Howard University is on a mission.
Howard University wants to introduce more Black pharmacists to the world of healthcare, WTOP News reports.
With the profession’s high starting salary and crucial role in helping people overcome life-threatening illnesses, pharmaceutical work is ripe with opportunity, which the HBCU stresses. But the field lacks Black representation. According to the Department of Labor, there are 315,000 pharmacists, but a scant 4%—a little more than 12,000 pharmacists nationwide—are identified as Black.
Howard wants to change that in a bid to eliminate racial disparities and improve treatment for Black patients, who statistically respond better when treated by Black physicians.
“It’s so very important for us to have practitioners that we can talk to, that we can trust, who we can relate to,” said Dr. Tamara McCants, a clinical assistant professor at Howard University, to WTOP News. “And especially for the pharmacists because they’re the most accessible healthcare professional.”