SHARKS RX Spring 2016 Magazine

College of Pharmacy 9 HIV and Mental Health Research, where she is sponsored by an NIMH grant (R25 NIMH) for HIV. According to the NIMH, the AIDS research training grants promote multidisciplinary research and research training on mental health issues related to HIV/AIDS among underrepresented, racially diverse, and ethnic communities. They also help reduce the disproportionate burden of the HIV/AIDS epidemic on these populations. In 2013, Rabionet was part of a team of Caribbean researchers with well-established HIV clinics who were successful in receiving a grant to investigate the adherence of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in three countries with different languages and unique cultures—Jamaica, Haiti, and Puerto Rico. The project receives funds from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. The HAART study allows NSU faculty members and students to play a major role in studying the sociobehavioral aspects of care within a defined geographical region. In addition, it allows Rabionet to empower her graduate students to be on the front line for this type of research. Junior faculty members, along with Ph.D. and Pharm.D. students from the aforementioned three cultures, participate as researchers. Understanding cultural barriers to dispensing med- icine is critical in managing disease and illness. Managing the progression of those with chronic illness is just as important. Early results indicate that patients feel more comfortable with professionals of the same background. Rabionet said the researchers are sensitive and compassionate toward the patient. “It is amazing to see how the students transform their views as they engage in interviewing patients,” she said. Among the lessons learned in the clinics, NSU student researchers in Florida and Puerto Rico begin to understand the importance of having conversations with their patients about cultural stigmas, depression, poverty, depth of illness, side effects, housing chal- lenges, risky behaviors, and perceived lifestyle restrictions—all potential roadblocks to effective drug therapy commitments. “The end of the epidemic is in their hands. If patients adhere to their medication protocols, we can end this disease,” Rabionet said. —Silvia E. Rabionet, Ed.D. (continued on next page) The role of the pharmacist in public health is critical and optimal. NSU pharmacy students are in a unique position to understand the vulnerable communities they serve so they can eradicate disease and change the world. “ ”