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College of Pharmacy teaches high school students how to compound lip balm and skin cream

by Rodney Tanaka

May 31, 2013

Read 1 mins

Palomares Day Compounding Lab.mp4 Local students were inspired to become pharmacists or health care professionals on Friday, May 10, 2013 when they participated in pharmacology exercises at the WesternU College of Pharmacy Compounding Lab during Palomares Day.

Twenty 10th grade biomedical scholars from Palomares Academy of Health Sciences (PAHS) in Pomona, Calif. and nine students from Sherman Indian High School (SIHS) in Riverside, Calif. were thrilled to put on surgical gowns, bouffant caps, shoe covers, and gloves to make non-medicated lip balm and anti-oxidant skin cream.

Jesse F. Martinez, PharmD, FASCP, Vice Dean of Academic Diversity and Development, College of Pharmacy, Sam Shimomura, PharmD, Associate Dean for College Advancement and Rudolf Mireles, PharmD, Pharmacist in Charge at the Pharmacy at Western University of Health Sciences, helped organize and teach the exercises.

“”Students should draw some chemistry component from the lab exercises,”” Martinez said. “”The College of Pharmacy wants to show them what a pharmacist is able to do by exposing them to the world of pharmacy compounding.””

Students were afforded this opportunity because of the relationship fostered between the Pomona Unified School District, SIHS and WesternU’s Pomona Health Career Ladder program. The partnership has led to a strong pipeline of extended activities through the middle and high school grades.

Tenth-grade PAHS student Jimena Lopez said she was thinking of becoming a pharmacist before attending the lab exercises because she likes the idea of making medicine for other people who are sick.

“”These lab experiments inspired me to become a pharmacist,”” she said. “”It’s real interesting to make lip balm and cream with different ingredients.””

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