The Department of Pharmaceutical & Clinical Sciences in the Campbell University College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences has been awarded a grant totaling $172,422.84 from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund. The award is one of nine issued this year in North Carolina. The grant will establish and support the Academy for Emerging Scholars Exploring Clinical Research & Pharmaceutical Science Careers for three years.

“North Carolina is a global leader in clinical research and biopharmaceutical development,” Assistant Professor of Pharmaceutical & Clinical Sciences, Dr. Vanessa Ayer-Miller said in a press release. “This grant will help bring awareness of the amazing opportunities that younger students have in their own backyard.”

The Academy for Emerging Scholars is designed to provide inquiry-based, hands-on, exploratory STEM activities for local and rural high school students, as well as home-schooled students. The primary outreach components of the program are high school visits focusing on interactive presentations, a series of on-campus and virtual workshops, and a summer residential STEM camp that will feature multidisciplinary investigative activities and inquiry-based learning.

Drs. Vanessa Ayer-Miller, Charles Carter, Qinfeng (Sarah) Liu, Timothy Marks, Stephen Sharkady, Dorothea Thompson, and Ms. April Daniels, from the Department of Pharmaceutical & Clinical Sciences, collaborated to prepare the grant application. They received input from Campbell University’s School of Engineering as well. 

“Our faculty and staff have been busy building programming for the development of high school students for future professions in STEM related fields, including the wide offerings of the CPHS programs,” added Dean of the College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences Dr. Michael L. Adams in a press release. “The 2022 Student STEM Enrichment Program grant for our Academy for Emerging Scholars will broaden our opportunities to educate North Carolina students on possible career opportunities in pharmaceutical and clinical sciences. This is a great demonstration of the collaboration of our faculty and staff. This grant support provides exceptional opportunities to excite the participants about the future North Carolina workforce in STEM fields.”