Gainesville chapter wins FSHP Student Society of the Year

For the sixth consecutive year, one of the University of Florida College of Pharmacy’s campuses has won the Florida Society of Health-System Pharmacists Student Society of the Year award. The 2019-2020 award goes to the Gainesville campus chapter. The award is given annually to the society that demonstrates outstanding achievements in FSHP membership activities, individual professional leadership, career development, patient care activities and more.

Board members and chairs of Gainesville's SSHP pose on a staircase for a group photo
Gainesville FSHP chapter’s executive board members and chairs. (This picture was taken prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.)

The 172 members of Gainesville’s Student Society of Health-System Pharmacy, or SSHP, maintained a jam-packed calendar of high-quality events throughout the last academic year. For career development, they hosted an annual residency forum, internship forum and several working lunches with pharmacists of various backgrounds — including veterinary pharmacists. The chapter additionally organized a professional development project focused on medication reconciliation. Student members provided medication reconciliation services to UF Health Shands Hospital’s high-risk patients five days a week.

Additionally, the SSHP chapter supported two community outreach projects: Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Light the Night and American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life. The chapter raises money for Light the Night every year by selling T-shirts to students and through personal donations. Due to COVID-19, Relay for Life was held online this year, however the chapter was still able to raise money for the American Cancer Society.

“I am incredibly proud of our 2019-2020 officers and chairs,” said Victoria Grusauskas, a third-year Pharm.D. student and Gainesville SSHP Chapter president. “Over the past year, our Gainesville SSHP Chapter has come together in a time of uncertainty, emerging as leaders to help promote the advancement of pharmacy practice. Being awarded Student Society of the Year shows the resiliency and dedication of our members as we continue to push forward to help our community.”