Pharmacy student bridges education, advocacy against e-cigarette use
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LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 19, 2024) — If there’s one thing Griffin Nemeth wants to do, it’s to help people.
The University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy student and coordinator for the #iCANendthetrend Youth Advisory Board has made educating young Kentuckians about nicotine products his focus.
“The mission of #iCANendthetrend is to deliver youth tobacco prevention education services to students, families and communities across the state of Kentucky,” said Nemeth, who got involved in the initiative in his sophomore year at UK.
Project Director Melinda Ickes, Ph.D., a professor in the UK College of Education and UK Markey Cancer Center member, worked collaboratively with college students to bring a near peer prevention approach to decrease youth tobacco initiation, support those who are already dependent and ensure student voices are at the forefront of prevention and policy advocacy.
Since 2019, the team has engaged more than 20,000 young people across Kentucky, with Nemeth playing an integral role in these efforts.
“We’re trying to ensure that the students to whom we present are better educated about the issues concerning e-cigarette use, so that they’re more well-informed before making that decision,” said Nemeth. “Our policy work is strictly advocacy and education.”
In the video above, Nemeth shares why he’s passionate about making sure Kentucky’s youth are educated on this topic.
He says his education in the College of Pharmacy is helping him bridge the gap in this component of advocacy.
“Pharmacists have a unique position where they can intervene early and often — every time they see a patient who they know smokes or doesn’t smoke,” said Nemeth.
For those looking to reduce or quit tobacco use, many pharmacies provide resources and counseling for smoking cessation, including nicotine replacement therapies and other medications to manage withdrawal symptoms.
“I think everyone wants to change the world, so I hope I can have some sort of impact on patient care.”
Learn more about the impact of #iCANendthetrend online.
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.