The University of Iowa is expanding a program administering flu shots during home men’s and women’s basketball games to increase vaccine use in the community.
The College of Pharmacy announced on April 27 it had been awarded a $20,000 award from the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, or NACDS, Foundation to expand the Healthy Hawks: One Team, One Goal program.
The program comes as vaccines are being administered less in Iowa following the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Healthy Hawks program was recognized following a successful pilot at an Iowa women’s basketball game in November.
Jill Kolesar, the dean of the UI College of Pharmacy, said she was grateful for the college receiving an award, of which there were only six recipients nationwide for 2026.
“I am thrilled to receive this award from NACDS. It’s going to help us expand our program, and I’m very excited to continue to work with our faculty and students to enhance our efforts,” she said.
Nicole Brogden, the associate dean of faculty for the UI College of Pharmacy, said the Healthy Hawks program members administered 40 vaccines within 90 minutes prior to the game’s start. Fans receiving their flu vaccines ranged from 19 to 81 years old.
“That was our first ever attempt at this kind of collaboration, and that pilot went extremely well. We got really positive feedback,” she said. “The people that came in to get their vaccine were naturally excited about it. They didn’t have to schedule something separate.”
The newly awarded funds will be used to expand the program, including marketing and advertisements to increase awareness with the help of UI Athletics.
Through the award, the program also hopes to expand the number of game clinics and aims to administer flu vaccines at UI basketball games for the 2026-27 flu season, which generally runs from September to February.
“The pharmacist has traditionally been the most accessible healthcare provider,” Brogden said. So we’re excited to continue to build on that and have people see us out in the community as well, not just in more traditional vaccine clinics.”
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Brogden said she hopes the program will bring about a sense of community between fans and pharmacists, leading to vaccine acceptance and an uptick in the community.
“Athletic events are pretty energizing environments, and that’s fun for us as well, not just the patients,” she said. “We are hoping to give patients a more laid back, fun environment to interact with their pharmacists and get their vaccine.”
The Healthy Hawk program also provides experience for UI pharmacy students. Brogden said in the November pilot and beyond, pharmacy students help set up the clinic and administer and document vaccines.
“They’re going to be involved in every aspect of the vaccine process,” she said. “We really view this as a fun learning experience for them.”
Matt Henderson, the deputy director of athletics for external relations, said UI athletics was excited when approached for the partnership.
“We’re always looking to find partnerships within the institution, and especially ones that have an impact on the public as flu shots do,” he said. “We were just really grateful to the College of Pharmacy for partnering in it.”
Henderson said the pilot showcased the community’s desire for increased access to flu shots.
“It made it very easy for them,” he said. “They were coming to a game and to partake in getting the flu shot. From that standpoint, it showed that this can be successful.”
Kolesar said the program’s pharmacy student involvement is directly aligned with the College of Pharmacy’s mission to educate pharmacists and improve the health of Iowans.
“This demonstrates that pharmacists and pharmacy students are the go-to people for providing these preventative health services,” she said. “We’re really excited to be the people who are able to bring this to the community.”