Howard University Wants To Produce More Black Pharmacists Than Ever

Howard University is on a mission.

Howard University wants to introduce more Black pharmacists to the world of healthcare, WTOP News reports.

With the profession’s high starting salary and crucial role in helping people overcome life-threatening illnesses, pharmaceutical work is ripe with opportunity, which the HBCU stresses. But the field lacks Black representation. According to the Department of Labor, there are 315,000 pharmacists, but a scant 4%—a little more than 12,000 pharmacists nationwide—are identified as Black.

Howard wants to change that in a bid to eliminate racial disparities and improve treatment for Black patients, who statistically respond better when treated by Black physicians.

“It’s so very important for us to have practitioners that we can talk to, that we can trust, who we can relate to,” said Dr. Tamara McCants, a clinical assistant professor at Howard University, to WTOP News. “And especially for the pharmacists because they’re the most accessible healthcare professional.”

Jelani Smith, a first-year student at the HBCU’s School of Pharmacy, has witnessed the decline of pharmaceutical care firsthand after the only pharmacy and the closest thing his small town had for a doctor unexpectedly shut down.

“Cardiovascular disease is killing our community. Diabetes is killing our community,” he said. “My ultimate intention is to return home and open up that pharmacy.”

Despite the advantages of being a pharmacist, McCants said, there are disadvantages.

“We have to be honest with this generation. We’re realizing that the students who are applying for pharmacy schools are not the same kind of students who applied 10 or 15 years ago. If you’re not used to this type of course load, it can be overwhelming,” she shared.

If Howard University can get more of its students to become pharmacists, it could transform the current landscape of pharmaceutical care as Black people continue to face disproportionate treatment and distrust toward health providers.