April 16, 2021
Before COVID-19 forced millions into lockdown and caused students and educators to rethink the classroom, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy Student Senate President Christopher Parish rushed to connect with other student pharmacy leaders, knowing each would need support during the pandemic.
The monthly collaboration, called the Pharmacy Student Leaders Network (PSLN), started in June 2020 and has been held every month since. Universities represented include UNC; University of Michigan; University of Illinois at Chicago; the University of California, San Francisco; University of Florida; Auburn University; Purdue University; and the University of Kentucky.
“Once COVID became part of our reality, we primarily used the group to triage concerns and brainstorm how we could lead our respective student bodies during the pandemic,” Parish said, Pharm.D. candidate of the Class of 2022.
The group has covered a range of topics, including COVID-19 protocols across university campuses, types of events being held by schools of pharmacy, the impacts of transitioning to remote learning, optimizing the student experience while learning virtually (especially for first-year students), among other issues.
About the network of students, Richard Ishimaru, Pharm.D. candidate from the University of California, San Francisco said, “PSLN has been a supporting, expanding, and rejuvenating experience that I am beyond grateful to have been part of. Through isolation from my own schoolmates and cohort, I was able to connect to incredible student leaders from across the country. I was able to share my varying experiences with others that were similarly navigating the haze of pandemic uncertainty and their guidance helped me hold and refine my course in representing a student body.”
Shukri Ideis, student senate president and third year Pharm.D. student from the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Pharmacy added, “From this partnership, I have benefited from getting insight from like-minded folks who have the same goals for our student body and our profession. It is great to see innovation and enthusiasm all in one (zoom) room. I want to see a network among us leaders that can draw on each other for help. I hope with this new network we are able to experiment with new ideas and create new epiphanies.”
To date, Parish said the group’s greatest accomplishment is coming up with a solution to successfully hold safe events during the global pandemic, which for UNC included Dose De-Centralized, an outdoor gathering that enabled UNC Eshelman students to meet in socially distanced small groups during a hectic portion of the semester.
Beyond COVID-19, Parish said the group focuses on student wellness and optimizing the student experience.
As for the future of the group, Parish adds, “I have high hopes for the future of this group! We have already been discussing how to best pass this down to the next group of student leaders as we transition out of our respective positions in the coming months. My hope is that it would slowly expand to include additional schools without losing the camaraderie within the group.”
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