The UF College of Pharmacy won myriad awards and recognitions at the American Pharmacists Association, or APhA, Annual Meeting & Exposition in Nashville March 16–19. Pharm.D. students received national appointments and scholarships and the college as a whole was recognized at the conference’s awards ceremony.
Two UF Pharm.D. students appointed to APhA-ASP National Standing Committees
Third-year Pharm.D. students Shannon Stittsworth and Douglas Tam were inducted into National Standing Committees of the APhA Academy of Student Pharmacists, or ASP.
Stittsworth, a student at the Jacksonville campus, is the chair of the Member Engagement Standing Committee. Tam, a student at the Gainesville campus, is a member of the Communications Standing Committee.
A total of four students serve in each of the organization’s five standing committees: awards, communications, international, member engagement and policy. Stittsworth and Tam are two of among 20 high-performing pharmacy students from across the nation to serve on these committees. Both will serve in their positions until March 2019.
As chair of the member engagement committee, Stittsworth will evaluate and address the needs of student pharmacist members to support their growth and professional development. “My goal is to not only increase overall membership in APhA-ASP, but increase member engagement at all chapters,” she said. “I want to make sure every single student pharmacist member takes full advantage of their membership, allowing them to find their purpose in the organization by embracing their calling. Lastly, 2019 is the 50th anniversary of APhA-ASP, so I’m determined to work with my team to create something special for all of us in celebration of this special year.”
As a member of the communications committee, Tam will facilitate, monitor and develop the academy’s social media presence, as well as review and contribute to its print publications. “This honor is an exciting advancement in my academic and professional pursuits — a culmination of the impacts that the pharmacy community here within our program at UF and also within APhA-ASP has had on my growth as both a leader and friend,” he said. “I am excited to be a part of a team that represents the voice of student pharmacists across the nation.”
Stittsworth receives APhA-ASP Student Leadership Award
Stittsworth additionally received one of four Student Leadership Awards. The award recognizes outstanding academic achievement and leadership ability in APhA-ASP at the local, regional and national levels of students entering their last year of pharmacy school. The awards are endowed by Procter & Gamble. Stittsworth received the $500 scholarship and plaque at the annual meeting’s award ceremony.
“It’s hard to express how much this award means to me, because before pharmacy school, I would never have called myself a leader. But what I’ve learned throughout my time in school and in APhA-ASP is that we are all leaders,” she said. “Leadership isn’t holding a title or position, but it’s how you act on a day-to-day basis and how you lift the people around you up. I was nominated for this award by people that I look up to. Knowing that they believe in me empowers me to use my passion to inspire the next generation of student leaders.”
Other awards
The college received the following recognitions for the 2016–2017 academic year: An OTC Medication Safety award for a patient care project; A Division A First Runner-Up award for the APhA-ASP student chapter; and an honorable mention for finishing third place in the Back the PAC Challenge.
View all photos from the event.