2019 TON HOEK SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT

amy kruger howard

University of Maryland Baltimore (UMB) School of Pharmacy.

 

Amy Kruger Howard graduated from the University of Maryland, Baltimore School of Pharmacy in 2017. She is currently a Pediatric Pharmacy Fellow and is pursuing a Master’s degree in Health Science with a focus on Global Health Systems at UMB. She lives in Baltimore with her husband Justin. 

Her interest in global health, specifically equitable access to antiretroviral medications for HIV patients, led Amy to join the Peace Corps over ten years ago. Her experiences in Senegal underscored her concern about a general lack of access to medications and healthcare in underserved populations. That concern ultimately lead her to pursue a pharmacy degree.

In her first week of pharmacy school, Amy joined the International Pharmaceutical Students’ Federation (IPSF) and recognized immediately the impact of viewing pharmacy through a global lens.  As a selected delegate at the 68th World Health Assembly (WHA), she added the voice of pharmacy students to conversations about workforce development and pharmacy education curriculum. Her experience working on an international platform solidified her commitment to make global pharmacy integral to her practice.  At the IPSF World Congress 2015, she was elected Chairperson of Media and Publications.  During her tenure she strove to develop a cohesive branding strategy for IPSF to increase the organization’s overall visibility.  She helped organize the 62nd IPSF World Congress and ensured that IPSF was represented at FIP World Congress and WHA. 

Connections with IPSF colleagues laid the foundation for Amy to propose and secure approval for the first University of Maryland advanced pharmacy practice experiential rotation at the Children’s Cancer Hospital in Egypt (CCHE).  Her ten weeks rotation at CCHE in 2016 provided invaluable experience in hospital administration and the challenges of supply chain management.

Amy remains committed to promoting equal access to medications both locally in underserved Baltimore communities and internationally.  More recently she served as the Maryland Pharmacists Association liaison on a collaborative fundraiser supporting Puerto Rican communities after Hurricane Maria.  As a part of her fellowship training, she is actively pursuing research opportunities in Mali and Nigeria.  She hopes to return to Egypt for her Master’s capstone project to conduct a medication use evaluation aimed at optimizing restricted-access medication dispensing.