Pills, Potions and Poisons revamps cornerstone program for high schoolers

“How do we show students what their degree could actually lead to?” 

This question remains central to The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy’s Pills, Potions and Poisons (PPP) summer camp. Each year, this staple program invites high schoolers to campus for an engaging exploration of the health sciences, with a spotlight on pharmaceutical sciences. 

The outreach program was created in 2008 by Nicole Kwiek, PhD, senior associate dean for academic affairs and educational innovation, to expand the pipeline of future pharmacy and pharmaceutical science leaders. 

"Pharmaceutical science topics are naturally fascinating to young learners, which makes them an incredible catalyst for education,” Dr. Kwiek said. “In designing Pills, Potions and Poisons, we leveraged that curiosity as a hook. Once students see how their high school coursework directly leads to discovering cures and improving healthcare, a pharmacy degree becomes a very real, exciting destination." 

This year’s program has been expanded from one five-day session in July to two three-day sessions in June and July. Additionally, the curriculum now features a simulation of real healthcare careers, to give campers a sense of their options should they choose to pursue a pharmaceutical sciences degree.  

At the helm of the revamp are co-directors and lecturers Katie Summers, PhD, and Daniel Michel, PhD. 

“My original hope for this remodel was simply to increase the number of students who could participate,” Dr. Summers said. “But as we reexamined our curriculum, we found some exciting ways to introduce a more personalized, deep dive into the field of pharmaceutical sciences.” 

Campers are accepted into the program via an increasingly competitive application process. The additional session this year brought the total number of participants to 75—a 50% increase.  

The summer’s two sessions took place June 15-17 and July 13-15. 

On day one of each session, campers learned the basics of drug science and how filling prescriptions works, and heard from real community pharmacists. Day two took them deeper into the journey of drug behavior, as they designed research experiments and toured labs around the college with faculty and student researchers. Finally, on day three, the students visited the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center for an interactive tour of hospital pharmacy, showing them how clinical practice and research coalesce for stronger patient treatment. 

“Highlighting the interprofessional nature of health sciences has always been important in PPP, but by building their understanding of pharmaceutical sciences from community to emergency medicine, we’re emphasizing it even more,” Dr. Summers said. “Now, they gain a greater appreciation for how interprofessional teams extend beyond patient care to drug discovery specialists.” 

To support the variety of subject matters, the camp is supported by student teachings assistants (TAs) from across the college’s academic programs. This year’s TAs include a pre-med undergraduate student, an incoming PhD candidate and a smattering of PharmD candidates.  

“I chose to assist with the PPP camp because I wanted to provide mentorship for high schoolers who are figuring out their future,” said Isaiah Venetti, a program TA and rising P1 student. “It’s important that I can showcase my personal experiences and give the campers a perspective about what healthcare route they may like to pursue as they consider college.” 

“This camp is an important experience for campers since it allows them to see what working in healthcare can be like, and what those responsibilities entail,” said Libby Uniss, a rising P2 and TA for PPP. “When I was in their place, I had no clue the impact and wide range of positions that a pharmacist could work in. Getting to show students the possibilities early-on in their academic journey can help them make a more educated choice about their career path.” 

For those who don’t attend the College of Pharmacy or eventually enter the field, Dr. Summers still counts their engagement as big success. 

“My ultimate goal has always been to help students make the right choice for themselves,” Dr. Summers said. “They don’t know what they don’t know, so even if this is just a taste of what this field is truly like, our incredible, caring team can help them feel more comfortable as they make these big choices for their future.”