Student Dispatch: School of Pharmacy Students Organize Diabetes Patient Education Symposium

Student Dispatch: School of Pharmacy Students Organize Diabetes Patient Education Symposium

On Jan. 31, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Pharmacy (SOP) hosted a Diabetes Patient Education Symposium in Morris University Center. Attendees were provided information and counseling about diabetes management, current treatment topics and available health resources.

The symposium included several programs with expert-led speaker sessions, health screenings, a vendor fair, lunch and one-on-one counseling with healthcare professionals.

Third-year pharmacy student practitioners Karigan Harvey and Noah Sutliff were organizers of the event.

Sutliff is president of the SIUE chapter of the American Pharmacists Association - Academy of Student Pharmacists (APhA-ASP) as well as a second lieutenant in the United States Air Force, Biomedical Science Corps. Harvey is APhA-ASP Operation Diabetes Chair and SOP ASSET Student Ambassador.

Both shared their experience in this student dispatch.

Karigan Harvey
The SIUE School of Pharmacy Diabetes Symposium is one of the largest patient-centered care events in the region. At this annual event, community members are offered one-on-one counseling with healthcare professionals, A1c testing, diabetic foot infection screenings, blood pressure checks, depression and risk screenings, and extensive diabetes education. Thanks to our sponsors, the SIUE APhA-ASP Student Chapter and BJC Healthcare, this event was completely free for all attendees.

This year marked the 16th anniversary of the symposium with nearly 70 registered attendees and four guest speakers. Access to healthcare remains a significant challenge for many individuals in our community. According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, 11.5% of individuals living in Madison County have been diagnosed with diabetes. In Edwardsville, there is only one endocrinology clinic, with the next closest options located in Maryville and Alton, further expressing the limited access to specialized diabetes care. The Diabetes Symposium helps bridge this gap by providing free access to health screenings, counseling, and, most importantly, education about diabetes, available resources, and disease management.

As the APhA-ASP Operation Diabetes Chair, I had the privilege of serving as the student organizer for this year's symposium. Planning the event required months of preparation, including contacting potential vendors, advertising through social media and local news and radio outlets, distributing flyers to the BJC Endocrine Clinic, reaching out to hospitals in the area, and relying on word-of-mouth outreach. I also worked closely with student volunteers and SOP faculty who helped make the day run smoothly. This event truly would not have been possible without their dedication and willingness to serve our community.

Toward the end of the event, a patient approached me and shared, "I've been to a lot of diabetes education events, and I learned more here today than at any other. This has been amazing. Great work." Hearing that reinforced the meaningful impact we can have on patients' lives, even as student pharmacists.

This experience taught me the importance of leadership, advocacy, and stepping up when a need exists. It also reaffirmed how vital it is to advocate not only for our patients, but for the pharmacy profession as a whole. I hope that everyone who attended, including patients, students, providers, and vendors, left with a greater understanding of diabetes and a renewed perspective on how much more pharmacy has to offer beyond simply counting pills.


Noah Sutliff
The School of Pharmacy's bi-annual Diabetes Symposium is not just an opportunity for patients to learn to better manage the condition of themselves and loved ones. It's an opportunity for our students to grow as both clinical decision-makers and healthcare experts in their field. Our roles as drug experts dictates that we know not only the medications themselves, but the nuances of the diseases we're using them to treat. It comes as no surprise that diabetes is a complicated topic, with students needing to stay up to date with the latest research and practice guidelines so that we may provide our patients the highest level of care possible. The Diabetes Symposium gave pharmacy students the chance to put said knowledge into practice, performing point of care testing on patients and providing recommendations for further actions to take regarding their health. At the end of the day, it's no different than what these folks will be doing once they graduate and move onto the next phase of their career.

As APhA-ASP's current president, I was tasked with helping behind the scenes to make everything happen. While I certainly did not do as much heavy lifting as our current Operation Diabetes Chair, I was still able to answer questions, provide feedback, and assist in any way that would help to take some of the weight off her shoulders. Our chapter saw a significant increase in the number of patients attending this event from when it was last held two years prior, which shows that our administration is growing in the right directions and taking all the necessary steps for continuous improvement. The only thing left to do at this point is look at the fine details and see if we can come up with any ways to make 2028's event even more successful than this year's.

I'm extremely thankful for all the folks who'd pulled together to make this event happen. Karigan Harvey and Dr. Jessica Kerr were the masterminds behind the operation, and BJC Healthcare graciously provided us the funds to make this dream a reality. Most of all, it was the drive and enthusiasm of all the student pharmacists that showed up which made the Diabetes Symposium what it was. One can only think about the waves these individuals will make once they leave the SIUE School of Pharmacy, out into the world to make it a better place.

This community-focused event was supported by the SIUE American Pharmacists Association Academy of Student Pharmacists and BJC HealthCare.

Photos by Howard Ash