VCU Pharmacy Resident Earns Special Fulbright-Strathclyde Research Award

By Cassie Williams Jones

Jordan Covvey, a PGY1 pharmacy practice resident with the VCU Health System, has been named a 2011-12 Fulbright Scholar. In addition, Covvey received the Fulbright-Strathclyde Research Award, which will allow her to pursue her Ph.D. at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland.

Unlike most Fulbright scholars, who are awarded one-year grants, Covvey received the only Faculty of Science Fulbright, co-sponsored by the Strathclyde Institute, providing her an additional three years of study and research in Scotland. This is the inaugural year of the special grant.

Covvey traveled to Scotland years ago during her time as a student at the University of Kentucky on a trip that inspired her selection of the country for her research.

“You never know which decisions will change the rest of your life,” said Covvey. “I made the decision to go to Scotland years ago, and I had no clue that would change my career, and the rest of my life.”

Covvey’s research will compare similar populations of Kentucky and Scotland by analyzing data sets for both populations and determining the differences in health care delivery and cost-effectiveness. She will move to Scotland in September, upon completing her work at VCU this summer. She hopes this will be an opportunity for her, and her research counterparts, to learn from one another.

The Fulbright Program, America’s flagship international educational exchange program, is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Recipients of Fulbright awards are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields.