May 15, 2012 | Corey Hayes, a third-year student at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Pharmacy, has received a prestigious national award for his public health efforts, including leading student pharmacist efforts at the Mexican Consulate in Little Rock.

Hayes, of Morrilton, was one of 65 students nationally to receive a U.S. Public Health Service Excellence in Public Health Pharmacy Practice Award that recognizes students for demonstrated commitment to public health and public health practice. He was nominated for the award by Stephanie F. Gardner, Pharm.D., Ed.D., dean of the UAMS College of Pharmacy.

“We are proud to have students like Corey taking the initiative to get out into the community and use their education to help make a difference,” Gardner said. “He is a role model, leader and shining example of what’s possible when students are dedicated to their education and chosen profession.”

Hayes has undertaken numerous activities that qualified him for the award. He was named an Ambrose Scholar by the Association for Prevention Teaching and Research, which allowed him to attend a three-day leadership symposium in Washington, D.C., and to implement a Medicare Planning/Brown Bag Special Clinic at the UAMS Institute on Aging. The clinic educated seniors about Medicare plans available and helped them in choosing the best plan for their needs.

His leadership with health screenings by pharmacy students conducted at the Mexican Consulate was instrumental in the College of Pharmacy receiving a Student Community Engaged Service Award of $16,000 from the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) to sustain and support a student-led project.

In addition to his time as a Paul Ambrose Scholar during the summer of 2011, Hayes completed two summer research fellowships, assisting in research that assessed differences in veterans’ mental health care in rural versus urban settings and that evaluated opioid use among Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom veterans.

He also took a leadership role at the state level through interactions with the Arkansas State Board of Pharmacy, working with a fellow student to initiate a successful request for a policy change that impacted all student pharmacists in the state of Arkansas.

The U.S. Public Health Service award comes with a certificate plaque, the book “Plagues and Politics: The Story of the United States Public Health Service” and a letter signed by the U.S. Surgeon General.

Hayes lives in Maumelle with his wife, Emily. He attended Morrilton High School and Southern Arkansas University at Magnolia. At the UAMS College of Pharmacy, he is a member of the Student Society of Health-System Pharmacists, American Pharmacists Association-Academy of Student Pharmacists, and the Christian Pharmacists Fellowship International.