Message from the Dean
Students,
We are nearing the end of fall semester and I want to wish you the best of luck with your finals. Thank you for showing up to your classes, labs and experiential projects with commitment and enthusiasm. Your hard work is evident to your professors and me, and we appreciate your dedication.
Have a safe and enjoyable winter break. I look forward to seeing you in 2020.
Best,
Lynda S. Welage, PharmD, FCCP
Dean
Students Honored at Alumni Awards Ceremony
The Pharmacy Alumni Awards Reception was held December 3. The event recognizes pharmacy alumni, student and faculty leaders. Congratulations to the following students who were honored for their achievements.
Pharmacy Alumni Society Mentee of the Year: Savannah Burnside
Century Mortar Club Student Award winners: Rowan Mahon & Carolyn O'Donnell
Fuel for Finals
Swing in anytime or grab a snack for the road!
Friday, December 13, 2019
12:05 p.m. - 1:25 p.m.
LSci 160 on the Duluth campus
WDH 3-160 on the Twin Cities campus.
*Allergen-free options available
You're Invited! 15th Annual Pharmacy Gala
On behalf of the Pay It Forward Organization, we would like to officially invite you to the 15th Annual Pharmacy Gala! The pharmacy gala is hosted each year to remember and raise scholarship money in honor of Michelle Mentzer, a student who passed away from leukemia in 2005 during her first year of pharmacy school. Tickets will be sold in the pharmacy lounge from Jan. 27-31st ($30 for students, $35 for guests). It will be a fun night for pharmacy students, faculty, and guests. We appreciate your support!
Leadership Emphasis Area (LEA)
On November 8-9, 30 students from the class of 2021 enrolled in the College's Leadership Emphasis program participated in a Fall retreat at Ruttger’s Resort in the Brainerd Lakes Area.
The theme of the retreat was A Deep Breath on Your Leadership Journey. The retreat is designed to focus on developing leadership skills in team building, partnership development as well as resilience and well-being in the face of the challenges faced by leaders. Students also engaged in reflection activities focused on establishing a commitment to one’s leadership legacy. Finally, the retreat was designed to enhance connectedness between Leadership Emphasis students between campuses, creating an appreciation for shared experiences and peer support. Drs. Fierke and Sorensen facilitated the retreat with assistance from residents and P4 APPE LEA students from the College.
Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP)
In October, we had over 20 students attend the AMCP Nexus conference in National Harbor, Maryland. There, students participated in various sessions to learn more about what is happening in the managed care industry, as well as attend networking events and a residency showcase. Our chapter was also awarded 2nd place for the Chapter of the Year Award out of over 80 student chapters for our efforts from the previous school year. We are very proud to be consistently be one of the top chapters in the nation, having placed in the Chapter of the Year competition for the past 3 years.
Beyond Nexus, our chapter also stayed busy through hosting monthly lunch meetings and touring managed care companies near and far. We traveled to Chicago in October to visit Optum and CVS Caremark, and locally visited Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota in November.
Minnesota Pharmacy Student Alliance (MPSA)
Students involved in MPSA have been quite busy over the past month involving multiple events including two new initiatives. The first new initiative is the Pediatric Health Imitative Group, which is a patient-centered care project group that focuses on education regarding pediatric health. The other new initiative is the Hematology/Oncology Collaborative where students learn more about oncology pharmacy through shadowing, journal clubs, and oncology conferences and events.
GenerationRx has made some large impacts on the community this semester as well. They worked in partnership with Kappa Epsilon to help train 70 students who became certified in naloxone administration. Furthermore, GenerationRx partnered with the Hennepin County Sheriff’s office to host their first drug takeback event. This event took place on campus and was open to the public. The group handed out 16 Deterra bags (drug deactivation bags) and collected 38.35 pounds of expired and unneeded medications, that’s equivalent to about 35,719 tablets of regular strength Advil®!
In other news, MPSA members have administered 2,412 vaccinations this flu season and they have held 5 health fairs this semester. Last, but not least, MPSA won Chapter Recognition Awards at the APhA-ASP Region 5 Midyear Regional Meeting for Operation Heart and Operation Diabetes. MPSA President, Morgan Olhausen also was voted in as Region 5 Member-at-Large during the conference.
Don't forget to mark your calendars!
It's time for the College of Pharmacy Talent Show and silent auction! The event will start at 5 p.m. in Weber Music Hall on the Duluth campus. All faculty, staff and students from both campuses are welcome to attend and/or participate.
Our silent auction benefiting MPSA will run from 5-6 p.m. The talent show will begin at 6 p.m. and final auction bidding will take place during intermission.
MPSA promotes student professional and leadership development, as well as helps promote the field of pharmacy. Its success from past years is largely a result of the contributions from faculty, staff, and friends and family of current and past students. If you interested in contributing any items or donations, or have any questions about the event please feel free to contact either Shannon or Connie: park2232@d.umn.edu or khong018@d.umn.edu.
Phi Lambda Sigma (PLS), Alpha Phi Chapter
PLS members from the University of Minnesota got the chance to meet up with PLS members from other pharmacy schools in our region at the APhA-ASP Midyear Regional Meeting in Iowa City in early November
All interviews for new PLS members have been completed and we will be selecting new members soon. More information will be coming in the new semester.
The Leadership Symposium will be held in the Twin Cities this year, during spring semester. Theme, date, and location are to be determined, so stay tuned!
Save The Dates
December 19, 2019
Foot Care Night at Phillips Neighborhood Clinic
January 15, 2020
Talent show and silent auction - 5 p.m.; Weber Music Hall on the Duluth campus
January 27, 2019
Opthamology Night at Phillips Neighborhood Clinic
January 30, 2019
Foot Care Night at Phillips Neighborhood Clinic
April 28, 2020
If you are the recipient of a scholarship or fellowship, please save the date for Tuesday, April 28th from 5-7 p.m. for the Dean's Fellowship and Scholarship Celebration. Please plan to attend to meet the generous benefactors who have created and/or support scholarships and fellowships in the College of Pharmacy. More information to follow.