Pharmacists’ Expanding Roles in Diabetes, Community Health Care

As a professor at the Touro University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Clipper F. Young, PharmD, MPH, CDCES, BC-ADM, BCGP, works to improve the next generation of pharmacists’ understanding of how to properly care for patients’ chronic conditions, particularly diabetes. However, he is also working around the clock with other pharmacists and health care leaders to research and collaborate on the best ways to drive community health initiatives forward.

“Pharmacists are really ranked among the most trusted health care professionals in the community,” Young told Drug Topics. “By having this public trust, combined with the use [of] collaborative practice agreements to help us structure our clinical practice, that has created an environment where pharmacists are really finally being recognized and also empowered to practice at the top of our license.”

While the general perception of pharmacists is growing to include them more as providers, those like Young are being proactive in moving the profession forward.

In the most recent episode of Over the Counter, Young joined us to discuss both his work in the diabetes space as well as his role in the Pharm2Home program—clinical pharmacy and telehealth services “designed to bridge the gap in care for medically underserved individuals, specifically older adults and those with lower income in Solano County, California,” Young told us.¹

Learn more from his experience in community pharmacy and diabetes, as well as his ongoing research being conducted to boost knowledge and resources for patients and, most importantly, improve outcomes in communities.

Stay tuned for weekly podcast episodes of Over the Counter powered by Drug Topics every Thursday afternoon. Check out our most recent episode with Alyssa Mack, PharmD, who joined us during American Pharmacists Month to discuss her role in expanding clinical services at Gibbs Pharmacy and Compounding Center in Lebanon, Tennessee.

Ready to impress your pharmacy colleagues with the latest drug information, industry trends, and patient care tips? Sign up today for our free Drug Topics newsletter.

REFERENCES

Young CF, Shubrook C, Myung C, et al. Community health empowerment through clinical pharmacy: a single-arm, post-intervention-only pilot implementation evaluation. Pharmacy. 2025; 13(5):141. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmacy13050141