April 6, 2022
Pharm.D student Neel Swamy (Class of ’23) has been selected to participate in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Pharmacy Student Experiential Program for the 2022-23 academic year.
Swamy, who participated in the Pharm.D./MPH dual degree program and earned the MPH in December 2021, will join the CDC’s Division of Birth Defects and Infant Disorders for the duration of the program.
“I’m incredibly excited to represent the School of Pharmacy and hopefully serve as a resource for future Pharm.D. candidates who are interested in public health settings,” Swamy said. “I’m also grateful to the various mentors who have made this opportunity possible and encouraged me throughout my time at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy.”
The CDC Pharmacy Student Experiential Program allows students to learn about the CDC’s processes for addressing public health concerns, which include disease prevention and control, and improving health in the United States, according to the organization’s website.
Students participating in the program can expect to learn about the mission of the CDC, its functions and organizational structure, as well as the structures of the Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Public Health Service.
“I was drawn to the CDC Student Experiential Program because I knew that it would provide an unparalleled opportunity to learn about the role that pharmacists can play in safeguarding population health. Specifically, I knew that an opportunity with the Division of Birth Defects and Infant Disorders would strengthen my understanding of congenital disease epidemiology and the impact that various medications can have on reproductive and infant health,” Swamy said.
Swamy, current president of the UNC Graduate and Professional Student Government, is the first UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy student selected for the CDC’s program since the start of the new curriculum in 2014, when efforts to annually track such experiences were consolidated, said Jenny Kaselak, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy program manager in the Office of Experiential Programs.
“We are thrilled that Neel has been selected for an experience with the CDC. This highly competitive opportunity will no doubt offer a unique and valuable learning experience and ultimately contribute to his career goals as a future pharmacist in the public health setting.” Kaselak said.
Swamy said in the future, he hopes to work directly with patients after graduation and envisions transitioning into a role within a governmental public health agency.
“I believe that organizations such as the CDC can have a pivotal impact on the well-being of communities as a whole and that this experience will introduce me to these topics in a way that I have not encountered in the classroom,” Swamy said.
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