January 6, 2016
University of Michigan Health-System Student Pharmacists is honored to receive the Outstanding Professional Development Project award for the second consecutive year.

The University of Michigan Health-System Student Pharmacists (UM-HSP) has been recognized with the Outstanding Professional Development Project Award for the second consecutive year from the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP). ASHP evaluates projects based on: content and information; creativity and resourcefulness service; outreach, and impact; and overall impression.

Every year, UM-HSP hosts a professional development event that aligns with ASHP’s Strategic Goals and contributes to the development of student pharmacists. Last year UM-HSP hosted an event called “Putting the Phocus on Pharmacy,” a week-long educational event that allowed student pharmacists to educate patients and healthcare providers on pharmacy-related topics and advocate for the profession. Hosted at the University of Michigan Health-System cafeteria, pharmacy students educated 235 patients and healthcare providers on five different topics: Patient Empowerment & Disease Prevention, Medication Safety, Medication Misuse & Abuse, Pharmacy Advocacy (with help from The Michigan Pharmacists’ Association, MPA), and Medication Adherence. Participating students developed and presented educational posters and handouts for each topic. Pharmacy Advocacy and Medication Misuse & Abuse were the most well received topics. This professional project provided students an opportunity to refine their communication skills with patients and healthcare providers and advocate for their profession. 

"This was a large project that would not have been possible without the collaboration of our student members, advisors, and pharmacist preceptors. I would especially like to thank again and recognize those individuals who helped us by supervising while we were able to provide this much needed information and service: Dr. Hae Mi Choe, Dr. Scott Ciarkowski, Jacob Holler, PharmD'10, Michael Kraft, PharmD'99, and Ms. Amanda Lick (from MPA). Our committee and members were able to put together such a thoughtful product. I am really proud of the hard work we put in, and the final results - we were able to reach over 230 patients and other healthcare professionals! ” commented UM-HSP project coordinator, Katrina Hegde, PharmD'16.  

UM-HSP will present their professional development project during the Student Society Showcase at the 2015 ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting and be recognized during the Pharmacy Student Forum Awards Ceremony.

“UM-HSP is honored to receive the Outstanding Professional Development Project award for the second consecutive year. We will continually strive to advocate for the profession of pharmacy and to prepare students to be leaders in their practice settings through these experiences,” states Pauline Kim, PharmD 2018 and UM-HSP President-Elect.