Meet PharmD MPH Student Cara Christopher

What are you studying at Jefferson?
I am a dual doctor of pharmacy and master of public health student. I am also completing the population health pharmacy graduate certificate program.

Why did you choose Jefferson?
I instantly felt at home on campus, and I knew the education at our school would be unmatched. The emphasis on interprofessional education sets our university apart from other programs, and I can combine what I have learned about multidisciplinary practice into my own future endeavors.

What is the best part of your studies?
I had the unique opportunity to study away this summer for my advanced pharmacy practice experiential rotations at Yale New Haven Hospital where I learned from pharmacists and other professionals in the transplant and emergency departments.

In addition, throughout my six years at Jefferson, I was lucky enough to make lifelong friends from my undergraduate studies in East Falls and graduate studies in Center City. This is an experience I will forever be grateful to Jefferson for.

What’s something people would be surprised to find out about you?
I currently work at the Poison Control Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, serving individuals in Eastern Pennsylvania and Delaware. I also work for a Manhattan-based teleclinic called Cureatr, where I have a dual role in transitions of care and clinical data informatics.

Outside of pharmacy, I love to cheer and dance in my free time, and I hope to dance or cheer for a professional sports team.

Tell us about your post-exposure prophylaxis research.
Much like other emergent prophylactic treatments, post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) for HIV is generally effective within 72 hours of exposure. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) currently recommends PEP to be obtained from urgent care centers, provider offices or emergency departments, but each come with their own barriers.

Pharmacists can be the most accessible healthcare professionals with some patients living closer to a pharmacy than one of these CDC-recommended sites. Community pharmacists have a unique opportunity to improve public health if PEP could be accessible from a local pharmacy. Some states allow pharmacists to dispense PEP, but Pennsylvania is not yet one of them.

My goal with the scoping review was to make people aware of PEP for HIV, of a pharmacist’s potential to make public health differences, and to encourage policy change and address barriers to this critical prophylactic treatment.