Dr. Elvin Hernandez's expertise in public health proves invaluable to College of Pharmacy students.
One of the core strengths of an academic institution is the proliferation of highly educated and motivated individuals who contribute their voices and their vision to the mission of the institution in truly diverse ways. This diversity strengthens the institution as it challenges it, and a great example at Marshall B. Ketchum University is Dr. Elvin Hernandez, who is the Chair of Pharmacy Practice and a key faculty member in the College of Pharmacy – even though he is not a pharmacist.
A Different Mindset
Dr. Hernandez’s formal training is in the discipline of Public Health, and he brings a “public health” mindset to bear on the courses he teaches in the College of Pharmacy, which include health education, biostatistics and epidemiology, and social behavioral pharmacy. “I began my career teaching in pharmaceutical education, which really opened my eyes to the need for pharmacy and public health, but also to the fact that they’re a natural fit. Pharmacists don’t always realize that they’re public health experts as well. My goal is to help our pharmacy students see themselves in that way, as they work with patients and communities depending on where their clinical practice might take them.”
Dr. Hernandez has found a great fit for the realm of his expertise at MBKU, where a major emphasis is placed on not only community health and engagement, but also collaboration between the disciplines. “In my background, I worked a lot with families in crisis in the community, and now a lot of the coursework I teach in pharmacy education is about being an interface between patients and the establishment. One of the things that attracted me to Ketchum was that it has a great emphasis on community health. A lot of it is about engaging the community. At the College of Pharmacy, we have numerous health fairs and a lot of these opportunities are interprofessional, and involve the other disciplines at MBKU as well. They happen every weekend and our students and faculty are very involved in them.”
The Research and Scholarship Course Series
In addition to providing these opportunities, the College of Pharmacy wants to prepare students to engage deeply with the research and methodology of the profession, and to that end has created the Research and Scholarship Course Series. This is a scholarly project, which is required for graduation, and that students must primarily direct themselves. The ideas for the projects are developed by faculty members, rated by the students according to their interest, and then assigned using a weighted lottery. “The students then collaborate with faculty members on how to turn that idea they were interested in into something that is meaningful to them or which they’re passionate about,” explains Dr. Hernandez.
The Research and Scholarship Course Series is a 12-month process that students tackle in three series over the course of multiple semesters at MBKU. The first series focuses on the scientific method, developing the idea, reviewing the literature, and creating a hypothesis and research objectives. The second series is about executing their methodology and gathering preliminary results. The third series focuses on results, drawing conclusions and creating discussion points. In addition to training students in research and giving them an opportunity to present their findings at conferences and add to the body of knowledge in the profession, the project aims to instill in pharmacy students an essential skill for their success.
“The idea of scholarship and conducting research is about discovery,” says Dr. Hernandez. “Of course, they’ll make discoveries through the scientific method but at the same time, they’ll find a pathway of discovery to lifelong learning. As a pharmacist, your learning must be continuous. We’re perpetuating a mission of discovery for our students so that they become lifelong learners.”