International opportunities
Student pharmacists may choose to participate in a variety of international outreach opportunities at VCU. The school-sponsored trips focus on south-central America and are coordinated with HOMBRE and students from VCU School of Medicine.
Hispanic Outreach Medical Brigade Relief Effort (HOMBRE)
HOMBRE seeks to improve the health of underserved communities in Honduras and other developing countries while enhancing the education of health professions students. Since 2008, five to seven student pharmacists, 20 to 30 medical students and pharmacy and medicine faculty have traveled abroad, annually, to staff clinics for residents of these rural and underserved communities. Student pharmacists are responsible for coordinating medication orders and formularies prior to departure and dispensing, inventorying, and counseling patients once in-country. Students contribute their knowledge, skills, and compassion to those in need and in return, improve their knowledge and understanding of cultural competency, gain an introductory knowledge to the broader determinants of health, and develop an understanding of key ethical issues impacting health-related brigades in international under-resourced settings.