2025 Volume 9 Article ID: e09035
In U.S. pharmacy education, students engage in a variety of learning experiences that go beyond lectures, laboratory exercises, and a full year of clinical rotations. Among these are co-curricular activities, which are structured, curriculum-integrated experiences, as well as other extracurricular initiatives. These activities typically involve student-led volunteer work within the community and are recognized as essential components in pharmacy education guidelines. Through these activities, students are able to apply the knowledge acquired in the classroom to real-world situations, while actively contributing to public health promotion and disease prevention at the community level. Moreover, participation in such initiatives fosters the development of professional competencies essential to the pharmacy profession, including clinical expertise, leadership skills, and a strong sense of professionalism. These experiences play a critical role in shaping students’ future identities as healthcare providers. This report highlights specific examples of co-curricular and extracurricular activities implemented at the University of New Mexico College of Pharmacy. In particular, it focuses on how these student-driven efforts have contributed to disease prevention and health education among local residents. Through case-based discussion, the report demonstrates the effectiveness of these initiatives in bridging academic learning and community engagement. Finally, the report explores how similar approaches have been adapted and implemented within pharmacy education in Japan. It aims to emphasize the importance of incorporating community-based experiential learning into pharmacy curricula to cultivate practice-ready, socially responsible pharmacists in both the U.S. and Japan.
