SPPS partners with SHAfor national pharmacy competition

The School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences is partnering with Buffalo Academy of the Sacred Heart (SHA) to develop creative and inspired real-world solutions for issues facing the field of pharmacy.

Students are taking part in the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy’s (AACP) Innovation Challenge, a national competition in which high school students and pharmacy students collaborate to identify medication or health-related problems in their communities and explore innovative solutions to solve those problems.

The competition aims to stimulate interest in pharmacy careers, encourage student pharmacists to advocate for the importance of the role of the pharmacist, and demonstrate the impact pharmacists can make on the health of the community.

It is part of “Pharmacy is Right for Me,” a collaborative effort by the AACP to promote the field of pharmacy and answer the demand for trained pharmacy and health care professionals.

The UB-SHA team is comprised of 11 PharmD students and five SHA students, and is being mentored by Robert Wahler, clinical assistant professor of pharmacy practice. It will work over the summer and into the fall semester, with completion of the project targeted for later in the fall.

“Our PharmD students are excited to work with the Sacred Heart students to show the many opportunities available in the field of pharmacy,” says Jennifer Rosenberg, associate dean for admissions, enrollment planning and pre-pharmacy advising in the pharmacy school.

Teams in the competition are critiqued on innovation, presentation, relevance and accessibility. The winning team will be announced in February by AACP.

“Buffalo Academy of the Sacred Heart is thrilled to partner with UB’s School of Pharmacy on the Innovation Challenge,” says Head of School Jennifer Demert. “The five students involved, all part of our STEM Honors Cohort, are up to the challenge and are excited by the opportunity.”