“Being awarded this grant is an accomplishment that I am extremely proud of,” he said. “However, it would not have been possible without the support and encouragement of mentors at VCU School of Pharmacy and the University of South Carolina College of Pharmacy. Teresa Salgado and Dave Dixon have provided countless hours of valuable feedback on my aims and dissertation. I’m thankful that others believe in the research that I’m conducting and look forward to making a difference in the way we as a nation address the upcoming primary care physician shortage.”

AFPE’s Pre-Doctoral Fellowship in Health Outcome Disparities fellowship recognizes a pre-doctoral student whose research focuses on either a disease area which disproportionately impacts underserved populations or whose research focuses on reducing health care disparities and improving health outcomes for underserved populations in the United States. AFPE awards 15 pre-doctoral fellowships each year.

“Something unique about my research is that I also aim to identify disparities that exist in patient health and associated clinical outcomes within primary care services,” Wagner said. “Data from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has shown racial and ethnic disparities vary significantly by group, especially for poorer and uninsured populations. We aim to bring these to light and will work to create more accessible care within primary care.”

AFPE’s mission is to advance and support pharmaceutical sciences education at U.S. schools and colleges of pharmacy by awarding fellowships and grants, recognizing and supporting talented students and faculty, encouraging exceptional students to pursue advanced degrees in pharmaceutical sciences, educating outstanding industry-ready pharmaceutical scientists, supporting pharmaceutical science faculty, and supporting state-of-the-sciences pharmaceutical education.

The Center for Pharmacy Practice Innovation at the VCU School of Pharmacy helps pharmacists optimize patient outcomes by being a leader in transforming ambulatory and community pharmacy practice and advancing pharmacists’ roles on patient-centered, collaborative care teams. Learn more at cppi.pharmacy.vcu.edu/.