Online PharmD pathway opens new doors for aspiring pharmacists across the country
Innovative pathway draws nearly 60% of incoming pharmacy students in its second year, expanding access to a Lipscomb education across the country and beyond.
Kim Chaudoin |
For Kaleb Bellew, the journey to becoming a pharmacist began years ago at a neighborhood pharmacy on the island of St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Now, thanks to an innovative online Doctor of Pharmacy pathway at Lipscomb University, he is pursuing his dream of becoming a pharmacist while continuing to live and work in the community he calls home.
Bellew is among the newest student pharmacists in Lipscomb's College of Pharmacy, which is celebrating significant growth in its online PharmD pathway just one year after welcoming its inaugural cohort in fall 2025. He made his first visit to Nashville in August to participate in orientation and the traditional white coat ceremony for the Class of 2030.
This fall, 59% of the college's incoming PharmD class enrolled in the online pathway, demonstrating growing interest in the flexible learning option. The new class represents 19 states, stretching from California to New York, as well as Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Fifty-eight percent of the incoming students are from outside Tennessee.
Launched in August 2025, Lipscomb's online pathway is one of only 16 in the nation and the second in Tennessee. It combines synchronous and asynchronous online coursework with in-person laboratory experiences and experiential learning opportunities, allowing students to receive the same rigorous pharmacy education offered through the university's traditional on-campus program while providing greater flexibility in where they live and work.
For students like Bellew, that flexibility is opening doors to new educational and professional opportunities without requiring them to leave behind the communities they hope to serve.
Kaleb Bellew, from St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, is pursuing his Pharm.D. through Lipscomb's online pathway.
A familiar pharmacy, a new opportunity
For Bellew, pharmacy has long been part of his life. He began working at The Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy in his native St. Thomas and owned by his godparents, while still in high school, initially helping with over-the-counter products and other responsibilities before gaining more experience in pharmacy operations. His aunt is also a pharmacist.
After pursuing medical studies for a time, Bellew returned to St. Thomas and to The Medicine Shoppe. And that’s when his Lipscomb story began when he met Kelly Edens, a 2018 College of Pharmacy graduate who serves as the pharmacy’s manager.
Edens encouraged Bellew to consider pharmacy school and told him about Lipscomb's new online pathway.
"I like being home, but I also wanted to continue pursuing higher education,” recalled Bellew. “I’ve been familiar with pharmacy for most of my life and I really like working in the pharmacy.”
With encouragement from Edens, his family and other pharmacists in his community, Bellew decided to apply to Lipscomb.
“Lipscomb University not only gave me the clinical knowledge I need to be a pharmacist but they helped me develop the leadership, communication and real-world problem-solving skills that are required of me as a pharmacy manager, and I knew it would be place that would prepare Kaleb at the highest level for a career in pharmacy,” said Edens.
The connection became even more meaningful when College of Pharmacy Dean Tom Campbell called him following his admissions interview and mentioned that one of the college's graduates worked in the Virgin Islands.
That graduate was Edens, who happened to be standing beside Bellew at the pharmacy at the time.
"We're so far away from Nashville, Tennessee, and it was incredible that Dean Campbell mentioned the alum and she was standing right here next to me,” he said. “I put him on speaker phone and they had a great conversation. I could see from that the strong support system that students have in Lipscomb’s College of Pharmacy. I could tell it was a close-knit community and the relationships that are formed and I thought it was really cool.”
“After that, I didn’t want to apply to any other schools,” said Bellew. “Lipscomb was the place I wanted to attend. I knew this was where God wanted me to be.”
Today, Bellew is pursuing his PharmD online while continuing to work as a pharmacy technician in the community where he grew up. He hopes to eventually practice as a pharmacist and serve the people of St. Thomas.
Edens believes the online pathway creates opportunities that extend beyond Bellew's education to the broader community.
"Managing a pharmacy in the Caribbean comes with added difficulties such as limited access to healthcare resources and providers and difficulties with finding and retaining pharmacy techs," explained Edens. "Lipscomb's online program has allowed us to start bridging these gaps in our community."
"By working in the community he plans on staying in long term, he is able to start building connections that will better support him when he is working as a pharmacist," she continued. "He is also able to spend as much time with the community he grew up in and have their support. We are all excited about Kaleb's future."
For Bellew, Lipscomb's Christ-centered mission was another important factor in his decision.
"That was one of the big things for me, too, because that's a really big part of what I do and what I am," he said of his faith. "Being able to have that representation and that integration in the curriculum is really neat for me."
Although he hopes to spend part of his pharmacy education in Nashville to explore additional clinical and professional opportunities, Bellew said the online option has provided an ideal way to begin his studies while maintaining ties to home.
"I think this is a really convenient option, really good opportunity," he said. "I thought it was the best thing I could take advantage of."
College of Pharmacy Dean Tom Campbell, standing, talking to student pharmacists in Lipscomb's Burton Health Sciences Center.
Expanding access, building community
Bellew's experience reflects the vision behind Lipscomb's decision to expand its PharmD program beyond the traditional classroom, making a Lipscomb pharmacy education accessible to students regardless of where they live.
“Our online PharmD pathway allows students from across the country to access the same rigorous, high-quality education we've delivered for years, while offering the flexibility to meet their unique needs,” said Campbell. “To see nearly 60% of this year's incoming class choose the online pathway, just one year after its launch, is especially exciting. It demonstrates the demand for innovative approaches to pharmacy education and the opportunities we have to prepare future pharmacists who will make a difference in communities across the country and beyond.”
The pathway combines the convenience of online coursework with in-person learning experiences on Lipscomb's Nashville campus, including laboratory sessions and hands-on skills training. Students also participate in pharmacy practice experiences that connect their academic studies with real-world patient care.
Beyond academic instruction, the college emphasizes building relationships among students and faculty, regardless of where they live.
That sense of community was already taking shape when Bellew traveled to Nashville in August for orientation and the college's white coat ceremony. There, he connected with classmates from across the country and began building relationships that will continue throughout his pharmacy education.
For Bellew, the experience reinforced the sense of belonging he first encountered through Edens and his conversations with Lipscomb faculty. Although he will complete much of his coursework from St. Thomas, he is already part of a close-knit community of future pharmacists who share his passion for serving others.
As he continues his studies, Bellew represents the possibilities that Lipscomb's online PharmD pathway is creating for students who want to pursue their professional dreams while remaining connected to the people and places that matter most to them.