FLINT, Mich., Nov. 24, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Diplomat Pharmacy, Inc. (NYSE: DPLO), the nation's largest independent specialty pharmacy, is now accepting applications for its 2015 Fellowship for Social Impact program. The company is seeking social innovators with the talent, drive and potential to create change in the Flint community and beyond. Due to the success of last year's inaugural cohort, the program capacity has been doubled to 20 fellows.

"The entire experience was unbelievable for me," said Tyler Lowe, a 2014 Diplomat Fellow. "It changed my life–and I think it did for the others as well." Lowe's project evaluated proposed solutions to improve medication adherence for children living with sickle cell anemia. He continues his work by serving as an advocate with the Sickle Cell Disease Association of Michigan.

"We couldn't be more proud of the benchmark the 2014 class of Diplomat Fellows has set for this program," said Steve Wolbert, director of community affairs and government relations at Diplomat. "We believed that we had created a great model for the fellowship, but we have been blown away by the impact the program had on the students as well as on our community. One of the differentiators of our program is the tremendous support Diplomat and the fellows have received from the Flint community."

The 12-week fellowship brings participants to Flint, Michigan where they learn from community leaders, participate in service-learning projects and implement social impact projects. The innovative program provides fellows with a truly immersive urban experience, including the provision of housing in vibrant, revitalized downtown Flint. The fellowship is a full-time program that will run from June 1–Aug. 14, 2015.

Candidates must be one of the following:

• Current undergraduate student
• Current graduate student
• Graduated from college within six months of beginning the fellowship

Additionally, all applicants must submit a proposal for a project that addresses a concern or challenge found in urban communities.

Fellows from the 2014 cohort came to Flint from universities across the country including Harvard, Columbia and Boise State University in addition to in-state institutions Michigan State University, Ferris State University, Central Michigan University and the University of Michigan. 2014 projects included:

• Medication adherence in urban settings, focused on sickle cell anemia
• "Tiny Houses" as a means to resolve chronic homelessness
• Crowdfunding for Flint-based projects
• Support to expand heroism-based curriculum in Flint schools
• Establishment of a Michigan Gay-Straight Alliance network
• Plans to expand a community-based running program for the Crim, a road race held annually in Flint

Full application requirements and additional information is available at www.diplomat.is/diplomat-fellowship-for-social-impact. Questions about the application or the program should be directed to fellows@diplomat.is. Completed applications must be received by March 1, 2015. 

To learn more, visit diplomat.is.

About Diplomat
Diplomat (NYSE: DPLO) serves patients and physicians in all 50 states. Headquartered in Flint, Michigan, the company focuses on medication management programs for people with complex chronic diseases, including oncology, immunology, hepatitis, multiple sclerosis, HIV, specialized infusion therapy and many other serious or long-term conditions. Diplomat opened its doors in 1975 as a neighborhood pharmacy with one essential tenet: "Take good care of patients, and the rest falls into place." Today, that tradition continues – always focused on improving patient care and clinical adherence. For more information visit www.diplomat.is. Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn and like us on Facebook.

CONTACT:
Abigail Bearman, Diplomat
810.768.9563 | abearman@diplomat.is

Steve Wolbert, Diplomat
810.768.9313 | swolbert@diplomat.is

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SOURCE Diplomat Pharmacy, Inc.