Pharmacy student has a passion to serve rural patients

Growing up in Whitsett, a small town in Guilford County, Cassidy White saw firsthand how rural residents often lack access to high quality health care or affordable healthy foods. Now, as a second-year student at UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, White is learning how health care disparities like these lead to a prevalence of conditions like diabetes, HIV and obesity in rural areas.

“It fuels a fire in me to be a voice for this population and to be able to advocate for these patients,” said White.

When White graduated from the University of North Carolina Wilmington with a bachelor’s degree in clinical research, she was excited to embark on her next step at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy as an early assurance student.

The early assurance program, offered to students at UNCW and seven other designated state universities, grants early assurance of admission into the pharmacy school’s Doctor of Pharmacy program. Students must complete a minimum of two years of study along with several prerequisite courses, leadership and work experience, and community service.

“It gave me a little bit of exposure to the pharmacy career before I even got into school. I think the transition is a lot smoother,” said White. “We had opportunities to come tour and network with other students and faculty before we even started the program.”

White applied to the Rural Pharmacy Health Certificate Program, with a focus on eastern North Carolina. The program provides access and education on rural communities in North Carolina and encourages scholars to build connections there, working with rural patients and addressing the need for specialized care. Along with classes, scholars participate in rotations throughout the state, where they can learn directly from providers.

This semester, White has been working on a project comparing two counties, one rural and one urban, to see how physical environment and socioeconomic factors impact health outcomes. Her summer rotation was in East Carolina University’s ECU Health Duplin Hospital in Kenansville, where she worked directly with pharmacists and patients.

White provided healthcare screenings to the public at hardware stores throughout Duplin County, checking blood pressure and testing cholesterol and glucose levels. She also educated patients about diseases, especially skin cancer, a particular risk to farmers who spend their days outside working in the sun.

Along with her work as a rural health scholar, White is a pediatric pharmacy intern with UNC Health, working directly with patients, refilling and preparing medications. As part of this internship program, she participates in professional development sessions and shadows other clinical pediatric pharmacists.

After White graduates, she hopes to work as a pediatric clinical pharmacist in a medically underserved rural community, advocating for patients and ensuring they feel valued and appreciated.

“At some point in our careers, we will serve a rural patient,” said White. “We must know how to serve them, communicate with them and know how best to educate them, while keeping their specific needs top of mind at all times.”