College of Pharmacy alumnus Pat Keefe, ’69 BSPh, and third-year student Jake Meyer recently completed a summer mission trip providing patient care to the community of Kabingo, Uganda. The project, Hope for Kabingo, enlists volunteers from a diverse array of backgrounds to provide necessary medical care to individuals in rural Uganda suffering from relentless poverty. Approximately 2,400 individuals were treated throughout the trip with over 5,000 prescriptions filled.

The Keefes have pledged $50,000 to establish the Patrick and Susan Keefe Service-Learning Scholarship for UI pharmacy students who volunteer to work with underserved populations, especially on international trips. Generous donors to the college for more than a decade, the Keefes earlier established the Patrick E. Keefe Professorship in Pharmacy; Barry Carter, ’78 BSPh, PharmD, professor of pharmacy practice and science, was the inaugural recipient in 2011.

“Pharmacy is an altruistic profession, and while we carry that every day in our practice we need to expand our vision and seek out places where we can help people who are less fortunate,” Keefe says.

Hope for Kabingo has sought to offer education, healthcare and disease prevention to the community of Kabingo since 2007. Comprised of a dedicated volunteer network, the organization unites with the people of Uganda to combat the extreme poverty of the area while working towards a better future for generations to come. For more information on becoming involved with Hope For Kabingo, please visit their website.