Stedman Graham to Speak Today at Kent State University and Northeastern Ohio Universities Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy as Part of CVS Caremark Program

WOONSOCKET, R.I., March 11 /PRNewswire/ -- CVS Caremark, the largest pharmacy health care provider in the United States, is pleased to sponsor nationally known author, educator and entrepreneur Stedman Graham to speak today at Kent State University and Northeastern Ohio Universities Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy (NEOUCOM) as part of the company's commitment to increase diversity in the pharmacy profession, and help high school students take their first steps in health care careers.

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Graham will serve as the keynote speaker this afternoon at NEOUCOM's sixth annual Diversity Leadership and Awards Celebration, an event that supports diversity scholarships and recognizes outstanding individuals who have demonstrated a commitment to advancing and improving diversity within the school's Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy and Health Professions.

CVS Caremark and NEOUCOM will also hold a special event at Kent State University for more than 400 northeast Ohio high school students interested in pursuing a career in health care. At this event, Graham will discuss the importance of higher education, setting goals and overcoming adversity. Drawing from his book Diversity: Leaders not Labels, Graham will discuss how students can develop an identity and sense of self, and break out of the box that keeps them from growing to their full potential – revealing that success is truly based on results, performance and excellence.

"Stedman Graham's presence at this year's diversity luncheon brings a new level of excitement to this event. His positive message of setting high standards and overcoming adversity are certain to leave a positive mark on attendees," says Lindsey Loftus, NEOUCOM vice president for institutional advancement.

CVS Caremark has sponsored Graham's youth workshops nationwide since 2006 to help motivate high school students from diverse backgrounds to discover career paths, set high goals and achieve them.

In addition to working with Graham, CVS Caremark has partnered with America's Promise Alliance since 2000 to offer Pathways to Pharmacy, a paid summer internship program, to increase access and diversity in pharmacy careers across the nation. So far the program has reached high school students in more than 40 cities.  

"Our goal is to work with young people and to help them take a first step toward a pharmacy career," says Stephen Wing, Director of Workforce Initiatives at CVS Caremark. "Given the growing demand for pharmacy services nationwide, CVS Caremark is taking a proactive step to help educate the next generation of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians through its Pathways program."

The  Pathways to Pharmacy program began at NEOUCOM last summer, where seven students from area high schools participated in 25-hour a week paid internships that included three weeks of experience shadowing pharmacists in CVS/pharmacy stores and two weeks of instruction on NEOUCOM's Rootstown campus. The program will resume at NEOUCOM this summer.

About CVS Caremark

CVS Caremark is the largest pharmacy health care provider in the United States. Through our integrated offerings across the entire spectrum of pharmacy care, we are uniquely positioned to provide greater access, to engage plan members in behaviors that improve their health, and to lower overall health care costs for health plans, plan sponsors and their members. CVS Caremark is a market leader in mail order pharmacy, retail pharmacy, specialty pharmacy, and retail clinics, and is a leading provider of Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plans. As one of the country's largest pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs), we provide access to a network of more than 64,000 pharmacies, including approximately 7,000 CVS/pharmacy® stores that provide unparalleled service and capabilities. Our clinical expertise includes one of the industry's most comprehensive disease management programs. General information about CVS Caremark is available through the Company's Web site at http://info.cvscaremark.com.

About Northeastern Ohio Universities Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy

The Northeastern Ohio Universities Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy (NEOUCOM) is a community-based, public institution offering both a doctor of medicine (M.D.) and a doctor of pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree.

The Institution's educational partners include teaching hospitals, community pharmacies, two boards of health and four northeast Ohio public universities. Through these and other collaborative arrangements, NEOUCOM participate in the Consortium of Eastern Ohio Master of Public Health program and offers graduate-level coursework and research opportunities leading to master's and doctoral degrees in biomedical sciences and biomedical engineering. NEOUCOM is a founding member of the Austen BioInnovation Institute in Akron.

About Stedman Graham

Stedman Graham has built a strong reputation for helping corporations, organizations and individuals succeed. He is chairman and CEO of S.Graham and Associates (SGA), a Chicago-based management and marketing consulting company specializing in corporate and education markets. Some of SGA's clients include Wells Fargo, CVS Pharmacy, Merrill Lynch, the U.S. Department of Labor's Job Corps and Manpower.

Mr. Graham is the author of ten books including two New York Times bestsellers, You Can Make it Happen: A Nine-Step Plan for Success and Teens Can Make it Happen: Nine Steps to Success. In 2005 he published Who Are You? A Success Process for Building Your Life's Foundation, and in 2006 he released Diversity: Leaders not Labels - A New Plan for the 21st Century.

SOURCE CVS Caremark