Pharmacy students present addiction module at Kennebunk High School

Kimberly Mulcahy, Elenna Kuhn, and Rachel Foster, all students in the College of Pharmacy (COP), recently participated in a community outreach event at Kennebunk High School at which they presented an addiction module to anatomy, chemistry and biology students in grades ten through twelve.

COP and the Center for Excellence in the Neurosciences (CEN) collaborated on the event.  The model, pictured at right, displayed a water-wheel, representing the dopamine supply, and a light strip, representing the brain’s reward pathway.  The presentation of the module incorporated real life issues that many high school students may face, such as peer pressure and alcohol and drug use.

Mulcahy, Kuhn and Foster presented six 25 minute blocks of instruction time to approximately 20 students in each session.