Student National Pharmaceutical Association, or SNPhA, members from the UF College of Pharmacy’s Gainesville and Orlando chapters joined forces in November to compete in the second annual LEAP at Lilly Business Competition. The “NICE Gators” team — consisting of Gainesville students Tychell Branchcomb, Stephen Nagib and Kayla Smith and Orlando student Jahnii Bell — received recognition as the second runner-up.
LEAP, which stands for “leverage, engage and advance pharmacists,” is a collaboration between SNPhA and Eli Lilly and Company. The competition gives student pharmacists an opportunity to apply their clinical knowledge and experience to address real-world pharmaceutical industry business challenges.
The UF team submitted a business proposal and created a presentation for Eli Lilly representatives on how pharmacists can better serve the Type 2 diabetes population with Eli Lilly products. Their proposal — NICE, or New Industrial Community Engagement — aims to reach underserved minority populations in the community, with a three-step system:
- A data mapping team would perform income analysis and diabetes prevalence estimation
- A community health liaison would work with providers to improve patient outcomes with Eli Lilly’s diabetes medications
- An engagement solutions team would work closely with the clinical development team to increase minority representation in clinical trials and research studies
Overall, their proposal aimed to increase treatment, awareness and improve outcomes for minority patients with diabetes.
“This competition allowed us to delve deep into the structure of Eli Lilly and implement a business plan that fits into the company’s mission and goals while also serving underrepresented minority populations,” Nagib said. “The competition allowed us to grow by giving us the opportunity to think macroscopically about ways to implement meaningful change and to utilize the valuable resources that Eli Lilly has to offer.”