A team from the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy received second place in the 2016 Good Neighbor Pharmacy NCPA Pruitt-Schutte Student Business Plan Competition.
Held during the National Community Pharmacists Association 2016 Annual Convention in New Orleans in October, the competition included teams from 46 schools and colleges of pharmacy from across the country. Its goal is to help prepare future pharmacy entrepreneurs by motivating students to create a business model to buy an existing independent community pharmacy or develop a new one.
The School’s team won $2,000 for its chapter, and the competition contributed another $2,000 to the School to promote independent pharmacy. This was the first time the School has competed in many years, and its second place finish is its best ever, said Stephen Eckel, Pharm.D., M.H.A., the associate dean for global engagement and a clinical associate professor in the Division of Practice Advancement and Clinical Education
“I was very excited about this group’s performance,” Eckel said. “I am hopeful their success will encourage and spur students in the future to enter, as we need more people to desire a future as an independent pharmacy store owner.”
The team’s adviser is Patrick Brown, Pharm.D., an assistant professor of clinical education in PACE. The members are Felicia Charles, Huy Pham, Stephanie Sun and Michael Verble. They were coached by Rob Bizzell, a 1976 graduate of the School and president of Realo Discount Drug in Kinston, North Carolina.