FAMU Partners with Duke University on $4.75M NIH HIV Prevention Project
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida A&M University’s College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical
Sciences, Institute of Public Health (CoPPS, IPH), has become a funded subaward site
for the Pharmacists for Prevention (P4P) project. Receiving an approximate $30,000
per year.
FAMU COPPS IPH, Ukamaka A. Smith, PharmD, is the collaborator on the NIH-funded R01program led by Duke University. She is joined by Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice Faith Maignan, PharmD, integrating a multi-year HIV prevention and implementation of science curriculum into the PharmD program.
“While elements of HIV prevention are already integrated into select courses, this initiative allows us to build a more coordinated, longitudinal approach grounded in implementation science. We are not only enhancing content but intentionally evaluating how it is delivered and how it shapes our student pharmacist's readiness for practice,” Smith stated.
Ukamaka A. Smith, PharmD
The total award to Duke University is approximately $4.75 million over five years.
As a subaward partner, FAMU will receive approximately $30,000 annually, totaling
approximately $150,000 over the five-year project period. The National Institute of
Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) is funding the project.
The program will apply an implementation science framework, supported by feasibility assessments and mixed-methods outcome evaluations measuring acceptability, feasibility, student knowledge, attitudes, and professional intent.
As a partner site on the Pharmacists for Prevention (P4P) initiative, FAMU’s approved scope includes, having to conduct an assessment on HIV prevention, providing course information and assisting with faculty and student qualitative interviews, participating in curriculum design consultation sessions to adapt and integrate an HIV prevention pharmacist training curriculum, assisting with theater testing course content and contextual customization of training materials, implementing the adapted curriculum at FAMU, and supporting recruitment and participation in longitudinal mixed-methods evaluation to assess educational and practice outcomes.
The dean of CoPPS, IPH, Seth Y. Ablordeppey, Ph.D., congratulates the doctors as a meaningful achievement. “This impactful achievement reflects the strength of our faculty’s scholarship and their commitment to advancing health equity through education, research, and community-centered innovation. Participation in the NIH-funded Pharmacists for Prevention initiative reinforces CoPPS, IPH’s growing national footprint in implementation science and public health leadership,” he said.
Seth Y. Ablordeppey, Ph.D
“By integrating HIV prevention training directly into the PharmD curriculum, Dr. Smith and Dr. Maignan are preparing the next generation of pharmacists to play a transformative role in addressing HIV disparities and improving population health outcomes. We are proud to collaborate with Duke University and contribute to a national effort aligned with our mission of advancing excellence with caring."
Smith and Maignan share a long-term goal to end the HIV epidemic by educating pharmacy students on HIV prevention and care.
“I have always been deeply passionate about teaching HIV pharmacotherapy and ensuring that our students are informed, proactive, and confident in their approach to patient care. This grant will strengthen how we integrate HIV prevention and disease state management across the curriculum,” Maignan added.
Through this initiative, the college continues to expand its impact on public health by preparing future pharmacists to lead prevention efforts and improve outcomes in communities most affected by HIV.
Faith Maignan, PharmD
Media Contact
Rachel James-Terry
Senior Director of Strategic Communications
rachel.jamesterry@famu.edu
