When she was a student in the College of Pharmacy, Stephanie Zampino, Pharm.D. (’18), was excited to get her first chance to practice at the Student-Run Free Clinic, then in its early stages. She liked the interprofessional setting, where she worked alongside medicine students to provide education and optimize medications for patients.

Dr. Zampino notes, “I remember in one of my first patient encounters in the clinic, there was a patient who had not been able to receive their medications for months, due to losing their health insurance. The patient was extremely appreciative of the clinic and felt they understood their medications better after our comprehensive medication review.”

On Board from the Beginning

The pharmacist was on board as a volunteer when the free clinic launched officially in September 2016 as a place where people in Portage County who are underinsured and uninsured can obtain care from the interprofessional team.

And after graduating from the College of Pharmacy in 2018, Dr. Zampino remained a loyal volunteer. Today, she serves as one of the faculty advisors to pharmacy students in leadership positions within the clinic. She also volunteers as a pharmacist preceptor several times throughout the year.

This is all on top of her work as an assistant professor of pharmacy practice at NEOMED and operating in a shared faculty role between NEOMED and Summa Health in Akron. At Summa, she is a clinical lead pharmacist practicing in internal medicine and transitions of care.

Pharmacist of the Year

For Dr. Zampino’s stellar performance, the Charitable Healthcare Network has named her the 2022 Free Clinic Pharmacist of the Year. She will be honored along with two colleagues from the free clinic – Mariquita  Belen, M.D., Physician of the Year, and Janet Raber, Staff of the Year – at  an awards ceremony during the 2021 Safety-Net Symposium Friday, April 29, in Columbus, Ohio.

“Volunteering within the free clinic has been extremely rewarding because it provides the opportunity to reduce barriers to care that so many of our patients experience,” says Dr. Zampino.

“As a faculty member, it is exciting to see how much the clinic has grown in its outreach to the community,” she says, adding, “I am honored to be part of such a talented team.”