Pharmacy receives NACDS Foundation award to reach students in rural communities

The Harrison College of Pharmacy was recently selected as one of the 2026 recipients of the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) Foundation’s scholarship program. The $20,000 award supports a program titled “Rural RxGuidance: A Structured Pharmacy Ambassador Program to Inspire Alabama’s Next Generation of Pharmacy Technicians and Pharmacists.”

The scholarship was one of just six awarded in the NACDS Foundation’s Inspiring Interest and Opportunities section. The award recognizes the college’s innovative proposal that seems to strengthen the pharmacy workforce pipeline and expand access to care in rural Alabama.

"This award affirms the critical role community pharmacies play in both healthcare delivery and workforce development,” said Dr. Leigh Ann Ross, dean of the Harrison College of Pharmacy (HCOP). “Rural RxGuidance allows us to invest upstream, connecting rural youth to meaningful career pathways while strengthening the pharmacy workforce that these communities depend on.”

The Rural RxGuidance program will establish a network of trained rural community pharmacists who serve as ambassadors, educators and mentors for middle school, high school, and early college students.

By providing early, authentic exposure to pharmacy careers, both as pharmacy technicians and pharmacists, the program hopes to inspire rural youth while addressing critical workforce shortages in medically underserved areas. A key focus of the initiative is building a pharmacy technician‑to‑pharmacist pipeline.

As a state, Alabama faces significant health and workforce challenges, with rural communities disproportionately impacted by provider shortages and limited access to care. Community pharmacies remain one of the most accessible healthcare resources in these areas and Rural RxGuidance leverages this accessibility by positioning pharmacists not only as clinicians, but as workforce champions who can expand access to preventive, primary, and team‑based care in medically underserved communities.

The initiative is led by Dr. Lori Hornsby, acting assistant dean of student experience, and Dr. Kimberly Braxton Lloyd, associate dean in the Division of Clinical Affairs and Outreach. Other contributors include Mallory Hawkins (student recruitment), Dr. Lynn Stevenson (experiential programs), Dr. Courtney Gamston (experiential programs), and Brianna Foster (alumni affairs). Together, the group will work to recruit HCOP alumni and preceptors who work in rural communities to be part of the program and provide training and support to maximize impact.