Concordia School of Pharmacy students are making science accessible—and fun—for youth affiliated with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee.
Sometimes students fail to consider a career that could be a good fit for them. This could simply because they have not had sufficient exposure to it.
This was the case for CUW Director of Pharmacy Recruitment Michael Pickart, PhD. Growing up in rural Wisconsin Rapids, the only careers Pickart was exposed to directly were farming and sales. It took him many years to discover that he was a strong critical thinker for solving complex problems. Ultimately, this led him to the sciences, and, in 2002, he obtained his PhD in cell and molecular biology from UW-Madison. Ten years later, after positions at the University of Minnesota as a postdoctoral scientist and UW-Stout as faculty and Biology Department chair, he joined the faculty of CUW’s School of Pharmacy, which had newly launched two years earlier.
These days, Pickart is devoting his energy to helping students consider whether a career in pharmacy or a related medical science field might be the right fit for them. A key part of his strategy: expose youth to the field early.
Branching into STEM
For the past several years, Pickart has partnered with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee to offer STEM after-school programming to the 40 or so youth who frequent the Milwaukee Academy of Science club site. The partnership has proven to be fruitful. Last year, the program expanded to another club site at Pieper-Hillside, on West Cherry Street.
While Pickart is responsible for overseeing the design of the curriculum, the program would not be possible without the participation of Concordia School of Pharmacy students. They assist with curricular design and about once a week during the school year, travel to Milwaukee to mentor youth participants through the learning activities. Pickart has worked with Pharmacy Professor James Lokken, PharmD, MS, MEd, BCACP to ensure CUW students’ work integrates general healthcare and pharmacy career learning as well.
Seeding careers
The benefits are numerous, says Pickart. By making STEM fun for the Boys and Girls Club participants, it helps them get a taste of potential future careers. Cultivating more pharmacy professionals for the field is an imperative these days, especially in underserved areas, since the number of pharmacy school graduates has been steadily declining nationwide over the past several years. In 2022, the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) reported 13,323 new graduates – 900 less than the previous year, which is the largest drop seen since 1983.
“We talk to Boys and Girls Club kids involved and some of them have little to no experience with the health care system,” Pickart says. “There’s a real lack of understanding of those kinds of services that relate to STEM or health care careers, so it makes sense that not many of them would be otherwise considering a career in a related field.”
A pathway to better understanding
The program benefits Concordia students too. Those who choose to study pharmacy at Concordia may opt into a curricular pathway which allows them to essentially specialize in a certain area. Concordia currently offers four pathways:
- Pharmaceutical research
- Pharmacy administration
- Pharmacy residency
- Underserved
Upon completion of a pathway, students receive a special designation on their transcript to note their accomplishment and indicate their added competency.
Lokken, who co-coordinates the underserved pathway, said the experiences students are exposed to through the pathway are often eye-opening.
“This is a great way to enhance empathy, understanding, and awareness within our students,” Lokken says. “It’s a way to accelerate their learning so that they can ultimately understand and serve their future patients more effectively by delivering culturally attuned care.”
Exposing students to new situations and new relationships has proven to be a winning model all around, says Pickart. And it doesn’t take long for the effects to set in.
After just a couple visits to Pieper-Hillside last semester, Pickart said he was delighted to have a young boy excitedly approach him. “A little guy came up to me and said, ‘Dr. P., I want to be a scientist like you someday!’” Pickart says. “These kids need to be exposed to these things and be encouraged in it.
Want in?
Concordia University Wisconsin’s School of Pharmacy is one of only three PharmD offerings in Wisconsin, and Concordia is the only private Christian university in the state to host a pharmacy school. CUWSOP graduates routinely earn high pass rates on national certifying exams, with last year’s cohort earning the second-highest NAPLEX pass rate in the region. Graduates also routinely exceed national residency match rates.