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Homeschoolers Get Hands-On Pharmacy Experience

February 1, 2023   |   Andrew Tie

Nearly 20 Baltimore-area homeschool students received an inside look at the pharmacy profession when visiting the  on Jan. 20.

The idea for the visit came from Tecoya Farrakhan, PharmD 鈥�02, MBA, MS 鈥�21, CHC, and her husband, Karriem Farrakhan, PharmD 鈥�03, MBA, MS 鈥�21, whose two children were part of the cohort. The Farrakhans own a pharmacy staffing company, Primo Pharmacy Services, LLC, and a health and wellness transformation advisory and education company, Rootimentary Wellness, LLC.

鈥淲e thought this would be a great opportunity for our elementary through high school kids to be exposed to opportunities in pharmacy,鈥� Tecoya said. 鈥淧eople think about CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid 鈥� the traditional community visual of what pharmacy is 鈥� and there鈥檚 so much more to the profession as well.鈥�

The families of the students, who range from elementary age through high school, frequently tap their connections to expose their children to different career options. Past industry spotlights have included entrepreneurism, cybersecurity, and agriculture, but Tecoya wanted to ensure health care and pharmacy were included as well.

鈥淚t鈥檚 always been this way 鈥� pharmacy is the underdog in health care,鈥� Tecoya said. 鈥淟ots of folks don鈥檛 think about us, so for that simple reason, we wanted to expose these children to pharmacy.鈥�

A Hands-On Approach to Pharmacy

The group鈥檚 School of Pharmacy visit consisted of a lab tour, discussions with faculty, and interactive activities.

Jace Jones, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences (PSC) and associate director of the Mass Spectrometry Center, first led a tour of the center and discussed the career of a lab scientist. Later, Andrew Coop, PhD, associate dean for academic affairs and professor of PSC, delved into the core question that drives a scientist 鈥� why?

鈥淎lways ask questions,鈥� Coop advised the students. 鈥淛ust because someone says something, find out what they did to measure that. How did they come to their conclusions?鈥�

During the activity portion, JuliAna Brammer, MBA, director of PharmD admissions, led the cohort in creating a lip scrub, and Cherokee Layson-Wolf, PharmD, BCACP, FAPhA, associate dean for student affairs and professor in the Department of Practice, Sciences, and Health Outcomes Research, helped the students create an intravenous (IV) solution. The students also had a surprise visitor 鈥� Dean Natalie D. Eddington, PhD, FAAPS, FCP 鈥� who asked them about what they learned and their career aspirations.

For the Farrakhans, the visit was an educational enrichment opportunity for their children, but also a homecoming of sorts to reconnect with former professors and return to the place they met. After completing their PharmD degrees, both returned to UMSOP as part of the first class of the MS in Medical Cannabis Science and Therapeutics program. Tecoya also served as White Coat Ceremony speaker for the PharmD Class of 2023.

鈥淲e love the school for what it has brought to Karriem and I and our family, and we look forward to seeing the wonderful things the school鈥檚 going to continue to do,鈥� Tecoya said. 鈥淓very year it seems like there鈥檚 something new that we鈥檙e proud to be a part of.鈥