The Grace Lamsam Pharmacy Program for the Underserved, established in 1995, engages volunteer pharmacists and students in providing pharmacy services to homeless and low-income individuals at free primary care clinics, homeless shelters and drop-in centers in Pittsburgh.
Pharmacy volunteers work with teams of physicians, nurses, and other health professionals in an interdisciplinary model of care. Partners include the Health Care for the Homeless Project, Program for Health Care to Underserved Populations, Operation Safety Net, North Side Christian Health Center, Salvation Army Harbor Light and UPMC Matilda Theiss Health Center.
- Dispenses over 6,000 prescriptions to patients in need
- Provides medication free of charge approximately valued over $500,000
- Provides over 3,000 volunteer hours through pharmacists and pharmacy students
- Serves approximately 3000 patients at clinics, shelters and drop-in-centers
- Engages over 250 pharmacy students and residents each year
- Hosts the only residency program specifically designed to train pharmacists to work in limited resource settings locally and globally
I provide care to patients in resource limited settings while promoting social justice, dignity and respect.
- Global Health
- Medication Access
- Service Learning
My passion is engaging students with different styles of active learning to enhance care skills.
- Team Based Learning
- Standardized Patients
- Patient Care
My passion is teaching and patient care in limited resource settings with vulnerable populations.
- Global Health
- Underserved Care
- Primary Care
Advanced Practice Specialty Residency in Global Health and Care to Underserved Populations (PGY2) (LINK TO RESIDENT SITE)
Area of Concentration in Global Health (ARCO-GH)
Pharmacists with an understanding of the needs of diverse patients and populations can improve the care of patients and their communities. Global health experiences provide a reference to better understand our own health care environment and public health policy.
The ARCO-GH is an educational experience that will result in a concentrated background in global health principles. The low student/faculty ratio and tailored curriculum of the ARCO-GH offers a special opportunity for students to acquire an important skill set.
Service Learning
Multiple courses in the pharmacy curriculum are designed to provide students with a fundamental understanding of pharmaceutical care and to foster a sense of community involvement through service learning. The Grace Lamsam Pharmacy Program serves as the host site for many of these experiences. By participating as active volunteers for various organizations, in helping the organizations fulfill their mission and meet the community’s needs, pharmacy students practice components of pharmaceutical care through service learning experiences. Students develop the foundation needed to provide respectful and culturally sensitive patient care, companionship, and compassionate care for the public they serve.
Each year pharmacy students provide over 9,000 hours of direct community service through service learning experiences.
PHARM 5801 Pharmaceutical Care to Underserved Populations
This semester long elective course for third professional year pharmacy students will introduce and discuss important topics in caring for underserved and vulnerable populations, focusing specifically on problem solving, community resources, and engagement. In addition to readings and weekly discussion groups, students enrolled in this course will have the opportunity to gain valuable practice-based skills by working with partner agencies in Pittsburgh.
PHARM 5814 Global Health: Determinants and Application
This semester long elective course for third professional year pharmacy students will introduce and discuss important topics in global health, focusing specifically on care of the underserved in a global context. In addition to readings and weekly discussion groups, students enrolled in this course will have the opportunity to gain valuable practice-based skills by working with partner agencies in Pittsburgh.
PHARM 5823 Women’s Health: Global and Local Perspectives
This semester long elective course for third professional year pharmacy students will introduce and discuss important topics in global health, focusing specifically on care of the underserved in a global context. In addition to readings and weekly discussion groups, students enrolled in this course will have the opportunity to gain valuable practice-based skills by working with partner agencies in Pittsburgh.
PHARM 5892 Global Health: International Pharmacy Practice Experience
This elective course for student pharmacists will introduce and discuss important topics in global health and pharmacy practice, culminating in a one-week experience over spring break to Windhoek, Namibia. The overarching goal of this elective is for students to experience the practice of pharmacy in a global setting and learn ways to strengthen pharmacy systems locally and internationally.
PHARM 5827 Smoking Cessation in Underserved Settings
This semester long elective course for third professional year pharmacy students will allow the student real-life practice providing smoking cessation counseling and education in underserved settings. Students generally provide on-site smoking cessation services at either The Salvation Army Harbor Light Center, a 90 day inpatient alcohol and other drug program for homeless and low-income men in Allegheny County.
Addressing Deficiencies and solutions in medication forecasting, medication prescribing, and epidemiologic health surveillance in a low-resource setting. Thomas H Nimick, Jr. Competitive Research Fund.
Expansion of Clinical Pharmacy Services at UPMC Matilda Theiss Health Center: Transitions of Care, HRSA, Health Center.
Enhancing transitions of care for uninsured patients within the UPMC System Community Challenge Grants 2016 Pennsylvania Department of Health.
The Grace Lamsam Pharmacy Program partners with Health Care for the Homeless (HCH) and North Side Christian Health Center, UPMC Matilda Theiss, the Program for Health Care to Underserved Populations (PHCUP) and The Salvation Army Harbor Light. The GLPP partner programs and organizations are listed below.
Program for Health Care to Underserved Populations (PCUCUP)
- Birmingham Free Clinic
- Women's Center Clinic
- Salvation Army - North Side
Health Care for the Homeless Pittsburgh
- Salvation Army - North Side
- Pleasant Valley Shelter
- Bethlehem Haven
- Wellspring
- Birmingham Free Clinic
The Salvation Army
- Harbor Light Center
- Salvation Army - North Side
- Birmingham Free Clinic