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College of Pharmacy students Cassie Harrison and Paula Svoboda share a lighter moment while serving cake at the Academy of Students of Pharmacy celebration last week. Harrison is the new president of the chapter and will serve through April of 2004. Svoboda is the chapter’s outgoing president. |
“I’m very pleased with how the year went, and obviously we’re excited that our chapter was recognized for our hard work,” said Paula Svoboda, the outgoing president of the ASP chapter.
Students honored at APhA meeting
Svoboda was among those recognized at last month’s annual APhA meeting in New Orleans. Thirty-eight College of Pharmacy students attended the meeting. Svoboda, a third-year student from St. Paul, received the APhA ASP Student Leadership Award for her “outstanding academic achievement and leadership ability.”
“I was very surprised to receive the award,” said Svoboda, who was one of four students to earn the highly competitive award, sponsored by Procter & Gamble Health Care. “It’s a nice honor, but it’s really a reflection of the many accomplishments of our chapter and the hard work of all of our members.”
Dean praises chapter
Clarence Ueda, Pharm.D., Ph.D., dean of the College of Pharmacy, said the chapter is to be commended for its outstanding work.
“This chapter has really established itself as a leader in many community efforts, most notably diabetes screening and immunizations,” Dr. Ueda said. “The college is very proud of all of their accomplishments.”
Svoboda wasn’t the only person with UNMC ties to win an individual award.
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Reciting their oaths from outgoing ASP Chapter President Paula Svoboda, right, were 2003-2004 officers, from left, Lisa Keathley, treasurer; Jennifer Nieman, secretary; Mikayla Carr, publicist; Cassie Harrison, president; Ann Philbrick, president-elect; and Michael Dreesen, parliamentarian. |
Sara Burda, Pharm.D., a 2002 graduate of the College and current pharmacy practice resident at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, received the APhA Mortar and Pestle Professionalism Award, sponsored by McNeil Consumer Healthcare. In addition, during the meeting, Dr. Burda was installed as the 2003-2004 new practitioner officer for the APhA Academy of Pharmacy Practice and Management (APPM) Hospital and Institutional Practice Section. She is a native of West Point.
Awards, recognition
The ASP Chapter received the following recognition and awards.
- First Runner-Up Division AAA Chapter Achievement Award, in recognition of outstanding activities and projects that advance the profession of pharmacy. Colleges and schools of pharmacy are categorized by the size of their student body. Division AAA schools have a total enrollment less than 350 students, and is the division with the largest number of colleges and schools.
- Membership Bonus Award, for achieving 80 percent to 89 percent membership of eligible students.
- Operation Immunization Certificate of Recognition, for advancing the pharmacy profession and protecting the public health through participation in the 2002 Operation Immunization Campaign.
- APhA Operation Diabetes Certification of Recognition, for meeting the requirements for participation in the 2001-2002 Chapter Achievement Award Program.
- Operation Immunization Region 5 Winner for outstanding achievements in advancing public health care and education.
- APhA Operation Diabetes Region 5 Winner, for outstanding development and implementation of Operation Diabetes, a patient care project that increases diabetes awareness through screening and educational activities leading to improvements in the health of our nation.
Goals for next year
Sam Augustine, Pharm.D., ASP chapter co-adviser with David Scott, Ph.D., said the chapter will continue to work on continuity of leadership and participation, which can be difficult with a student organization.
“One of our goals for next year is the development of a manual for just that purpose,” Dr. Augustine said. “We’re proud of this year’s leadership. We’re expecting the best out of next year’s leadership. At our local level, I think we do quite well. We really like the participation of the students.”
Reaching out to rural Nebraska
Svoboda credited other ASP officers with the successful implementation of a new twist on the Operations Diabetes project. This year, students screened people in several communities in Nebraska. The students traveled to West Point, Ashland and Valley. The rural screening is called Healthy Heartland Project, and plans call for the project to expand.
Svoboda said the screenings help the students gain experience in their professional health-care roles. Pharmacists are more than dispensers of medications, she said. They also can provide medication-counseling services, including drug regimen reviews and drug interaction checks, coordination of patient care with physicians and other health-care providers, and monitoring of side effects.
“There’s a lot we can do to ensure the health of consumers of medications, and consumers should expect a higher level of service from today’s pharmacists,” Svoboda said.