Shelbi Williams

I am honored to receive an APhA Foundation Incentive Grant this year to evaluate how addressing social determinants of health can improve stroke prevention outcomes in community pharmacy settings. This project will allow me to explore how pharmacist-led interventions such as referrals for transportation, housing, or food assistance can help patients better manage their cardiovascular risk factors. By understanding how social needs impact clinical outcomes, I hope to strengthen the role of pharmacists in bridging health equity gaps and advancing preventive care in the community.

Stroke prevention is a critical public health priority, yet many patients struggle to manage risk factors due to unmet social needs such as transportation, housing, and food insecurity. As a community pharmacist, I see firsthand how addressing these social determinants of health can make a tangible difference in patient outcomes. This project was motivated by a desire to bridge this gap by integrating pharmacist-led social determinants of health referrals into routine care for patients at risk of stroke.

I am most excited about the opportunity to demonstrate how community pharmacists can support truly holistic patient care by addressing not only clinical needs but also social and environmental factors that influence health. Receiving this APhA Foundation Incentive Grant provides resources to strengthen a stroke prevention model that promotes equity, accessibility, and proactive health management at the community level through addressing social determinants of health at each touchpoint. I look forward to using our findings to demonstrate impactful pharmacy-based interventions that address both the clinical and social needs of our patients.