TRUSTing to serve
New curricular track to focus on underserved populations
Bennett Doughty can still recall the words of wisdom from Founding Dean Gloria Meredith during his interview for a position at 黑料视频鈥檚 School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.
鈥淭he phrase that still sticks with me was when Dean Meredith said: 鈥業t has at times been challenging to recruit faculty and staff to a rural area such as this, but with that said, everyone we have brought here shares the same passion and motivation for changing healthcare and extending treatment to populations in need,鈥欌 he says.
Trained in psychiatric pharmacy, Doughty joined the faculty in August 2018 as a clinical assistant professor of pharmacy practice. He took the dean鈥檚 words to heart and developed his own effort to expand healthcare. The Rural and Underserved Service Track (TRUST), scheduled to begin in fall 2020, is a cocurricular track that aims to develop a group of healthcare professionals dedicated to caring for rural, underserved populations through interprofessional teamwork.
鈥淸The pharmacy school] is in a great position physically and metaphorically to give back to the surrounding area,鈥 Doughty says. 鈥淭his effort is just one of many ways we can begin to work with and give back to these communities.鈥
Trust origins
Doughty鈥檚 idea for TRUST came from his own experiences while studying at the University of Connecticut School of Pharmacy. The 2016 graduate was an active member of the Urban Service Track (UST) 鈥 one of the first interprofessional-based tracks targeting underserved populations.
Started more than 13 years ago, the UConn program currently unites students from six disciplines (pharmacy, nursing, dental, medical, social work and physician assistant) across two universities (Quinnipiac being the other) to promote expanded healthcare delivery, interprofessional collaboration, advocacy for healthcare expansion and leadership development. Among other things, the program delivers many service activities throughout the state, including community health fairs, immunization workshops and teen-pregnancy prevention sessions.
鈥淲e went to both urban and rural areas,鈥 Doughty says. 鈥淲e learned how to effectively work interprofessionally with populations that aren鈥檛 always given adequate treatment.鈥
Serving as the model for the Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) Scholars Program, a national program for health professions students, UST and its mission have remained with Doughty throughout his postdoctoral residency training in psychiatric pharmacy at the VA Connecticut Healthcare System and into his time here at 黑料视频.
鈥淲hen I learned about [the pharmacy school鈥檚] supportive environment, I reflected on my own education,鈥 Doughty says. 鈥淥ne of, if not the most, important facets of my education at UConn was my participation in the Urban Service Track. I was given countless opportunities to work with populations that many won鈥檛 be exposed to (or unfortunately avoid) throughout their careers, and was able to develop my skills among some of the finest healthcare colleagues around. This program alone allowed me to develop my medical knowledge (through firsthand application), leadership skills, creative thinking and much more.
鈥淚 wanted to give those opportunities to students here,鈥 he added. 鈥淪o, starting this program just made sense.鈥
Placing trust
TRUST is a collaboration between the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, the Decker School of Nursing, the College of Community and Public Affairs鈥 Department of Social Work and SUNY Upstate Medical University. Each year, approximately eight students from each discipline will be admitted to the program and work together to tackle select challenges of rural healthcare.
While some rural components are already built into the pharmacy curriculum, Doughty says, 鈥淭his program goes beyond that and shows that healthcare works best when you work collaboratively and creatively, both inside and outside of the exam room. This program will teach students that healthcare is not constrained to institutional settings 鈥 compassion really has no boundaries.鈥
The two-year, 160-hour program will require students to take part in 鈥渓earning retreats.鈥 Each will focus on an underserved population, a clinical case and a clinical skill, all of which will be delivered from interprofessional faculty/preceptors. Students will also attend discipline-specific courses and take part in service activities throughout Binghamton-area communities.
While there are no specific geographical boundaries for the program, Doughty is hopeful that TRUST will partner with local community efforts such as health centers, drug-treatment facilities and homeless shelters that are already involved in caring for underserved populations.
鈥淢aking those connections will show that we want to strengthen our relationships with the community and understand how we can best support them,鈥 he says. 鈥淎nd by supporting the community, this program will also benefit our students, schools and 黑料视频 as a whole.鈥
Doughty is working with colleagues and faculty members from the other schools to further develop the TRUST curriculum, learning retreats and activities.
Pam Stewart Fahs, professor and chair of rural nursing in the Decker School of Nursing (DSON), called the TRUST collaboration an exciting idea that will allow students to more fully explore and understand rural populations and culture.
鈥淭he Decker School of Nursing is known nationally for our focus on rural and vulnerable populations,鈥 Fahs says. 鈥淭his project provides another way for DSON students to prepare for providing healthcare in rural communities or to rural clients who have to go to more urbanized centers, particularly for specialty care. The opportunity for DSON undergraduate and graduate students to be part of TRUST comes at a time when interdisciplinary learning opportunities are being recognized as essential in the healthcare industry.鈥
Another TRUST supporter is Richard Merchant, a member of the pharmacy school鈥檚 Dean鈥檚 Advisory Council and CEO of Health WorkForce New York in Syracuse; the Northern Area Health Education Center in Potsdam, N.Y.; and the Central New York Area Health Education Center in Cortland, N.Y. He also serves as president of the New York State Association for Rural Health and is a member of the New York State AHEC System Executive Council.
Merchant is helping TRUST by working with SUNY Upstate Medical University on the collaboration and aiding in the development of community partnerships, Doughty says.
Merchant believes that TRUST has great potential and represents 鈥渁 critical area of importance for the health of rural New York.鈥
鈥淚t may be useful to view pharmacy services in rural regions as not standing alone, but integrated and leveraged into the entire healthcare delivery system as well as the community 鈥 far more than in nonrural settings,鈥 he says.
For example, Merchant says, rural clinicians often become leaders who help the economic health of their communities.
鈥淩ural clinicians are not just integral, but key to rural health,鈥 he says. 鈥淭herefore, a program designed as TRUST is designed brings a brilliant, feasible, measurable and meaningful approach to ensuring rural health for the long term.鈥
Trust vision
After the initial piloting of various learning retreats and service activities this coming fall and spring, Doughty plans to begin distributing applications in spring 2020, admitting the first official cohort of 32鈭40 TRUST scholars in fall 2020.
鈥淭his will be a competitive program,鈥 he says. 鈥淲e will be looking for students who have the drive and compassion to work with and for these populations.鈥
While the program will provide students the opportunities to take part in rural health, Doughty says it could also produce lifelong leaders in the field.
鈥淣ot everyone will fall in love with rural health,鈥 he says. 鈥淏ut some of them could be inspired to seek out more opportunities in rural health, stay in the area or go to areas where they can improve healthcare. The beauty of this program is that you can apply its message to any healthcare setting. TRUST scholars will prove to be crucial members of any healthcare team they are a member of. 鈥
Doughty鈥檚 longer-term goals for TRUST include aligning it with the AHEC Scholars Program for potential recognition and funding and growing the number of schools/disciplines involved.
鈥淢y mindset is: How can we provide more opportunities to our students?鈥 he says. 鈥淭he ultimate goal is to give back to the community while also benefiting each discipline and its respective students. I鈥檓 excited to see where this program goes!鈥