Kappa Psi brothers receive scholarships to Harvard Business School program

Kappa Psi brothers
Left to right: Kappa Psi-Mu Omicron Pi brothers Noah Trotter, Joseph Paul Javier and Hussein Safaoui

Three brothers from Wayne State's Mu Omicron Pi chapter of the Kappa Psi pharmaceutical fraternity were awarded scholarships for their work in educating the community about COVID-19 and the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic. In recognition of their innovative educational campaign which was part of last spring's Up to Us national competition, brothers Hussein Safaoui, Noah Trotter and Joseph Paul Javier all received full-tuition scholarships for Harvard Business School's online program.

According to Trotter, "Taking the Harvard business course was a unique experience. I got to collaborate and debate with students from all across the world, of different ages and from various professional backgrounds. It was enlightening and challenging. I look forward to applying the knowledge I gained there in my future pharmacy career."

Each Kappa Psi brother earned certificates from Harvard Business School Online in Business Analytics. Javier also earned an additional certificate in Sustainable Business Strategy.

"Pharmacists are often included in discussions relating to financial and business decisions. However, most PharmD programs do not include areas in their curriculums to educate students on making these decisions," said Safaoui, who plans to pursue a career in the pharmaceutical industry. "The Harvard business analytics course exposed me to various techniques of statistical analysis to use data in driving sound business decisions. I see how these tools can be applied for better understanding of markets, determining drug pricing as well as other matters related to industry pharmacy."

This semester, Kappa Psi brothers again join the Up to Us competition with a focus on how health care is a major component of the increasing national debt.

"For this cohort of the competition, our team wants to draw attention to just how much is spent on drugs and how increasing medication costs can be a barrier for citizens in receiving the therapy they need to stay healthy," says Javier who is the team's executive director. "We will be scrutinizing the bills highlighted at this year's Pharmacy Day at the Capitol which was organized by the MPA. Together with our partners, we will continue to contact legislators and advocate for policy pertaining to pharmacy benefit managers, health plans and the lowering the cost of prescription medicines."

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