BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Students at Long Island University’s Arnold & Marie Schwartz College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences now have their own pharmacy on campus, thanks to a new, state-of-the-art pharmaceutical care laboratory built with funds donated by Duane Reade.

The Duane Reade Pharmaceutical Care Laboratory simulates a modern community pharmacy practice environment, according to Stephen Gross, dean emeritus of the College of Pharmacy, who secured the funds from Duane Reade. 

"It provides important knowledge and skills that will better prepare our students for the advanced practice experiences that students will get when they are placed in actual community pharmacies," Gross said in a statement.

Equipped with a computerized, fully operational prescription department, the new lab features semi-private and private counseling spaces and is being used in a variety of courses, including classes in pharmacotherapeutics and communication skills in pharmaceutical care.

A dedication ceremony for the laboratory was held earlier this spring. In addition to Gross, participants in the ceremony included Duane Reade senior vice president of pharmacy operations Frank Scorpiniti, university president David Steinberg, university vice president Jeffrey Kane, Brooklyn campus provost Gale Stevens Haynes and assistant pharmacy dean Lorraine Cicero. 

"Duane Reade has been particularly generous to the college, providing funding for this laboratory, underwriting innovative community pharmacy residency programs, and supporting many student-run events and activities," Gross added. 

The college educates nearly a quarter of the pharmacists in New York state, according to the university.