As part of Drake University’s plan to safely move students back to campus for the Fall 2020 semester, all students were tested for COVID-19. While that was commonplace among colleges, Drake was unique in having the involvement of an engaged health professional college that took on the task of organizing the testing and collecting the samples. The College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (CPHS) stepped up to organize and carry out the tests for the students moving into their residence halls. Spearheaded by CPHS Clinical Sciences Department Chair Erik Maki, testing took place at designated sites on campus during the move-in period. It was no small task filling 117 volunteer slots, but the Drake community came together. A wide range of volunteers participated, from first-year health sciences students who signed up for shifts after moving into their residence halls earlier that week, to students in their final year of the PharmD program. Faculty and staff within CPHS and across the University volunteered as well.
— Kaylyn Maher, College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences