School of Pharmacy SNPhA Chapter Shines At National Convention

Students and advisors receive awards and are elected to national positions

By Japheth Mwangangi
August 3, 2010

The University of Maryland School of Pharmacy chapter of the Student National Pharmaceutical Association (SNPhA) Annual National Convention was well represented at the organization’s national convention held in Seattle, WA, July 23rd-26th, with 12 students in attendance, many of whom were recognized for their leadership.

Members Dominick Bailey and Kenneth Thomas Jr., both of the class of 2012, were elected to the association’s national executive board; Bailey will serve as public relations liaison and Thomas as Region II Facilitator. Japheth Mwangangi, chapter president and a member of the Class of 2012, received the National Pharmaceutical Association (NPhA) Foundation-Rite Aid Endowed Scholarship. The chapter received the Mid-Size Chapter Membership Award for having the most registrants of any mid-size chapter at the convention, the Region I & II Meeting Award for hosting an outstanding 2010 Regional Meeting, and was also recognized for the many initiatives it carried out during the year to fulfill SNPhA’s mission. The chapter’s local parent organization, the Maryland Pharmaceutical Society (MPhS), received the NPhA Chapter of the Year Award, winning for the third straight year for outstanding service to the community. Latasha Weeks, PharmD, a 2007 graduate of the School of Pharmacy and current president of MPhS, was named Advisor of the Year for her dedication and commitment to advising the School of Pharmacy chapter.

“These are all great milestones for the School of Pharmacy’s SNPhA chapter, which I attribute to hard work and our dedication to the mission of the organization,” said chapter president Japheth Mwangangi. “We plan to continue this trend in the coming academic year and hope to reach even greater heights of accomplishments.”

The convention kicked off with an immunization training session presented by the Washington State Pharmacy Association (WSPA) and sponsored by Rite-Aid Pharmacy at which all of the School of Pharmacy were certified to vaccinate adults and adolescents. Subsequent events included career placement sessions, leadership workshops, a patient counseling clinical skills competition, corporate presentations, continuing education sessions for pharmacists and student pharmacists, and social events. Students also had the opportunity to networking with students from 70 other chapters, pharmacists, faculty advisors, corporate representatives, and members of NPhA, the group’s national parent organization.

SNPhA is a professional organization of pharmacy students whose mission and purpose is to advocate for pharmacy and health care-related issues, in addition to serving underserved communities. It is “the voice of diversity and an advocate of change for healthcare in underserved communities.” It’s objective is to make a difference in the lives and health of all the patients it’s members encounter, with a commitment of service to ensure improvement of health, educational and social environments in underrepresented and underserved communities.