New UIW Initiative Empowers Future Pharmacists to Best Serve Hispanic Community

New UIW Initiative Empowers Future Pharmacists to
Best Serve Hispanic Community

Gift from CVS Health establishes program at UIW’s Feik School of Pharmacy

San Antonio – The University of the Incarnate Word Feik School of Pharmacy (FSOP) is pleased to announce the receipt of a $175,000 gift from CVS Health to create the “Strategic Pipeline Development Program.” The program is designed to recruit, develop and mentor students to enter the field of pharmacy with a desire to serve the Hispanic community, over a five-year period. It will also serve, support and elevate members of the Hispanic/Latino community by offering improved access to education and career opportunities.

“The Feik School of Pharmacy is proud to partner with CVS Health on this initiative,” said Dr. David Maize, dean of the Feik School of Pharmacy. “With one third (on average 35 percent) of our students identifying as Hispanic/Latino, this new initiative is a natural fit for our program. We are proud of our diversity and believe in its impact on the profession. We believe this program will further that impact.”

“CVS Health’s commitment to diversity is deeply rooted in our purpose of helping people on their path to better health,” said David Casey, vice president, Workforce Strategies, and chief diversity officer. “For our company to thrive, we need innovative partnerships with institutions like UIW’s Feik School of Pharmacy, to help produce a highly trained, culturally diverse future healthcare workforce for companies like CVS Health.”

The FSOP will achieve the goals of the program by expanding upon existing strategic recruitment activities, enhancing curricular offerings, and providing professional development opportunities empowering tomorrow’s pharmacists to best serve Spanish-speaking patients. The FSOP’s goal has always been, and continues to focus on, the education of pharmacy as a healthcare path and making the FSOP an institution of choice for Hispanic students. This grant allows UIW to reach out to potential students, their parents and family members, as early as the elementary school years, and to remain in contact throughout their educational journey in order to educate and influence potential pharmacists on career possibilities and educational requirements. 

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Media Contact: Margaret Garcia, associate director of communications & marketing, (210) 829-6001 or mlgarci2@uiwtx.edu