West Virginia University School of Pharmacy Dean Patricia Chase who came to WVU in 2006, is a strong believer in the expression “Practice what you preach,” especially if you’re a health practitioner.

That’s why Chase introduced the ‘My First Patient’ program to the pharmacy school upon her arrival. Chase is a firm believer that in order to help patients learn to improve their health, practitioners should first take responsibility for their own health.

In the My First Patient program, all first-year pharmacy students undergo health screenings and counseling aimed at improving their overall health status, while third-year students administer the screenings and counseling.

This year, with the help of a $75,000 grant from the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation, the program expanded into the WVU Center for Healthy Practitioners, which now also includes the schools of Dentistry and Medicine.

With the grant, 262 first-year students – 118 medical, 84 pharmacy and 60 dental – participated in the program.

Since its inception at WVU, Chase said, the program has uncovered health risks among students such as diabetes, high cholesterol and obesity. Students then implemented a health plan to correct those issues.

For more information, look for an in-depth article on the program in the next WVUHealth Magazine this fall.

-WVU-

js/rt/09/26/13

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