UMES School of Pharmacy receives
$1.3 million science education NIH grant High school students learn how to dispense medications at UMES’s mock pharmacy. Drs. Adel Karara and Anjan Nan were awarded a 5-year $1,331,255 grant funded by the Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) from the National Institutes of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) at NIH. The grant is entitled” Drug Discovery and Biomedical Research Training Program for Underserved Minority Youth.” The program is a partnership between the UMES School of Pharmacy and High Schools in Somerset County, MD. Working closely with Somerset County School Administrators and Teachers, UMES School of Pharmacy faculty developed education modules that focused on providing minority underserved high school students with drug discovery and biomedical training experiences that will foster their critical thinking skills and motivate their interest to reflect positively on their attitude towards science. At UMES School of Pharmacy Labs, high school students have the opportunity to compound medications; prepare nanoparticles for targeted drug delivery; observe cell culture techniques; discover drugs to treat breast and colon cancer and diabetes and epilepsy; participate in pharmacy operations at a retail pharmacy and at a medical center; participate in kinesiology exercises; learn how to manage opioid overdoses; discuss healthy eating habits and diet; and use analytical
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methods such as gas chromatography and liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry to separate and measure drugs in solutions. The program will enhance the STEM learning opportunities of the students by providing hands-on engaging modules in drug discovery and biomedical research training that are integrated with a biomedical program at their high schools. There is a total of 14 School of Pharmacy and Health Professions faculty participating in the program. The structure will allow maximum interaction of the high school students with an experienced scientist in biomedical or pharmaceutical research and a group of Doctor of Pharmacy students as well as graduate students facilitating the learning in the classroom. A peer mentoring program that involves pharmacy students providing continuing support after the end of the program will be provided to all participating high school students, encouraging them to keep focused on moving forward with their career plans and to provide guidance on college readiness. The program seeks to attract minority underserved students and stimulate their interest in biomedical or pharmaceutical sciences programs in an effort to improve their chances for college admission to research focused pharmacy and biomedical programs.
