Evidence 2 Practice and HANC Team Up at the University of Texas School of Pharmacy

December 17-19, 2024 | Austin, TX

HANC landed in Austin, Texas for the University of Texas Evidence 2 Practice (E2P) workshop this December. Filled with students from the University of Texas Pharmacy School, the energy was palpable as these eager students were ready to learn about HIV prevention and how to apply it to their clinical practice. Led by the E2P Co-founders, Dr. Lance Okeke of Duke University, Dr. Kenric Ware of the Mercer School of Pharmacy, and HANC Director Russell Campbell, it was a veritable meeting of the minds to guide these students through 3 days of learning and generating real world solutions for their campus and ultimately, practice.

E2P would not be possible without the support of faculty champions, Drs. Travis Carlson and Brian Wenger. HANC interviewed Drs. Carlson and Wenger to learn why E2P was important for the students at the University of Texas. The school motto is “What Starts Here Changes the World”, and Drs. Carlson and Wenger wanted to give the students an opportunity to start the seeds of HIV prevention to engender real change in the world. Dr. Okeke stressed that these students are consequential public health practitioners, capable of making a big impact.

The workshop starts with targeted lectures by Drs. Okeke and Ware to discuss HIV incidence with a focus on Texas, and HIV prevention modalities with an emphasis on PrEP and the role pharmacists can assume towards the advancement within the HIV care continuum and beyond. Mr. Campbell introduced students to the importance of HIV research and brought important context to the history of HIV/AIDS. Students benefited from other guest lecturers, Dr. Carolina Mejia of Duke sowing the seeds of implementation science, and Dr. Angela Aifah discussing the necessity of human-centered design when tackling public health problems.

The real work began when students put learning into practice and developed real world solutions for campus PrEP dissemination. Formed in small groups of three, students worked from generated insight statements to guide their solutions. Their solutions were astounding. Projects included improving campus accessibility to HIV education materials, integrating PrEP prescribing practices into the school curriculum, influencing UT students to attend HIV awareness and PrEP educational events through a drag show, using Linktree to survey student perceptions of HIV and PrEP, and implementation of clinical skills regarding counseling and patient education to empower future pharmacists to prescribe PrEP. Each group presented their idea and budget to the room in Shark Tank style. Engaging discussion was had, and the Sharks saw much value and hope in all the solutions.

HANC was privileged to interview two students and garner their perspective on the 3-day workshop. Learning about the unique Texas HIV epidemic, coupled with a lot of HIV knowledge gained, has ignited a spark and passion for these students. They are committed to serving the public and especially underserved populations through HIV prevention as consequential public health practitioners. It was a joy to grow alongside such promising pharmacy students. What starts here changes the world.