For the 12th consecutive year, a University of Florida College of Pharmacy student organization has been named the Florida Society of Health-System Pharmacists Student Chapter of the Year.
The Gainesville Student Society of Health-System Pharmacists, or SSHP, chapter earned the award for the seventh consecutive year in 2026. The Jacksonville, Orlando and St. Petersburg chapters have also won the award in recent years, contributing to the college’s 12-year streak.
The FSHP Student Chapter of the Year award recognizes outstanding achievement in membership engagement, professional leadership, career development, education, patient care and other initiatives. Chapters earn points throughout the year based on their activities and accomplishments, with the chapter earning the most points receiving the award.
The Gainesville SSHP chapter has 72 members and organized 48 events last year, giving students opportunities to explore a wide range of areas within health-system pharmacy. Pharmacists from multiple specialties, including infectious diseases, oncology, ambulatory care and informatics, contributed to the chapter’s programming.
The chapter also offered several programs focused on residency preparation and professional development, as well as shadowing opportunities with local pharmacists that allowed students to experience clinical pharmacy practice firsthand. New this year, the chapter offered members Narcan training led by UF’s emergency response team and a workshop on how to plan a journal club.
“The UF College of Pharmacy’s consistency in winning this award is a testament to the quality of our programming, the dedication of our members and the strong engagement within our chapter,” said Victoria Moltzan, a third-year student pharmacist in the UF College of Pharmacy and president of the SSHP chapter. “With UF having the highest total residency match rate in the country, it is especially important that students have a supportive space and community where they can explore different areas of pharmacy before reaching their fourth year. Our programming and our chapter provide that opportunity.”
The Florida Society of Health-System Pharmacists Student Chapter of the Year award was presented at the organization’s annual meeting in Orlando, Aug. 7-9.
Jillian McConnell elected to FSHP Board of Directors
Jillian McConnell, a fourth-year student pharmacist at the University of Florida College of Pharmacy’s Gainesville campus, has been elected as the student representative on the Florida Society of Health-System Pharmacists, or FSHP, Board of Directors. She began a one-year term on the board at the FSHP Annual Meeting in Orlando in early August.
McConnell is the past president of the Student Society of Health-System Pharmacists at the UF College of Pharmacy. During her tenure, she brought new ideas to the organization and encouraged student engagement in various activities, including attendance at the FSHP Annual Meeting.
“I want students to see the value of getting involved with FSHP and to experience the personal and professional connections that come with being part of the organization,” McConnell said. “FSHP has given me so many opportunities to grow as a student pharmacist and as a leader, and I am excited to give back to an organization that has been a constant throughout my journey in pharmacy.”
McConnell said she is eager to represent student pharmacists from across the state and make their voices heard on the board while learning from its other members.
Florida Society of Health-System Pharmacists
Scholarship Winners
Jillian McConnell, pictured right, received the Paul Magalian Student Scholarship and Kate Luong was awarded the Stuart Ulrich Student Service Scholarship.
Florida Society of Health-System Pharmacists
Gator Reception
The University of Florida College of Pharmay hosted a Gator Reception for alumni and friends at the FSHP Annual Meeting on August 7.
