The University of Florida College of Pharmacy’s Gainesville chapter earned the Florida Society of Health-System Pharmacists, or FSHP, Student Chapter of the Year award for the sixth straight year. The honor was presented at the FSHP Annual Meeting, held in Orlando from Aug. 8-10.
Awarded annually, the FSHP Student Chapter of the Year award recognizes a student organization for exceptional accomplishments in membership activities, professional leadership, career development, education and patient care efforts, among other initiatives. Winners are determined through a yearlong, point-based scoring process that tracks chapter activities in these areas.
The Gainesville chapter of the Student Society of Health-System Pharmacists, or SSHP, consists of more than 120 members. During the previous academic year, they organized a wide range of events, including a residency forum, legislative days and a mentor night. These activities are designed to educate the membership and help them explore many different pathways within clinical pharmacy.
An initiative introduced this year also contributed to the FSHP award. The chapter hosted “Know Your Blood Type,” an event where pharmacy students learned about the importance of blood donation and used self-test kits to determine their blood type. The students also received guidance on understanding their results and how they relate to blood donation compatibility.
“This award honors the hard work and dedication of our executive board, chairs and members who continually contribute to the success of our organization,” said Jillian McConnell, president of the Gainesville chapter of the Student Society of Health-System Pharmacists. “We are thrilled to be recognized by the FSHP and to help extend the UF College of Pharmacy’s remarkable legacy in winning this award.”
The latest award contributes to an 11-year run of UF College of Pharmacy chapters capturing FSHP’s top student recognition. The Gainesville chapter previously won in 2015, and from 2020 to 2025, while the UF College of Pharmacy’s other recent campus winners included St. Petersburg (2016 and 2017), Jacksonville (2018) and Orlando (2019).