Pharmacy Students Recognized Nationally at APhA Annual Meeting
| At this year’s American Pharmacists Association (APhA) annual meeting, the UAMS College of Pharmacy’s Academy of Student Pharmacists (ASP) chapter was named national runner-up in its division, and third-year student Hayden Wood was elected ASP speaker of the house.
The large ASP student chapter delegation attended the meeting and posed for a group photo. Kerigan Bradshaw (green jacket, center front), is the ASP student chapter president.
The college’s ASP student chapter has been named runner-up or division winner multiple times over the years. Honorees were recognized in late March at the APhA Annual Meeting and Exposition in Nashville, Tennessee.
“Our students continue to perform exceptionally well at the national level, and this recognition is a strong endorsement of that fact,” said Dean Cindy Stowe, Pharm.D. “I am proud of the tremendous work of our students and the impact they make on the communities of Arkansas.”
APhA-ASP student chapters dedicate many hours each year towards community outreach efforts, including free immunizations and educational events. This year, the chapter donated hundreds of snacks for children in the Arkansas foster system, provided more than 1,400 immunizations and helped raise funds for organizations supporting community members in need.
The chapter also hosted a health education event for elementary school students. About 150 fourth graders received teddy bears to take to makeshift “clinics” put on by College of Pharmacy students, in collaboration with students from the colleges of Medicine and Health Professions, to learn about medication safety, dental hygiene and proper handwashing.
Hayden Wood will serve as ASP speaker of the house for his fourth and final year of pharmacy school.
“This award recognizes another successful year in a long tradition of UAMS pharmacy students making an impact on the health of Arkansans before they even graduate,” said Chris Johnson, Pharm.D., M.Ed., associate professor of pharmacy practice and the chapter’s lead faculty advisor. “It was a whole chapter effort recognizing the range of activities and the impact those efforts had on our students and for communities throughout Arkansas.”
Wood will hold his position as ASP speaker of the house for the next year.
A native of Floral, Arkansas, Wood is a member of the Class of 2026, pursuing both Doctor of Pharmacy and Master of Business Administration degrees. As speaker, he will lead national policy efforts by chairing APhA-ASP Resolutions and References Committees and presiding over its House of Delegates. Wood is also the national liaison to the APhA-ASP National Policy Standing Committee and represents student pharmacists on the Political Action and Government Affairs committees.
“I am deeply honored and grateful to be have been entrusted with this position,” he said. “From the beginning of my journey with APhA-ASP, I have been passionate about becoming involved in our policy process and advocating for this incredible profession. As the newly elected speaker, I am committed to ensuring that our profession’s advocacy remains dynamic, forward-thinking and impactful.”