UH College of Pharmacy students and alumni were recognized for their contribution to the greater Houston community, when they received the AACP Student Community Engaged Service Award at the Texas Society of Health-System Pharmacists 2013 Annual Seminar.
The UH pharmacy team was one of four teams nationwide that received the AACP Student Community Engaged Service Award. | Photo courtesy of Amy Lehnert
“From a student perspective, I believe the TSHP R&E scholarships really provide some reinforcement that we as students are doing the right things, that we’re on the right path, and that practitioners are acknowledging our accomplishments and investing in our educations and futures in pharmacy — and that’s extremely humbling,” said Amy Lehnert, recipient of the Glenda Lawson McRee Scholarship and third-year doctorate of pharmacy student.
UH was well represented among the scholarships awarded by the TSHP Research and Education Foundation. Nine individual scholarships were available to pharmacy students from six different universities. Out of the nine awarded nationwide, four were UH students.
“When I learned about the scholarship, I felt very honored and grateful to receive such an award. The commitment and generosity that pharmacy alumni show through their mentorship and foundation donations is fully appreciated; I hope to one day be able to provide the same support that has been offered to me,” said third year pharmacy student Tara Molina, who received the Celso and Matiana M. Cuella Sr. Memorial Scholarship.
In addition to this achievement, a team of pharmacy students are one of the four recipients of this year’s AACP Student Community Engaged Service Award. They will be awarded a monetary prize for their outstanding student-led community engagement programs that deliver consumer education about medication use, which has been proven to expand access to affordable healthcare and significantly improves the public’s health.
The pharmacy team built the Houston Outreach Medicine Education and Social Services Clinic, which strives to reduce health disparities by addressing the healthcare needs of Houston’s homeless population. The H.O.M.E.S. clinic offers care from all health sectors, integrating student pharmacists with medical, public health and social work students to meet the needs of the underserved community.
The team, which consists of Kim Anh T. Pham, Henrietta D. Abodakepi, Habeeba Nizamdin, Bobbie N. Quach and their faculty adviser David A. Wallace, will speak about their program’s impact on the community during AACP’s 2013 in Chicago on July 13-17.
“As a student, the recognition of my actions and efforts by prominent leaders within the pharmacy profession is both humbling and encouraging,” said third year doctorate of pharmacy student Zachary Kirk, who received the Gulf Coast of Health-System Pharmacists Leadership scholarship.
“The award only reaffirms my desire to help lead pharmacy into a great future. I owe immense gratitude to the TSHP Research and Education Foundation for their support and to the outstanding faculty at the UHCOP for spurring me along.”
