Family Motivates UAMS College of Public Health Student to Serve
| Shanda Ferguson, Pharm. D., a student in the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health’s Master of Health Administration (MHA) program, has witnessed several family members deal with medical hardships, some due to circumstances beyond their control.
For that reason, scholastically, professionally and personally, she’s on a mission to help remedy Arkansas’ health deficiencies.
“I want to improve health in Arkansas,” she said. “I want people to not have to drive to Little Rock to get excellent care. I want people to have to drive 30 minutes at the most — to get excellent care. That’s kind of what inspires me to do what I do.”
Ferguson, who’s also a dedicated wife and mother of two, is the director of pharmacy for the Baptist Health Extended Care Hospital. The facility is a 25-bed, long-term acute care hospital that handles ICU-type patients. As its pharmacy director, Ferguson’s duties include the preparation of site surveys and keeping the facility, and its staff, in compliance with various health regulations.
Ferguson also gets to work as a clinical pharmacist, which she enjoys because it gives her the opportunity to interact with the patients, their families and the center’s staff.
“I love how our hospital staff can build a rapport with the patients,” she said. “I also like getting to know our nurses and therapists. Our facility is an intimate setting that allows you the opportunity to know everybody.
“It’s truly the little things that I really enjoy about my job. We provide an extra safety net and additional level of care. Being a part of this team and providing an extra knowledge base to help other providers is important.”
Ferguson — who received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from UAMS in 2005 — has been in her current position since 2008. Though she loves her occupation, the desire to do even more prompted her return to school.
In 2020, Ferguson started the College of Public Health’s MHA program. She’s had managers who are MHA alums that have benefited from the education and have praised the program. Additionally, Ferguson returned to school to fulfill a desire to earn a health care administration degree to accompany her doctorate in pharmacy.
“I always felt that I could have a stronger impact with a better understanding of health care administration,” Ferguson said. “I considered enrolling in some out-of-state online MHA programs. However, I ultimately decided to attend UAMS because of the people I work for.
“For hospital administrators, it’s important to understand public health, and how it can improve the health of Arkansans,” she said. “If we don’t do that, we’re chasing our tails. We’re putting more money in treatment when we have a pathway to cut costs by embracing preventative health methods.”
Her love for Arkansas, especially people in its rural areas, also played a role in enticing Ferguson to return to school at UAMS.
“I have a lot of family in rural Arkansas, and I saw the discrepancies and the major lack of quality health care in their areas,” she said. “That drove me to want to enter the public health program at Tulane University. However, I got into pharmacy school first. So, my being in the MHA program, learning more about public health, is full circle for me.”
A Little Rock native, Ferguson’s mom and dad are both from small towns in Independence County. Throughout her childhood, Ferguson spent large amounts of time with her family in Independence County. As a teen, she learned about access to care issues for residents in the area when her grandmother had breast cancer.
“It was a long drive to get her the help she needed,” Ferguson said. “I’d go with her to the treatment sessions. Also, my grandfather had some health issues, and for his health care as a veteran, he didn’t have many options in their area. He had to come to Little Rock to the VA for help before he eventually passed away from lung cancer.”
The lengthy trips to get adequate care caught Ferguson’s attention, but so did the eating habits of the people she loved. She often saw her family, and other people in their community, eat large comfort-style meals. Meanwhile, when at home in Little Rock, in comparison, she saw a bigger emphasis on eating healthy and embracing physical activities.
“There’s a high rate of obesity in my family,” she said. “Many of us are currently struggling with the outcomes of the obesity. I had a taste of both worlds. I grew up in Little Rock, but I also grew up in the country. Once I got older, I noticed the health discrepancies. They were very apparent. It’s something that we need to solve.”
Ferguson also is active in combatting antimicrobial resistance, which occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites no longer respond to antimicrobial medicines. Due to inappropriate use and duration, antibiotics and other antimicrobial medicines become ineffective.
It can lead to diseases, viruses or infections spreading at a higher rate and becoming difficult to treat. Thinking of people, both in rural and urban settings, Ferguson teamed up with other health care professionals and supporters to create the nonprofit, Arkansas Antimicrobial Stewardship Foundation.
Ferguson is currently a board member and treasurer for the foundation, which presents the annual Arkansas Summit for Antimicrobial Stewardship to be held again in February 2025. The organization’s summit aims to improve the antimicrobial knowledge of health care professionals throughout the state. Additionally, the group works to combat overuse of antimicrobials, which can also lead to widespread resistance.
When talking about her desire to improve the health of Arkansans, Ferguson’s joy was evident.
“It just feels right,” she said. “You want to do what’s right for society. Taking the role to educate people and help care for people when they can’t care for themselves is fulfilling.
“I’m getting get a health care administration degree because it’s a goal of mine that will help me better serve others.”