Chapman students on frontlines of vaccine distribution

Former and current Chapman students have volunteered to aid vaccination clinics. From left to right: Shannon Ren (2019 alumna), Michael Tran (2020 alumnus), Michelle Guerrero (Class of 2021) and Jamie Sison (Class of 2022). Photos courtesy of Gary Fong, Chapman University assistant professor of pharmacy practice

Many members of the Chapman community are trying to individually ward off COVID-19 by simply staying home, wearing a mask and washing their hands frequently. Yet a group of Chapman’s School of Pharmacy students, alumni and faculty are battling the global pandemic on its frontlines, tirelessly working to vaccinate as many people as quickly as possible.

Gary Fong, Amy Kang and Viet-Huong Nguyen, all Chapman assistant professors of pharmacy practice, organized a vaccination clinic at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, where all three professors currently work. According to Fong, beginning Dec. 2020, the site has seen about 20 to 25 Chapman students and alumni volunteers work to distribute COVID-19 vaccines. Eight to 10 Chapman pharmacy students are currently aiding that cause.

Fong said he was appreciative and proud of those students, who continuously volunteer almost every day. Most volunteers are not paid and have given up weekends and holidays to provide a vital role in support staff. 

“These students are doing this out of the goodness of their own heart, and they want to help people get better,” Fong said.

David Tran, a third-year graduate pharmacy student, is one of nine Chapman students who are currently working at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center to help distribute the COVID-19 vaccine. Tran is tasked with a crucial part of the vaccine administration process: making sure the vaccines are delivered to the nurses within a 30-minute time frame before they expire.

While the physical administration of the vaccines is important, the planning and coordination that takes place prior is what prevents vaccines from being wasted. Tran tells The Panther that one of his key duties is to assess when the pharmacy technicians need to create more or less of the vaccine syringes depending on how many people are in line. It’s not possible to prepare all the doses at once, as the Pfizer vaccines need to remain stored in ultra low temperature freezers at negative 80 degrees Celsius and must be used within 30 minutes once they are drawn up in a syringe. 

Jennie Ung, the Pharmacy Services director at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, told The Panther that student volunteers ensure vaccines are distributed in a timely manner. The vaccines are first assembled by pharmacy technicians, and once the pharmacist checks the vaccine, the students will transport them to the vaccinator. Ung said 9,000 doses have been distributed since the start of the clinic and between 200 to 600 vaccines are administered per day.

“A lot of people might not think the distribution process (is) important, but being able to manage the workflow prevents vaccine waste,” Tran said. “It all matters at the end … If you are a small cog in the engine, you need that cog for the engine to work.” 

Amy Kang, one of the Chapman faculty members who worked alongside Gary Fong and Viet-Huong Nguyen to organize a vaccination clinic at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center.

Aside from the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, pharmacy students are also able to work at mass vaccination sites like Disneyland, Soka University, nursing homes and various Los Angeles County hospitals to help administer the vaccines. 

Samantha Soriano, a second-year Chapman graduate pharmacy student, has administered vaccines at various locations in Southern California including Crystal Cove Care Center in Newport Beach, Emanate Health Queen of the Valley Hospital in West Covina and Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center in Downey. Soriano feels humbled to be able to “give back” to the public by vaccinating the elderly and frontline healthcare workers, she said. 

“A lot of the people that we are vaccinating right now are 65 and older (or) nurses and doctors who have been tirelessly working,” Soriano said. “You just see they're so excited … I'm grateful to be able to share that kind of moment (with them).”

Soriano specifically switched out her elective rotation to focus on immunization clinics for the next three months, to assist with the statewide effort to speed up the rate at which people are being vaccinated. 

Similarly, Christina Nguyen, a second-year Chapman graduate pharmacy student, has volunteered at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton, California, and Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, California. Nguyen told The Panther that the stories she has heard from patients about what the vaccine means to them is one of the most fulfilling aspects of the job. 

On Feb. 14, Chapman pharmacy and physician assistant students volunteered at the Disneyland mass vaccination site. According to Jeff Goad, chair of Chapman’s Pharmacy Practice department, the university had its own station and was able to give out roughly 1000 to 1200 shots.

“The (students’) resiliency and dedication to serving the population here in Orange County is pretty remarkable,” Goad said.