Innovative student project proposals to leverage community pharmacy to address the social determinants of health

Background: The objective of this paper is to describe the development and implementation of a student project to brainstorm strategies to address the social determinants of health (SDOH) through community pharmacy partnerships. Methods: This project reimagined the BUILD Health Challenge for second-year Pharm.D. students in a Community Pharmacy Elective course. Students worked in groups to complete a community needs assessment and then developed a customised proposal for a feasible collaboration addressing at least one upstream social risk factor. Results: A total of ten proposals were developed from 2021 to 2023. Novel collaborative partnerships included a local high school, regional opioid prevention services, rideshare partners, food trucks, and more. The most common social risk factor addressed through this project was transportation (n = 6; 60%). Conclusion: This project was effective at inspiring innovation and entrepreneurial thinking about the social determinants of health as it pertains to community pharmacy.