The need for expert compounding pharmacy skills is growing in today’s era of customized medicine and a gift to the USC School of Pharmacy from Walgreens will enhance state-of-the-art facilities in which students will be able to hone these specialty skills.
The Walgreens gift of $250,000 will enrich the School’s compounding pharmacy lab suite where students develop skills that are unique to the pharmacy profession. In recent years, there has been resurgence of interest in compounding as more physicians require compounded drugs to meet customized dosing, delivery and ingredient needs for their patients.
This is the latest gift from Walgreens to the School which has enjoyed a decades-long relationship with the chain drug leader. In the past, Walgreens has supported scholarships, student organizations and programmatic advances at the School.
“We are honored by the support that Walgreens has provided to our students,” said School of Pharmacy Dean R. Pete Vanderveen. “We greatly value our strong relationship with Walgreens and their innovative approach to providing the best possible pharmaceutical care to patients.”
The renovated space will be named the Walgreens Teaching Center. The center will offer a multi-purpose teaching environment that complements both compounding training as well as other pharmacy curricula. The facilities will be available for training working pharmacists as well when not in use by students. The Center will be located in the USC Center for Health Professions on the USC Health Sciences Campus and the renovation is scheduled for completion this fall.
“As the role of the pharmacist expands through Senate Bill 493 and other clinical programs, Walgreens is excited to collaborate with the USC School of Pharmacy on multiple fronts that support community pharmacists as healthcare providers,” said Paul Huynh, district pharmacy supervisor at Walgreens.
Signed into law in 2013, Senate Bill 493 officially recognizes pharmacists as healthcare providers.