College of Pharmacy Students, Faculty, Alumni Receive NCPA Awards
| The UAMS College of Pharmacy’s student chapter for the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) tied for Chapter of the Year at the organization’s annual convention, held Oct. 3-6 in Kansas City, Missouri, with faculty member Megan Smith, Pharm.D., and alumnus Blake Torres, Pharm.D., also receiving awards.
Megan Smith, Pharm.D.
NCPA Chapter of the Year awards are given to chapters that excel in promoting independent pharmacy through innovative events and service activities, including advocacy, event participation, community service and outreach, and fundraising, among others. This year the College of Pharmacy shared the award with Auburn University’s Harrison College of Pharmacy.
Students who represented the group in Kansas City were Emily Allison, Conlyn Doss, Jonathan Gass, Janjay Greene, Bennett Hasley, Katie Haynes, Jared Hickson, Heather Mason, Ethan Martinez, Alyssa Nolan, Lindy Reynolds, and Lani Rogers.
“I am incredibly proud of our NCPA student chapter for earning Chapter of the Year,” said Smith, an associate professor of pharmacy practice and the chapter’s co-advisor. “This group has worked tirelessly to develop impactful events and support one another’s growth as future pharmacists. Their efforts embody the innovation, service, and leadership that have long defined the strength of community pharmacy in Arkansas.”
In addition to representing UAMS at official NCPA events, including the convention, the chapter hosted local pharmacy owners to speak with students. The highlight of the year was a networking event that included pharmacists, local government representatives, financial advisors, and national NCPA representatives to mentor students from UAMS and Harding University.
“Winning NCPA’s Chapter of the Year is truly a testament to our members’ dedication to improve community pharmacy,” said Evelyn McHaney, a fourth-year pharmacy student who served as chapter president over the past year. “We had more interest and involvement than ever this year, and this award belongs to an encouraging group of future pharmacists that will continue to advance the practice of community pharmacy.”
Smith, Torres Receive Individual Honors
Smith also received an individual honor, being named the NCPA Outstanding Faculty Liaison of the Year. The award recognizes a faculty liaison who demonstrates exceptional leadership and commitment to independent pharmacy, their NCPA Student Chapter, and the community.
Blake Torres, Pharm.D.
She leads the college’s PGY1 Community-Based Pharmacy Residency program, one of the largest in the nation. In her role, Smith prepares new pharmacists to deliver advanced patient care services, from point-of-care testing to chronic disease management, in community settings.
“I am truly honored to receive the Outstanding Faculty Liaison Award,” Smith said. “My philosophy as an advisor has always been that it’s the students’ organization, not mine. My job is to support them, help them grow as leaders, and be there when they need me. I want our students to know that they don’t have to replicate someone else’s leadership. They don’t have to have all the answers. They just have to show up, be themselves, and be willing to build relationships.”
Smith has received previous awards from NCPA, including Preceptor of the Year in 2022 and Excellence in Innovation in 2023. She was the inaugural Community Pharmacy Enhanced Services Network (CPESN) Academia Leader of the Year in 2025.
Smith obtained her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill Eshelman School of Pharmacy. She completed a PGY-1 community-based pharmacy residency at UNC/Kerr Drug in Asheville, North Carolina, and training in practice-based research and education through a community pharmacy research fellowship at UNC.
Torres, a 2014 UAMS College of Pharmacy graduate and co-owner of West Side Pharmacy in Benton, received the NCPA Preceptor of the Year Award. This award recognizes a pharmacist who has made a significant contribution to pharmacy education as a community practice preceptor.
Torres launched COVID-19 testing in the summer of 2020, months before vaccines were available, and later opened the state’s first independent monoclonal antibody infusion site, treating patients who previously had no option outside a hospital. Students on rotation see this work firsthand, gaining hands-on exposure to disease state management, medication therapy management, patient counseling, compounding, and insurance reconciliation, alongside site visits to long-term care facilities, health screenings, and state capitol advocacy days.
“I am incredibly honored and humbled to receive the NCPA Preceptor of the Year Award,” Torres said. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to pour into the next generation of pharmacists, just as so many have poured into me. Glory to God for every person and every opportunity he has placed along the way. Be a shepherd, not a master.”
Torres was previously named the College of Pharmacy’s 2025 Preceptor of the Year.
Torres is a member of the Arkansas State Board of Health, with a term that runs through December 2029. A passionate advocate for community pharmacy, he continues to advance patient access and sustainable health care models throughout Saline County and the state.