efforts at the School of Pharmacy aren’t going unnoticed. This school year, WSPS won American Pharmacists Association Academy of Student Pharmacists (APhA ASP) Region 4 awards for four of its volunteering operations: Operation Heart, Operation Substance Use Disorder, Operation Reproductive Health, and Operation OTC Medication Safety. This marks the third consecutive year that WSPS’ outreach has earned APhA ASP awards.

“It’s amazing to be recognized for this work on a higher level,” says Phillips.

This year’s APhA ASP-recognized volunteering efforts include hosting blood pressure training events and screenings; educating middle and high school students about over-the counter medication use; providing emergency overdose training; and organizing events to support reproductive health, women’s health, and child development.

But Phillips, her co-chair Maday, and other WSPS volunteers do much more. WSPS breaks its efforts down into 10 total Operations, which are focused outreach initiatives targeting various aspects of health. Others include Operation Diabetes, hosting A1C training for students and providing educational sessions at health fairs; Operation Airways, providing tobacco cessation clinics to underserved populations; and Operation Immunization, hosting vaccine education at clinics and health fairs. Across 271 volunteering and community service activities, WSPS reached more than 1,000 community members in 2023–24.

Phillips remembers one of her most meaningful experiences volunteering at the Verona Senior Center.

“We spoke with older adults about the Aging and Disability Resource Center and all the resources and opportunities that are available to them, and they were so appreciative,” she says.

Promoting health literacy and accessibility

Volunteer efforts across the School of Pharmacy’s PharmD student organizations also aim to serve underserved communities. The School’s students formed a new chapter of the Student National Pharmaceutical Association (SNPhA), focusing on that effort.

“We are committed to advancing health equity and fostering connections through diverse outreach initiatives,” says third-year PharmD student Reem Salah, the chapter’s co-president. “As a newly formed SNPhA chapter, we are excited to expand our volunteer efforts to reach more communities and implement initiatives from the national chapter as we continue to grow.”

SNPhA has partnered with Akira Toki Middle School in Madison, where School of Pharmacy students deliver presentations on pharmacy and health. The organization also partners with WSPS on their diabetes and OTC safety efforts, as well as the Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association, to conduct screenings and education about diabetes and hypertension prevention and management during a Hmong New Year event.

One of the most significant and long-running School of Pharmacy volunteer efforts is MEDiC, established by the School of Medicine and Public Health in 1991. The student-led program operates four free health clinics in the Madison area, and partners with three other free clinics. Student pharmacists volunteer alongside other health professions students — including nursing, medical, physician assistant, and physical therapy students — as well as volunteer clinicians to provide care at no cost to those who need it.

In a similar vein, the Student Pharmacists in Global Health group volunteers with Madison Street Medicine to provide fundamental care to community members with housing insecurity.

“Most importantly, it’s taught me how to take action to better different outlets in our local community, while increasing the visibility of future pharmacists in a positive light.”
—Sophia Castillo

These student efforts to give back — and many others — build trust with the Madison community and continue a legacy of compassion, advocacy, and expertise.

“In volunteering, I have already found that it is so rewarding to directly impact the community,” says Castillo. “Community service is so important for us pharmacy students because it helps connect us with the broader Madison community and extends our involvement beyond the School of Pharmacy.”