April 10, 2015
Student representatives from the Carolina Association of Pharmacy Students at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy returned from the American Pharmacists Association Annual Meeting and Exposition in San Diego, California, March 27–30 with three awards for pharmacy excellence. CAPS is the School’s chapter of the APhA Academy of Student Pharmacists.
CAPS was awarded first runner-up for the 2013–2014 APhA-ASP Chapter Achievement Award for Division A schools. The Chapter Achievement Awards program recognizes chapters with the most success in leadership, operations, policy and advocacy, patient care, and professionalism.
Macary Marciniak, PharmD, and Phil Rodgers, PharmD, serve as CAPS advisers. Marciniak was also recognized by APhA as this year’s Outstanding Chapter Advisor. CAPS is also supported by four new practitioner mentors at the School: David Steeb, PharmD, former APhA-ASP national president; Megan Smith, former vice-chair of the APhA-ASP Education Standing Committee; Justin Arnall, former APhA-ASP chapter president at the School; and Michael Wolcott, former vice-chair of the APhA-ASP Awards Standing Committee.
“We continue to be astounded by the leadership exhibited by our students,” says Marciniak, a clinical associate professor in PACE. “Their dedication to serving patients in our community has been recognized on the highest levels. It is such a joy to work with our students and to showcase the talent of the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy within our profession.”
CAPS also took home the 2013–2014 National Award for Operation Diabetes. Operation Diabetes is an APhA initiative enacted through APhA-ASP chapters to increase awareness of diabetes, train, and educate student pharmacists for diabetes counseling, and foster cooperation between pharmacists and the community.
The School’s APhA-ASP chapter involved more than 900 student pharmacists in Operation Diabetes and screened more than 500 community members across fifty-four events. Cochairs for the 2013–2014 Operation Diabetes campaign were Julia Carrington and Lydia Wang.
In addition to Operation Diabetes, CAPS also won the 2013–2014 first runner-up award for Operation Immunization. Operation immunization is an APhA-ASP program designed to increase patient education about immunizations and vaccinations through student-led events.
In the 2013–2014 year, students in the School’s APhA-ASP chapter managed to immunize 4,184 patients. Cochairs for the 2013–2014 Operation Immunization were Rachel LaBianca and Tegan Magsam.
While CAPS had won regional awards for Operation Diabetes and Operation Immunization in the past, this is the first time the chapter has won national awards for these two patient care projects.
Students as Leaders
- PY2 Evan Colmenares is the APhA-ASP Region 3 Regional Delegate.
- PY2 Kathryn Gouzoules is the UNC representative in the APhA-ASP National Patient Counseling Competition.
- PY3 Jenny Levine is the incoming vice-chair of the APhA-ASP Education Standing Committee.
- PY4 Erin Turingan is the outgoing vice-chair of the APhA-ASP Communications Standing Committee.
- PY2 Rob Crawford is a chapter delegate to the APhA-ASP House of Delegates.
- PY3 Cynthia Lee is an American Society of Health-System Pharmacists delegate to the APhA-ASP House of Delegates.
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