Fourteen Ohio Northern University pharmacy students and Kristen Finley, associate professor of pharmacy, will travel to Kenya to provide medical counseling and education about heartburn from Nov. 27 through Dec. 18.

These sixth-year pharmacy students will collaborate with physicians, nurses and medical students during the three-week trip to Africa. Members of the Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine will travel on the mission trip with the ONU students.

A number of the ONU students making the trek are also members of the American Pharmacists Association-Academy of Student Pharmacists (APhA-ASP) and will incorporate heartburn education in their mission work.

"We feel this is an amazing opportunity not only to provide information to thousands of patients in this underserved area, but also to incorporate our APhA-ASP heartburn project in another country," Finley said. "Since our three-week health care program is the only means of medical counseling for the people of this rural village of Kenya, we will do our best to provide the best patient care possible."

The APhA-ASP members will distribute printed brochures in Swahili (the official language of Kenya) on healthy eating tips and heartburn-friendly foods to use while counseling patients with heartburn or gastrol-esphogeal reflux disease.

ONU students traveling to Kenya are Susan Warrington, Hudson, Ohio; Andrew Anderson, Crooksville, Ohio; Kyle Melin, Pickerington, Ohio; Elizabeth Cooley, Akron, Ohio; Liza Katterhenry, Wapakoneta, Ohio; Nicole Komara, Moon Township, Pa.; Terren Kindsvatter, Munroe Falls, Ohio; Heidi Mack, Corry, Pa.; Carolyn Maly, Cincinnati, Ohio; Erin O'Toole, Broadview Heights, Ohio; Christine Paspek, Broadview Heights, Ohio; Kathleen Rooney, Troutdale, Ore.; Lauren Seibert, Willoughby, Ohio; and Lauren Shafer, Chapel Hill, N.C.

Published: Tue, 11/11/2008 - 1:53pm