Pharmacy Class of 2020 Celebrates in First Virtual Honors Convocation
| Academic traditions originating in the Middle Ages like hooding ceremonies combined June 13 with 21st century technology to produce a successful Honors Convocation for the UAMS College of Pharmacy Class of 2020.
Public health and safety considerations resulting from the COVID-19 global pandemic led to the College postponing its annual Honors Convocation, usually held the night before the university’s commencement. Instead, Dean Cindy Stowe, Pharm.D., and the college’s faculty decided to move the event to June and invited students to participate remotely in a live, streaming online version.
Stowe and a small group of college faculty, masked and socially distanced, gathered in the Smith Auditorium to speak, present awards and watch as the students wearing robes and mortar boards were hooded from home by friends and family.
Lanita White, Pharm.D., the college’s assistant dean of student affairs, opened the convocation and said, “I would like to welcome you to our first, in 69 years of existence, virtual honors convocation.” White introduced speakers throughout the event, including Stephanie Gardner, Pharm.D., Ed.D., UAMS provost, chief strategy officer and senior vice chancellor for academic affairs, who greeted in a short recorded video congratulated students along with Stowe.
“Individually through the care of your patients and collectively through your leadership,” Stowe said, “your legacy will be felt across time. Caring and serving others makes a positive difference in the world. Please do not take this responsibility lightly. Caring and serving are your most powerful attributes. Do not hold back. We need you now more than ever.”
In a recorded video address early in the convocation, Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson echoed that idea. He told graduates that the world was “quite a bit different” from when they first arrived on campus four years before to start their professional education.
“COVID-19 has created new challenges, and you will face questions you didn’t talk about in class because we didn’t know COVID-19 was coming,” Hutchinson said. “But, your first-rate training has equipped you to find the answers to the questions we didn’t dream anyone would be asking.”
Hutchinson said because people have greater and more frequent access to pharmacists they often know patients more fully and play a key role in public health education.
“On behalf of all of us who benefit from your training and compassion, thank you,” he said. “Take care as you leave the safety of school and march out on to the frontline of history. You will make our communities safer and better. God bless you.”
A professor in the college’s Department of Pharmacy Practice, Eddie Dunn, Pharm. D., also addressed students. He said many the graduates eventually would advance into jobs in which they would be supervising and managing employees and even other pharmacists.
Lanita White, Pharm.D., left, listens as Dunn speaks at the Honors Convocation.
“If you are in a position of power or in a supervisory role, always remember to treat those you supervise with dignity and respect,” Dunn said. “You need to keep in mind that those you supervise can suddenly be supervising you in a quick turnaround. Treating others with respect and dignity is just the right thing to do.”
Following Dunn’s remarks, awards and academic honors for students and select faculty members were announced, and then Dunn and Melanie Reinhardt, Pharm.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice, read out the names of each student. Each student in turn then had time on the live video stream to undergo the hooding, many receiving their hoods from parents or spouses, but all with smiles and many with shouts of celebration. Some were even showered with confetti by friends and family who were with them.
Brooke Becker Wilkins, Pharm.D., president of the College of Pharmacy Class of 2020, spoke to her classmates. She said COVID-19 had tested the class’ strength of character and ability to adapt. Students learned lessons they couldn’t have gotten in any classroom or on typical rotations, because of the disruptions of the pandemic they experienced in their final semester.
“The class of 2020 will not be defined by what we lost but by how we responded to it and this is how we will be remembered,” Wilkins said. “Our accomplishments and achievements are not in any way diminished although many of us had our educational experiences cut short. Being forced to adapt has left us better equipped and able to go forth from UAMS and make an impact where it really matters, with the patients we serve, on the people we help and on the lives we strive to improve.”
Near the conclusion of the convocation, students recited the Oath of the Pharmacist.
Honors and Awards
At the Honors Convocation, the recipients of several awards for the Class of 2020 also were recognized.
The Jordin Scholar award is reserved for those students with the highest academic achievement and professional attainment. With this designation, lasting recognition is given in honor of the late Marcus Jordin, professor emeritus of Pharmacology in the College of Pharmacy. There were six recipients this year:
Rachel Briggler
Michael Lukacs
Laney Mason
Sydney Reed
Allen Snider
Autumn Stice
The six students also achieved all “A” grades throughout pharmacy school and a have grade point average of 4.0.
The Faculty Gold Key award is awarded to the student with the highest academic achievement during four years of enrollment in the College of Pharmacy. This year’s recipient is Laney Mason.
In addition to the Jordin Scholar and the Faculty Gold Key, all six students graduated with the High Honors designation, which are selected from the lesser of the top 5% of the class or a cumulative GPA of 3.75 or greater. This year, these six students all earned a GPA of 4.0 and are the top 5% of the class.
