Wendy Wrench

Rhodes University
Lecturer: Pharmacy Administration and Practice

Biography:
Wendy has combined her pharmacy knowledge with innovative service-learning and community service activities at Rhodes University.  She has led training workshops for Community Health Workers on HIV/AIDS among other topics.  In collaboration with a colleague, Wendy helped to create a pharmacy course addressing health promotion on important chronic condition affecting South Africans.

She is also involved in other service-learning courses.  For a pharmacy administration and practice course, students interview patients with chronic conditions in their homes.  Students offer clear explanations of the conditions, check patients’ understanding of directions and indications for use of medicines and where necessary, clarify these as well as offering advice for lifestyle changes. Another elective course offers students the opportunity to design health presentations for a national science festival.

Wendy also arranges for pharmacy students to work on the Transnet Phelophepa Health train, the world’s first Health Care Train. Services provided by the train include examinations by nurses, provision of medicines, education about basic health issues, eye examinations, dental examinations, and psychological assessments. Wendy has also initiated the use of pictograms to further aid patient understanding of medical terms.

Expertise: Service-learning in the pharmacy and health fields

Years of relevant experience: 6

Relevant Publications:
Article in subsidy earning journals/newsletters:
Catherine W Karekezi, Wendy Wrench, Lynn Quinn, Dina Belluigi, Sunitha C Srinivas, “Design, Implementation and Preliminary Evaluation of an Introductory Service-Learning Elective for Pharmacy Students”. (Journal: Education as change.
URL: http://www.ufs.ac.za/faculties/documents/12/405/service_learning/articles/Karakezi.pdf) Date published: Dec 2007

Article in communication in subsidy earning journals/newsletters:
Obesity: A Baseline Study of an Introductory Service-Learning Course for the Role of Pharmacy Students in Health Promotion. Sunitha C Srinivas, Wendy Wrench, Catherine W Karekezi, Sarah Radloff, Santy Daya . Health SA (Gesondheid)

Abstract submitted for consideration of prepared article:
Sunitha C Srinivas, Wendy Wrench, Srinivas Patnala. Service-Learning: Pharmacy Students provide Feedback on their Development and Learning. Perspectives in Education Journal.

Article in communication in non subsidy earning journals/newsletters:
Sunitha C. Srinivas, Wendy Wrench and Catherine Karekezi, “ Health Promotion: a Rhodes University Experience”. (WHO – Essential Drugs Monitor).

Presentations:
Srinivas CS, Mugore L, Wrench W, Docrat M.  Baseline study of the activities and functions of Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committees in the Makana Local Services Area. Presented at 19th Annual Conference of the SAAHIP, Wilderness, March 2005.

Wrench W, Srinivas CS, Futter WT, Mugore L. Pilot study to assess the need for a Medicine Information Centre in Grahamstown, South Africa. Presented at 19th Annual Conference of the SAAHIP, Wilderness, March 2005.

Wrench W, Srinivas CS, Futter W, Oltmann C, Mugore L. How Rhodes University’s Medicine Information Centre could benefit health care professionals and communities in the Eastern Cape. Presented at 6th Eastern Cape Health Research Conference, East London, August 2005.

Mugore L, Srinivas CS, Wrench W. An assessment of the roles of Community Health Workers in the area of HIV & AIDS in the community. Presented at 6th Eastern Cape Health Research Conference, East London, August 2005.

Wrench W, Srinivas CS. Interviewing nursing sisters to assist in the design of patient information leaflets for the correct use of inhalers. Presented at 20th Annual Conference of the SAAHIP, Wilderness, March 2006.

Wrench W, Srinivas CS.  Students’ evaluation of a service learning course. Presented at 21st Annual Conference of the SAAHIP, Drakensberg, March 2007.

Wrench W, Srinvas CS. Practice Implications of a New Service-Learning Elective for Pharmacy Students. Presented at 21st Annual Conference of the SAAHIP, Drakensberg, March 2008.
Irwin YL, Ramela T, Wrench WM. Epilepsy Education in the Grahamstown Area. Presented at 21st Annual Conference of the SAAHIP, Drakensberg, March 2008.

Srinivas SC, Wrench W. Service-Learning courses: Evaluation by Pharmacy Students.  Presented at the Pharmacology and Neuroscience Congress, Grahamstown, October 2008. 

Sunitha C Srinivas, Wendy Wrench, Srinivas Patnala. Service-Learning: Pharmacy Students provide Feedback on their Development and Learning. Presented at HESS Conference, Grahamstown, December 2008.

Wrench WM, Dowse R, Srinivas CS. Patient Knowledge of Asthma and Use of Metered Dose Inhalers in a Primary Health Care Clinic in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. To be presented at 22nd Annual Conference of the SAAHIP, Drakensberg, April 2009.

Irwin YL, Wrench WM, Dowse R. The need for information about Epilepsy in the Eastern Cape. To be presented at 22nd Annual Conference of the SAAHIP, Drakensberg, April 2009.

Contact Information:
E-mail: w.wrench@ru.ac.za
Telephone: +27466038395