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Brittany Jennings
October 7, 2020



Aliyah Cruz, Pharm.D. candidate.

Third year UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy student Aliyah Cruz said she aims to foster health equity and limit the gaps that promote health disparities.

On the path to doing so, Cruz will serve as the 2021-22 president-elect of the Student National Pharmaceutical Association (SNPhA), where she hopes to inspire other students to spark positive change in their local communities.

“It is an amazing honor to be elected into the role of SNPhA national president-elect by my peers across the country,” Cruz said.

Promoting positive change

SNPhA is an educational service association of pharmacy students focused on pharmacy, health care issues, and minority representation in the field of pharmacy. The purpose of SNPhA is to plan, organize and coordinate programs to improve health, education and social environments of minority communities.

SNPhA also aims to offer students opportunities to develop leadership and professional skills; promote active participation in national health care issues; heighten the role of minority health care professionals as vital members of health care teams; and educate communities on better health practices, according to the SNPhA website.

“To know that I can continue to serve this organization for the next two years is humbling and I am excited to get to work alongside the new board,” Cruz said.

Cruz participated in the UNC-CH SNPhA chapter her first year and from there, served on the national level as chair of the National Fighting Diabetes committee.

“Aliyah is a dedicated member of SNPhA, committed to serving the underserved. I am ecstatic that she was elected by her peers to serve as National President,” said Jessica Greene, Pharm.D., UNC-SNPhA chapter co-advisor. “This is a testament to both Aliyah’s leadership skills and the Chapter’s nationally recognized hard work.”

Greene said Cruz is the second student from the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy to be elected for the president’s position in the past three years.

Serving the underserved

Aliyah Cruz (right), said, “I quickly fell in love with SNPhA as two of the core values resonated strongly with me: to give back to the underserved and to promote minority representation in pharmacy.” | Photo courtesy of Aliyah Cruz.

Michael Jay, Ph.D., UNC-SNPhA chapter co-advisor added, “The UNC chapter of SNPhA has had a long history of excellent leadership and dedication to purpose, and Aliyah is continuing this admirable record… The UNC flag will be waiving high at the national SNPhA meeting when Aliyah is installed as president.”

Cruz said she joined SNPhA upon entering pharmacy school because two of the organization’s core values resonated with her: giving back to underserved populations and promoting minority representation in the field of pharmacy.

“Growing up as an ethnically ambiguous female with Dominican and Ecuadorian roots in a predominately white, southern and rural town, I learned firsthand how to bridge gaps and communicate effectively with those who hold different points of view,” Cruz said. “These experiences allowed me to become empathetic as a person and future health professional and to grow in my understanding of backgrounds that differ from my own.”

As president-elect, Cruz said she hopes to provide opportunities for students to build advocacy skills and enhance students’ knowledge of health disparities so they can better support the communities they will be serving.

A look ahead

As for her future, Cruz said she is considering pursing a residency in Health System Pharmacy Administration and Leadership (HSPAL).

“I want to continue to serve patients in any way possible, but I am passionate about making change at the institutional level,” Cruz said. “I hope to develop and refine programs that help serve lower income populations and increase access to healthcare for all.”

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