Students with Honors designation are selected from the lesser of the top 20% of the class or a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or greater. This year, 16 students all earned a GPA of 3.7 – 3.9 and are the top 20% of the class. They are:
Michael Baker
Cheyenne Beene
Clayton Butler
Blaze Calderon
Ashton Cheatham
Christopher Croson
Ann Fitzhugh
Chassidy Seward
Neha Sharma
Allen Smith
Jessica Thornton
Mary Kate Tucker
Brooke Becker Wilkins,
Hayden Williams
Kaitlin Wood
Masha Yemets
Honors in Research are given to students who desire to conduct original research in an area of the health sciences. Students who complete this program have received the designation “With Honors in Research” on their official transcript. The students are:
Cheyeene Beene
Kristen Burrell
Brent Curry
BichHong Do
Nkeseobong Essien
Kayla Eveld
Madison Gladden
Kellylinh Ho
Jayme Holland
Daviona King
Emma Matherne
Allen Snider
Autumn Stice
Sarah Talley
Ashley Temples
Maggie Thannisch
Mary Kate Tucker
John Wagner
The designation of Honors in Experiential Education is awarded to the students who received the most honors-level performances in the experiential setting of fourth-year clinical rotations also known as Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences. This year 18 students received this honor:
Cheyenne Beene
Clayton Butler
Blaze Calderon
Chandler Craft
Brent Curry
Brittany Herpin
Laney Mason
Emma Matherne
Kaitlin McCann
Emily Morgan
Samantha Pennington
Chassidy Seward
Seth St. John
Sarah Talley
Trenton Terry
Maggie Thannisch
Brooke Becker Wilkins
Kaitlin Wood
The student with the highest Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience scores is awarded the Keith M. Olsen Honors in Experiential Education award. This year’s recipient is: Trenton Terry
Membership in The Rho Chi Society is a privilege afforded to the very few who distinguish themselves by their academic and professional achievements and who aspire to the mission and vision of the society. Members may be elected as professional or graduate students in pharmacy, as members of faculties of schools and colleges of pharmacy, as alumni who distinguish themselves in the Profession, or as honorary members by special action of the society’s Executive Council.
Those inducted into the Rho Chi National Honor Society are:
Michael Baker
Cheyenne Beens
Rachel Briggler
Clayton Butler
Blaze Calderon
Ashton Cheatham
Jacob Coffman
Christopher Croson
Brent Curry
Michael Lukacs
Laney Mason
Jack Nguyen
Sydney Reed
Chassidy Seward
Neha Sharma
Allen Smith
Allen Snider
Autumn Stice
Jessica Thornton
Mary Kate Tucker
Brooke Becker Wilkins
Hayden Williams
Kaitlin Wood
Masha Yemets
The purpose of Phi Lambda Sigma, also known as the national Pharmacy Leadership Society, is to promote the development of leadership qualities, especially among pharmacy students. Phi Lambda honors leadership. Members are selected by peer recognition.
The graduates inducted into Phi Lambda Sigma are:
Cheyenne Beene
Christopher Croson
Brent Curry
Philip Deer
Kayla Eveld
Brittany Herpin
Cortni Hicks
Michael Lukacs
Hannah Paige
Sydney Reed
Brandon Scott
Allen Smith
Zachary Smith
Emily Spatz
Autumn Stice
Jessica Thornton
Mary Kate Tucker
Brooke Becker Wilkins
Abigail Williams
Academic performance of students is constantly being assessed. The Summative Exam 2 is one of the tools used in this assessment. The graduates recognized for excellence based on performance on the senior summative exam are:
Cheyenne Beene
Marlee Buchanan
Clayton Butler
Blaze Calderon
Ashton Cheatham
Nkeseobong Essien
Jessica Grunwald
Michael Lukacs
Laney Mason
Jack Nguyen
Sydney Reed
Chassidy Seward
Allen Smith
Allen Snider
Emily Sprick
Sarah Talley
Jessica Thornton
Allison Williams
Hayden Williams
Kaitlin Wood
Senior Recognition Awards also were announced:
The American Pharmacists Association Senior Recognition Certificate was awarded to Cortni Hicks for contributing most to the success of the Academy of Student Pharmacists UAMS Chapter.
The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists President’s Award was presented to Allen Smith for contributing most to the success of the Student Society of Health-Systems Pharmacists UAMS chapter.
The Arkansas Pharmacists Association Award is presented to Cortni Hicks for showing the greatest potential for the delivery of total patient care to the citizens of his/her community.
The Cardinal Health Outstanding Student in Nuclear Pharmacy Award was presented to Michael Lukacs and Brooke Becker Wilkins for superior achievement in the nuclear pharmacy courses.
The Cindy D. Stowe Award for Excellence in Clinical Skills Award went to Montana McAdams Knight for demonstrated excellence in clinical skills by achieving the highest score on Objective Structured Clinical Examinations across the curriculum.
The Daniel C. Spadaro Excellence in Nonprescription Medicine Award was presented to Rachel Briggler for academic excellence in the area of nonprescription medication studies.
The Merck Manual Award for Academic Excellence Award went to Rachel Briggler, Chassidy Seward, and Kaitlin Wood for showing personality, initiative and superior attitude as practitioners in the profession of pharmacy.
The Mylan Excellence in Pharmacy Award was presented to Ashton Cheatham as a student in the top 25% of his/her class who demonstrated high professional proficiency and motivation in the area of drug information.
The Stephanie Gardner Excellence in Interprofessional Education Award went to Cheyenne Beene for demonstrated excellence in interprofessional learning and practice activities.
The Wolters Kluwer Award of Excellence in Clinical Communications Award was presented to Autumn Stice as a student in the top 25% of his/her class who demonstrated superior verbal and written clinical communications skills.
For the final graduate recognition, the college recognized students who will be completing postgraduate education. This includes those going on to complete residency, a fellowship, or completing a Ph.D.
Pranav Amin
Cheyenne Beene
Rachel Briggler
Chandler Craft
Brent Curry
Kayla Eveld
Jessica Grunwald
Kevin Hampton
Jayme Holland
Mariko Labrada
Hannah Lakey
Dylan Ledet
Emma Matherne
Kaitlin McCann
Emily Morgan
Hannah Page
Cortnie Peters
Erica Ridley
Brandon Scott
Chassidy Seward
Allen Smith
Allen Snider
Emily Sprick
Autumn Stice
Sarah Talley
Trenton Terry
Maggie Thannisch
Mary Kate Tucker
Eric Turner
Yue Pheng Vang
John Wagner
Abigail Williams