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ETSU student pharmacists recently had the opportunity to tackle real-world health care challenges at ETSU/Eastman Valleybrook, home to Project EARTH and the Niswonger Village.

Student pharmacists in East Tennessee State University Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy’s Rural and Underserved Pharmacy Care Track recently tackled real-world health care challenges at ETSU/Eastman Valleybrook, home to Project EARTH and the Niswonger Village, a unique public health simulation lab.

Students worked in teams to design safe medication storage solutions for families in South Africa and Rwanda, where refrigeration and health care access are limited. They also explored Rus Pumps, a water purification system using natural filtration.

Innovative medication storage in low-resource settings

Yvonne Asomaning Sakyi’s team focused on an aluminum-sheet home model, where heat posed risks to insulin stability and child safety concerns arose regarding medication storage.

“The challenge involved identifying potential safety issues related to medication storage in this environment,” said Asomaning Sakyi. “Our task was to propose practical solutions to ensure medication safety in this setting, considering both environmental and household factors.”

Drawing from her Ghanaian background, Asomaning Sakyi introduced traditional cooling techniques.

“One common method is placing perishable goods in water and regularly changing it to keep them cool,” she said. “This inspired my idea of storing insulin in a water container to prevent heat degradation. Another option is using a clay pot, which naturally insulates and maintains a lower temperature.”

Brunella Martinelli de Medeiros Fiuza, from Brazil, shared another resourceful approach.

“In my country, we often repurpose everyday items,” Martinelli de Medeiros Fiuza said. “One solution is using empty soda bottles as sharps containers for diabetic patients, providing a safe and sturdy disposal method.”

Building a future in underserved care

For both students, this experience reinforced their passion for rural health care.

“I learned how important creativity and teamwork are in places with limited resources,” said Martinelli de Medeiros Fiuza. “It made me realize you need to think outside the box and work together to come up with solutions.”

“My experience at Valleybrook taught me that solutions to complex problems don’t always have to be complicated or expensive,” added Asomaning Sakyi. “Practical, low-cost solutions can significantly improve people’s lives when applied thoughtfully.”

Both students plan to work in underserved communities, ensuring accessible, innovative health care solutions for those in need.

“We are really pleased to provide an opportunity like this for our students,” said Dr. Emily Flores, an associate professor of pharmacy practice at ETSU Gatton College of Pharmacy. “It was nice to see them consider and operationalize medication storage solutions for temperature, but also for safety, such as keeping medications out of reach of children and secure from animals.”

“This experience allowed our students to demonstrate a level of awareness and creativity that is hard to achieve in traditional classrooms, but even more crucial in low-resource settings.”

“Our Rural and Underserved Pharmacy Care Track equips students with practical skills that can be applied wherever they take their pharmacy careers,” said Dr. KariLynn Dowling-McClay, an assistant professor of pharmacy practice at ETSU Gatton College of Pharmacy. “Even though this learning experience took place in South African and Rwandan homes, pharmacists will encounter limited-resource environments that challenge health care delivery anywhere around the globe, including right here in Appalachia.”

Dr. Mike Stoots, interim chair and professor in the Department of Community and Behavioral Health with the ETSU College of Public Health, facilitated the event.

To learn more about the Rural and Underserved Pharmacy Care Track, visit etsu.edu/pharmacy.