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Dr. Brooke D. Fidler, Pharm.D., Director of Co-Curricular Affairs and Patient Simulation Youssef Arel, Pharm.D. Candidate 2025
The goal of the LIU Pharmacy Co-Curricular program is to enhance and be an extension of the learning experiences in the curriculum. As part of this goal, the co- curricular program allows students to develop opportunities and participate in public services within the New York City area. One of the community partners of LIU Pharmacy is the NYC Department of Aging (NYCDOA) whose mission is to help the diverse population of older New Yorkers to be more independent and provide services that empower this community by promoting health and wellness. For the last several years, LIU Pharmacy has presented monthly health-related webinars to older adults. Dr. Brooke Fidler coordinates the webinars and topics and opens up the opportunity to pharmacy students to receive co-curricular credit. Most recently, the NYCDOA observed an underserved population of older adults for whom English is not their primary language. The result was that these patients did not attend the health webinars. This began an initiative between NYCDOA and LIU Pharmacy to provide health webinars in other languages, specifically Spanish, Russian, Mandarin, and Cantonese.
Dr. Fidler will be creating a presentation entitled “Am I Taking My Medications the Right Way,” along with flyers for the NYCDOA to distribute. The presentation focuses on proper medication administration and medication safety. Thirteen pharmacy students volunteered to translate the webinar and flyers into the other languages mentioned above. During the week of April 15th, the webinar will be presented in English by Dr. Fidler and each subsequent day a group of students will present in a different language. Dr. Fidler hopes this initiative will provide valued information to the underserved population of older adults in the NYC area and will continue with other languages that need to be represented.
All of the students were extremely excited to be a part of this initiative as it gives them a chance to play an integral part in caring for the elderly in these diverse communities. As Mary Rivera, one of our students, told TPN, “The ability to help others understand the importance of their treatments and what to look out for is the reason why I chose a career in pharmacy. Helping those that are the most vulnerable in our communities, such as the elderly, is priceless to me.” The experience also emphasized the immense impact multi-lingual pharmacists can have on these communities. Having a health care professional that speaks the same language as their patients promotes trust within a community and allows for effective communication and better health outcomes. As Jessica Bocanegra, another one of our students, eloquently puts it, “Having a basic understanding of another language can make a big impact within our communities. As future pharmacists it's important that we strive to educate patients in our communities and overcome the language barriers that may be present.”
Promoting multilingualism within pharmacy practice not only provides a channel for non-English speaking patients to receive care, it opens the door for pharmacists to gain a better understanding of the culture and attitudes of the communities they serve. This knowledge can be utilized effectively by pharmacists to promote and advocate for healthy lifestyles and interventions within their communities, providing the tools necessary to protect their patients from harm and misinformation.
Dr. Brooke Fidler, TPN, and LIU Pharmacy would like to congratulate pharmacy students Crystal Guan, Benjamin Cheung, Mingwei Lin, Tess Orman, Shakhrizoda Muratova, Anastasiya Kvasnevska, Ilana Tseitlin, Rashel Nunez, Debora Fuentes, Mary Rivera, Maria Elizathe, Jessica Bocanegra, and Maria Fourcade Castorini for their incredible work with the NYCDOA and the positive impact they will make on the lives of multiple patients who are non-native English speakers.
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