2021 Mississippi – Anna Ward
Anna Kathryn Ward
Public Health Pharmacist
Mississippi State Department of Health
Jackson, MS
Anna always loved the accessibility of her local, independent pharmacists, and how they always provided her and her family with the utmost care. As a child, she aspired to be able to provide that same level of care to her own community and her patients, and years later she found her opportunity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Working alongside the Health Department staff, state epidemiologist and state health officer, she has been a part of Mississippi’s fight against COVID-19, providing important information, immunizations and testing to all of its residents. She and her team have used both traditional and digital methods—everything from passing out flyers and setting up shop at churches, to publishing social media posts and sending text messages—to ensure the masses receive only the facts on a variety of topics related to the virus, the vaccines and other experimental treatments. She says the key has been staying on top of current, reliable disease data, much of which she has gleaned from her own personal experiences and patient interactions. “We are all living and learning at the same time,” Anna says.
Contact: anna.ward@msdh.ms.gov