About

The PILLS Academy (Promoting Innovation and Lifelong Learning in STEM) is a free two-day pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences camp for rising high school juniors and seniors, offered by the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy — the top-ranked pharmacy school in the United States — in partnership with community colleges in rural North Carolina. The program runs at two locations: Southeastern Community College in Whiteville (Columbus County) and Western Piedmont Community College in Morganton, serving students in eastern and western North Carolina respectively.

Each session runs from approximately 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. over two consecutive days, with lunch provided. Students engage in hands-on pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences activities — making hand sanitizer, DNA extraction, drug compounding, pill coating demonstrations — alongside panel discussions with pharmacists and PharmD students from the surrounding area. The 2026 Southeastern session runs June 17–18, with priority admission given to Columbus County students. Capacity is limited to 30 participants per site. Beyond the two-day camp, accepted students enter a year-long virtual mentorship program connecting them with pharmacy professionals and UNC Eshelman students throughout the academic year. The program is entirely free.

PILLS was developed specifically to reach students in rural and underserved communities who might never encounter pharmacy as a realistic career path — and to address the shortage of pharmacists in the regions where they are most needed. Students are responsible for their own transportation to the site; no housing is provided.