Pathways and Recruitment Opportunities for Pharmacy Exploration and Learning (PROPEL)
Building training pathways to careers that address rural and urban pharmacy needs.
PROPEL is a project focused on improving access to pharmacy services in rural and urban Ohio communities where geographic, socioeconomic and other factors contribute to inadequate access to health services.
Funded by the McKesson Foundation and The Ohio State University from 2025-2028, the PROPEL project will involve education and corporate and non-profit partners throughout the state to strengthen its impact.
PROPEL goals
The main goals of the PROPEL project are:
- Increase awareness of career opportunities in pharmacy among youth in grades 6-12
- Expand student pathways to a degree in pharmacy through partnerships with educational institutions that offer prerequisite degrees or certificates.
- Improve pharmacy graduates’ readiness to provide care in Ohio’s rural and urban communities by developing training that familiarizes students with local culture and history, factors that contribute to gaps and deficiencies in health care access and strategies to address and improve outcomes.
PharmD students hit the road for Rural Appalachian Pharmacy Service-Learning course
Autumn semester 2025 marked the launch of the Rural Appalachian Pharmacy Service-Learning (RAPS) course, a new offering under the PROPEL initiative. Over seven weeks, 15 PharmD students studied health needs in southeast Ohio and developed outreach projects. The course culminated in an October 16–18 trip to Athens, where students implemented their initiatives, shadowed pharmacy professionals, and supported community pharmacists at Rising Suns—while gaining firsthand exposure to rural practice opportunities.
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Get involved with PROPEL
Do you share our passion for pharmacy, workforce development, and or improving access to medical care for rural or urban communities?
We would like to explore ways we could work with you to increase awareness of the many rewarding career opportunities in pharmacy and create supportive pathways to achieving students’ career goals.
If you are a teacher, guidance counselor, education administrator, youth-serving organization, college or university, or health care service provider, we welcome a conversation about your goals and how they may intersect with the PROPEL project initiatives.
Contact Leslie Dybiec, Program Manager, to learn more!
