The American Pharmacy Association held its 2017 conference in San Francisco March 24 to 27, and the Carolina Association of Pharmacy Students won two national awards. Several students at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy were also honored with individual scholarship and leadership recognition.
CAPS received the Division A Second Runner-up Chapter Achievement Award, which recognizes the most well-rounded chapters in the nation, according to the APhA-Association of Student Pharmacists’ website.
Michael Tichy, Pharm.D. candidate and APhA-ASP president in CAPS, said the award speaks to the outstanding and diverse work that the organization does to help the growth of student pharmacists and improve the lives of patients.
“The leaders of CAPS work diligently to put on programming that chapter members want to attend,” Tichy said.
Highlights of that programming include the North Carolina State Fair Flu Shot Clinic, during which students from CAPS administered over 500 flu vaccines to fair attendees, and Give Kids a Smile, where students from CAPS held a candy versus medicine game, exposing children to medication safety risks and encouraging them to always ask their parents whether something is medicine or a piece of candy.
CAPS also received the Operation Diabetes First Runner-up National Award. 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. Tichy said he thinks the UNC-Chapel Hill Operation Diabetes chapter’s commitment to relevant, consistent and impactful service in the community contributed to its earning the award.
“Operation Diabetes has done consistently well,” Tichy said. “They participate in a lot of the most well-attended programming that CAPS does, including events like the Seymour Center screenings where students have the opportunity to test patients’ blood sugar and counsel them on the result.”
In addition to the chapter awards, Pharm.D. candidates Evan Colmenares and Amanda D’Ostroph received APhA Foundation Scholarships.
Colmenares was also recognized for completing his term as a member of the APhA-ASP policy standing committee, and Amanda D’Ostroph was recognized for completing her term as a member of the APhA-ASP member engagement standing committee.
Ali Cervantes represented the School as a participant in the APhA-ASP National Patient Counseling Competition.