Rachel Lowe (left), Dean David D. Allen and Kelsey Stephens
OXFORD, Miss. – Two University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy students have received and accepted summer internship offers from The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland.
Kelsey Stephens, from Greenwood, and Rachel Lowe, of Memphis, Tennessee, both in their second professional year of pharmacy school, will participate in the Johns Hopkins Pharmacy Internship Program, which accepts fewer than 20 students annually. Johns Hopkins Hospital is consistently ranked as one of the leading health care institutions worldwide.
Stephens was encouraged to apply for the internship by Mary-Haston Leary, a third-year professional student who completed the program last summer. Stephens said the internship will provide an irreplaceable learning experience.
“This internship will not only provide me with an unforgettable learning opportunity, but will also help me develop into a more well-rounded future health care provider through personal and professional growth,” Stephens said.
Following a lengthy application process, Stephens received the call in February that she had been accepted into the Education Training and Personal Development internship, which will be located on-site at Johns Hopkins Hospital. The Education Division of the Department of Pharmacy trains and provides ongoing educational support regarding new policies, practices and drug therapies to the pharmacy staff.
As an intern, Stephens will assist with rotations, training, continuing education and staff development.
David Gregory, the pharmacy school’s associate dean for academic affairs, wrote a letter of recommendation on Stephens’ behalf. He said she has proven herself “time and time again” in both leadership and academics.
“Kelsey has been consistent in her commitment to practice in a clinical setting with a focus on research that improves patient care,” Gregory said. “She is dedicated to the profession, and I have no doubt that she will excel in this program.”
Lowe said she knew she wanted to expose herself to additional areas of pharmacy after interning at Walgreens last summer. She will be interning in the hospital’s Investigational Drug Services Department, where she will assist with dispensing investigational drugs, counsel research subjects, manage drug returns and summarize protocols and federal regulations for clinical drug trials.
Lowe said she is thrilled about the opportunity to be mentored by “experienced and brilliant pharmacists and staff” at Johns Hopkins. She said her experience at the UM pharmacy school has allowed her to develop and prepare for this internship.
“The School of Pharmacy truly fosters growth and excellence in each of its students,” she said. “The staff gives its time to further our education and development, and I am grateful to the faculty and the deans for their commitment to interacting with and encouraging students in all of their endeavors.”
John Bentley, pharmacy administration professor and Lowe’s faculty adviser, wrote one of her recommendation letters.
“Rachel is a scholar, a servant leader, a committed member of the pharmacy profession and a person of high integrity,” Bentley said. “She is an individual who learns for the sake of learning – to improve herself and to help others. I have been very impressed with her work ethic, her high standards and her willingness to go well above and beyond the basic requirements of pharmacy school.”
Both Lowe and Stephens will participate in weekly journal clubs, pharmacist and resident discussions, continuing education and individual research projects. They will also be able to shadow pharmacists in any specialty area of their choosing.
The internships begin June 1 and conclude July 31.