The Orlando chapter of the University of Florida College of Pharmacy Industry Pharmacists Organization, or IPhO, was recently recognized as one of the top two student chapters nationally for the 2025-26 academic year at the IPhO Annual Meeting.
“I hope this recognition sets a new standard for what our Orlando chapter knows it can accomplish,” said Amy Le, a fourth-year student pharmacist in the UF College of Pharmacy and immediate past president of the IPhO Orlando chapter. “One of my biggest goals as president was not just to have a successful year, but to create initiatives and opportunities that could continue after I graduate.”
The national IPhO team evaluates chapters across several areas, including membership recruitment, professional development programming, fundraising, community service and participation in the VIP Case Competition. Along with this, the chapters complete a Recognition of Chapter Annual Program, or ReCAP, at the end of each academic year which gives an opportunity for them to reflect on everything they have accomplished. These materials give the national IPhO team a comprehensive picture of each chapter’s engagement, growth and impact throughout the year and determine the final rankings.
“I think the culture of the Orlando campus has played a huge role in our chapter’s success,” Le said. “Our student organizations are very supportive of one another, and students consistently show up for our programming. Ultimately, I think our success comes from combining that supportive environment with an executive board that is genuinely motivated to make IPhO better.”
This is the second prominent achievement for the Orlando chapter in 2026. In April, they earned runner-up honors in the Value of Industry Pharmacists, or VIP, Case Competition out of 72 participating teams.
“Our Orlando chapter was established in 2018 and has historically been a smaller organization, so seeing us receive two national recognitions in the same year was more than I expected,” Le said. “It’s really fulfilling to see the work our executive board and I put into the chapter has made an impact, and I’m proud that we were able to bring that recognition back to UF.”
The executive board of the Orlando chapter from the 2025-26 term includes Le (immediate past president and director of philanthropy), Feha Shahalam (vice president), Conner Booker (president-elect), Nuona Li (director of professional programming), Koralene Pearce (director of social media and marketing), Jordan McIntire (director of communications) and Aaliyah Ali (director of finances).
“Each person brought something different to our team, and I’m grateful to everyone who helped bring the goals I had for my presidency and our shared vision for the chapter to life,” Le said. “I also want to thank our faculty advisor, Dr. Tyler Bui, for supporting us at our events and always having an open door when we needed guidance.”