The Department of Pharmaceutical & Clinical Sciences in the Campbell University College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences (CPHS) has received a grant totaling $172,422.84 from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund (BWF). The award, part of the competitive 2022 Student STEM Enrichment Program (SSEP), is one of nine issued this year in North Carolina. The grant will establish and support the Academy for Emerging Scholars Exploring Clinical Research & Pharmaceutical Science Careers for a three-year period.
The Academy for Emerging Scholars is designed to provide inquiry-based, hands-on, exploratory STEM activities for local and rural high school students, as well as home-schooled students. The goal is to provide students interested in science and mathematics an opportunity to experience cutting-edge STEM activities and to build their awareness of STEM-related careers. The major outreach and engagement components of the program are high school visits focusing on interactive presentations, a series of on-campus and virtual workshops, and a summer residential STEM camp that will feature multidisciplinary investigative activities and inquiry-based learning.
Drs. Vanessa Ayer-Miller, Charles Carter, Qinfeng (Sarah) Liu, Timothy Marks, Stephen Sharkady, Dorothea Thompson, and Ms. April Daniels, from the Department of Pharmaceutical & Clinical Sciences, worked collaboratively with input from Campbell University’s School of Engineering to prepare the grant application.
Dr. Charles A. Carter, chair of the Department of Pharmaceutical & Clinical Sciences, stated, “The BWF grant bolsters and extends our STEM education to high school students and will support their teachers. We are thankful to have been selected by the BWF and excited to begin.”
“This grant allows us the opportunity to reach out to students at high schools across the state of North Carolina,” said Dr. Tim Marks, grant program director and assistant professor of Pharmaceutical & Clinical Sciences. We have already begun identifying, contacting, and visiting schools with engaging, hands-on activities designed to foster interest in STEM fields. We can’t wait to host interested students on campus in 2023 for our weekend workshops and STEM camps.”
“North Carolina is a global leader in clinical research and biopharmaceutical development,” Assistant Professor of Pharmaceutical & Clinical Sciences, Dr. Vanessa Ayer-Miller said. “This grant will help bring awareness of the amazing opportunities that younger students have in their own back yard.”
Dean of the College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences, Dr. Michael L. Adams, concluded, “Our faculty and staff have been busy building programming for the development of high school students for future professions in STEM related fields, including the wide offerings of the CPHS programs. The 2022 Student STEM Enrichment Program grant for our Academy for Emerging Scholars will broaden our opportunities to educate North Carolina students on possible career opportunities in pharmaceutical and clinical sciences. This is a great demonstration of the collaboration of our faculty and staff. This grant support provides exceptional opportunities to excite the participants about the future North Carolina workforce in STEM fields.”
About Campbell University College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences
Campbell University College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences is committed to preparing students to excel in the ever-expanding world of healthcare. In addition to the Doctor of Pharmacy program, the College offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in clinical research and in pharmaceutical sciences, a master’s degree in public health, and professional degrees in nursing, physician assistant practice, and physical therapy. The College announced in 2020 the addition of the first Doctor of Health Sciences program in North Carolina and a 100% online RN to BSN program.
About the Burroughs Wellcome Fund
The Burroughs Wellcome Fund serves and strengthens society by nurturing a diverse group of leaders in biomedical sciences to improve human health through education and powering discovery in frontiers of greatest need. For more information, visit the Burroughs Wellcome Fund (BWF).