SIUE School of Pharmacy and Safe Zone Part of Inaugural Alton Pride Festival
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s School of Pharmacy and SIUE Safe Zone joined together to be part of the inaugural Alton Pride Fest on Saturday, Sept. 10.
“It is important for the LBGTQ+ community to feel supported by SIUE and for the public to receive unbiased and accurate information on drug therapies that are important to overall health and wellness,” said Chris Lynch, PharmD, professor and director of clinical programs in the School of Pharmacy.
“The SIUE Safe Zone Committee is proud to collaborate with other university groups like the School of Pharmacy to provide education about LGBTQIA+ issues and topics within the surrounding community,” added Nick Niemerg, staff co-chair of SIUE Safe Zone.
Student, faculty and alumni pharmacists hosted a booth in partnership with SIUE Safe Zone. The SIUE group educated people on pre-exposure and post-exposure to HIV prophylaxis therapies and gender affirmation therapies.
“This event also was a tremendous opportunity for our students to gain comfort in providing outreach and education efforts within the surrounding community,” Lynch added. “I believe that our outreach not only educated many people on important therapies but also demonstrated that at SIUE we hold the ideals of diversity and inclusion dear to our hearts.”
Photo: SIUE students, faculty and alumni at the Alton Pride Festival.
