Pharmacy's Melvina Hunt wins national excellence award

MERIDIAN— Melvina Lake, a second-year pharmacy student at Idaho State University-Meridian, has been awarded the Excellence in Public Health Pharmacy Award by the United States Public Health Service.

The USPHS established the award to recognize pharmacy students who make significant contributions to public health by promoting wellness and healthy communities, initiatives and the   pharmacy profession. 

Lake was nominated by her pharmacy professors and advisers. In a nomination letter, they applauded her commitment to “serving the underserved. She exhibits compassion, dedication and professionalism.” 

Lake has participated in numerous community outreach projects, including a student externship in the Navajo community sponsored by the Indian Health Service, a federal agency responsible for providing health services to American Indians and Alaska Natives. She’ll spend the summer in Alaska on another IHS project. 

During the academic year, Lake has helped administer immunizations, screen for diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and educate children about the risks of prescription drug use.  She is also involved with the Idaho Senior Refugee Project, a grant that enables students from various health care disciplines to make home visits to adult refugees within the community and communicate their health needs to a primary care provider. 

In a letter congratulating Lake as the award recipient, Pamela Schweitzer, rear admiral for the USPHS, wrote, “Your achievements that clearly support public health illustrate the importance of incorporating core public health principles into today’s pharmacy practice. Furthermore, your demonstrated passion and dedication to advance public health and the profession of pharmacy is truly impressive.” 

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