Michael Burkett was awarded the Excellence in Public Health Pharmacy Award from the United States Public Health Service

URI College of Pharmacy student Michael Burkett has earned national recognition for his commitment to public health and community advocacy from the United States Public Health Service.

Captain Bill Lehault, himself a pharmacist from the Commissioned Core of the U.S. Public Health Service, presented Burkett with the Excellence in Public Health Pharmacy Award during a ceremony in Dean Paul Larrat’s office on April 13. The Public Health Service presents the annual pharmacy award each year to 75 college students around the country to increase the public’s awareness of the critical role pharmacists play in promoting healthy communities.

Burkett has indeed taken an active role in public health, working with Professor Jeffrey Bratberg, who nominated him for the award, on a research project to take stock of pharmacists’ role in public health in Rhode Island. The pair brought together pharmacists in focus groups to talk to them about where they see the profession expanding in RI, where they would like it to expand, and how we can do a better job as a group advocating for those advances.

“Pharmacists are really uniquely positioned to impact public health as the most accessible care providers. It was really a chance to dive into advocacy on how to impact public health in RI and nationally,” Burkett said.

“Michael far exceeded my expectations of a student on their first rotation,” Bratberg said. “He worked to solve public health problems by designing, funding and implementing a pharmacist focus group research project to discover themes about public health legislation, and presenting that research at two national meetings. As we now work to finalize a manuscript describing this innovation, I find myself repeatedly referencing his findings in advocacy work with students, associations, and policymakers.”

It was not Burkett’s first experience impacting public health. During the summer of 2020, the PharmD candidate set to graduate in May 2022 joined the Junior Commissioned Officer Student Training and Extern Program through the United States Public Health Service. Burkett was placed with the Food and Drug Administration for 12 weeks, serving as a public health service officer.

The senior from the Saratoga Springs area of New York has also worked in community pharmacies throughout his time at URI, which helped inspire his passion for public service.

“Community pharmacists are committed to public health every day. They helping people find solutions to their medication problems, and helping them live better lives,” said Burkett, who will serve a residency at the Veterans Administration hospital in Boston upon graduation. “I think if you ask a lot of pharmacy students, the first reason they’re going to give you is that they want to help people. And I think for me that always tied in pretty closely to public health.”

In the future, Burkett hopes to continue his passion for ambulatory, out-patient care, as well as advocating for public health

“I really enjoy being able to follow up with patients over time, especially in under-served or vulnerable populations. I feel like you can really feel the impact you are making on patients’ lives every day,” Burkett said. “I definitely see myself continuing to advocate for the profession in the future and trying to advance the role of the pharmacist as much as I can. We have clinical ability that state laws kind of limit us from using. So the more we can continue to expand legislation to expand those opportunities, I know we’ll have a better chance to uplift patient health and public health in the process.”