Scientists at Work: How pharmacists and community health workers build trust with Cambodian genocide survivors

Community health workers assist patients as they gather their medications and supplements to discuss them during remote visits with pharmacists. Photo courtesy of Khmer Health Associates

Wartime trauma paired with starting over in a new country make getting health care particularly challenging for immigrant refugees. Talking to a doctor or getting prescriptions filled in an unfamiliar language is hard enough. But for refugees, the physical and psychological scars of escaping war or genocide can complicate their health needs and getting them met.

I am a clinical pharmacist trained in improving medication safety and effectiveness in the outpatient setting. Starting in 2019, I was with a team of pharmacists serving Cambodian American patients in Connecticut and Rhode Island. I spent 15 months there studying the role of pharmacists and community health workers in helping disadvantaged immigrants get medications they need and learn to take them consistently and safely.