Kevin Astle

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Pharmacy Education: Providing Pharmacy Care for the LGBTQ+ Community Elective

About the Program

The program implemented is an elective course for third year student pharmacists titled "Providing Pharmacy Care for the LGBTQ+ Community." The course is a one-credit hour, 6-week course that provides a broad overview of different health disparities affecting the LGBTQ+ Community and approaches that pharmacists can take in any practice setting to address those disparities. Additionally, the course includes a guest lecture from a local AIDS service organization to provide perspective on the advancements in the treatment and prevention of HIV/AIDS in the South.

About the Institution

The LGBT elective was launched at the Auburn University Harrison College of Pharmacy (AUHCOP). The College recently developed new strategic initiatives to enhance DEI programs and support within the College. Specifically, the DEI objectives of the College are to enhance representation of minoritized groups within the curriculum, increase diversity among faculty, staff, and students, and increasing programs to support minoritized students.

Program Reach

This program was initially implemented in Fall 2020 and continues to be offered as a once-yearly elective for third-year student pharmacists. In the two years offered, a total of 40 students have enrolled in the course. The course is offered every Fall for a total of 6-weeks with 30 seats open to students on both the Auburn and Mobile campuses.

Program Implementation & Resources

This course was approved by the Curriculum Committee and faculty as a whole at AUHCOP. Resources used to develop this curriculum included a review of primary literature for courses that have been previously implemented as well as an overview of health disparities and educational needs for the LGBTQ+ Community. A primary resource that is used throughout the course is the textbook titled, "The Equal Curriculum," which is a resource primarily targeted for medical education on implementing an LGBTQ+ inclusive curriculum.

Program Assessment

An assessment was conducted during the Fall semester in 2020 via a pre/post survey administered via Qualtrics. The survey administered included the gay affirmative practice (GAP) scale, which is a validated instrument to measure the attitudes and behaviors of clinicians towards providing care for lesbian and gay patients. The assessment found that both before and after the course, participants had a high level of belief that lesbian and gay patients should be treated with a specialized approach. However, the pre-course data showed that the actual behaviors of providing that care were much lower. After attending the course, the response for behaviors improved greatly, indicating a likely improved perception of the needs of lesbian and gay patients.

Program Feedback

Some informal feedback received about this program includes that students found it to be very beneficial to augment their pharmacy education and that these concepts need to be further integrated into their coursework. There was a high level of appreciation for the discussion of health disparities and the role that pharmacists can have to address those.

Closing Advice

My advice to other faculty is to look at your current program and course offerings, identify any gaps or needs, and to boldly address the needs.

About the Author

Dr. Kevin Astle received his PharmD degree from the University of Florida College of Pharmacy in 2016. After graduation, he completed a PGY-1 ambulatory care pharmacy residency with Auburn University Pharmacy Health Services in Auburn, AL. Following residency, Dr. Astle accepted a position with Auburn University on the distance campus in Mobile to serve as the skills lab facilitator.

Currently, Dr. Astle is an Assistant Clinical Professor and practices with the University of South Alabama Family Medicine Clinic. He primarily provides services for the management of diabetes, weight loss, and dyslipidemia. Dr. Astle also provides innovative pharmacy services for the prevention of HIV infection and gender-affirming care for patients of transgender experience. Dr. Astle has several credentials and certifications including board certified pharmacotherapy specialist (BCPS), board certified ambulatory care pharmacist (BCACP), HIV specialist pharmacist (AAHIVP), and certified diabetes care and education specialist (CDCES).