HU Pharmacy student featured on Walgreens Site

Hampton University School of Pharmacy Senior Kefa Wainaina received the Walgreens Diversity Scholarship for $2,000. As a result, he will be featured on the pharmacy chain’s community and social responsibility website, which features students and schools actively participating and initiating diversity awareness in pharmacy schools, and communities in which they serve.

Wainaina was awarded the Walgreens Diversity Scholarship by the HU School of Pharmacy scholarship committee, said Erin Berry, a pharmacy campus relations manager for Walgreens.

“When the school submits an annual reporting form to Walgreens outlining how the Diversity Donation funds were used, they also submit a form acknowledging the awarding of the Walgreens Diversity Scholarship to a deserving student and provide a rationale for why that student was chosen to receive the award at that school,” Berry said. “Kefa was shown to be a very deserving recipient of this award through his work in the community during rotations, which focused on addressing and reducing kidney disease in the Hampton Roads area.”

With Walgreens and AARP, Wainaina has participated in community health outreach programs, raising awareness about health conditions that affect, mainly, the minority population and the community at large. The groups visit churches and community events, where they offer immunizations, medication therapy management, and answer questions.

“It feels good, knowing that somebody noticed my efforts. It also motivates me to do more,” said Wainaina, who graduates May 8 and is set to work as a retail pharmacist at a Yorktown, Va. Walgreens.

Walgreens’ effort to prioritize and highlight community involvement in the pharmacy profession indicates that it’s an important effort, said HU School of Pharmacy Dean Dr. Wayne Harris.

And, HU is committed to that effort and the national priority of increasing minority representation in the health professions, he said.

“The project for which Mr. Wainaina is being highlighted is one of many examples of the outstanding work that Hampton students are performing in the community and we are extremely proud of these efforts,” Harris said.

                       
 -Leha Byrd