URI Pharmacy students, professors vaccinate hundreds at Westerly Senior Center

May 3, 2021
Pharmacy students Yan Cen and Melissa Gianetti prepare COVID-19 vaccinations at Westerly Senior Center, where they volunteer drawing up and administering vaccines.
Pharmacy students Yan Cen and Melissa Gianetti prepare COVID-19 vaccinations at Westerly Senior Center, where they volunteer drawing up and administering vaccines.

URI College of Pharmacy faculty, staff and students have been making a difference on the front lines of the pandemic from the beginning, and that continues as the COVID-19 vaccination effort shifts from larger clinics to more targeted areas to reach populations that have not yet been vaccinated.

Students Melissa Gianetti and Yan Cen have been helping get shots in arms at the Westerly Senior Center. The pair joined URI Clinical Assistant Professor Britny Brown at the center May 3, drawing up vaccinations for use that day. They have been preparing and administering vaccines two days a week at the senior center, along with the Westerly Hospital Pharmacy Department and other URI professors, including Elizabeth St. Louis and Margaret Charpentier, who have been volunteering throughout the pandemic.

Melissa Gianetti
Melissa Gianetti

Gianetti has matched the professors’ dedication to battling COVID-19, volunteering at clinics and pharmacies in some of the hardest-hit areas since the vaccine became available in January. She has been administering vaccines at Asthenis Pharmacy in Central Falls, Clinica Esperanza in Providence and at the Providence VA Medical Center, in addition to the Westerly Senior Center. She also works at Green Line Apothecary in Wakefield and helps patients with transition of care at South County Hospital.

“I wish I knew the exact number, but I’ve definitely administered more than 1,000 vaccinations,” Gianetti said. “Sometimes it seems like the only thing I do is vaccines; I even dream about vaccines. But I’m happy to do whatever I can to help end this pandemic.”

Yan Cen
Yan Cen

While the pandemic continues to rage, Gianetti and Cen, who are both set to graduate in May, said they have unfortunately seen the volume of vaccines drop in recent days. While they previously encountered greater demand than supply, they now find themselves limiting the number of shots they prepare so as not to waste vaccines that have a short shelf life. Part of the reason is that many Rhode Islanders have already gotten the shot, but vaccine hesitancy still plays a role. Despite the vaccine’s safety, as many as 22 percent of Americans remain hesitant to get the shot.

Clinical Assistant Professor Britny Brown works with students Melissa Gianetti and Yan Cen preparing vaccines at the Westerly Senior Center.
Clinical Assistant Professor Britny Brown (right) works with students Melissa Gianetti and Yan Cen preparing vaccines at the Westerly Senior Center.

Public health efforts like vaccination clinics is part of the learning experience URI College of Pharmacy students get through their clinical rotations. Experiential education has been a big part of Cen’s and Gianetti’s time at URI, helping both land post-graduate residencies at medical centers in Illinois and Vermont, respectively.

“URI has been wonderful setting up experiences like this,” Gianetti said. “I’ve learned so much from doing these clinical rotations. There is always something experiential for us to get involved with.”