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Kidd is one of only 66 pharmacy students nationwide included in the new cohort.
ACT Names College of Pharmacy Student to Inaugural Cohort of Student Scholars
| The Academia-Community Transformation (ACT) Pharmacy Collaborative and American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) named UAMS College of Pharmacy student Abbi Kidd as part of the inaugural cohort for its Community Pharmacy Student Scholar Leaders Program.
Kidd is a second-year pharmacy student at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS).
This year, the program recognizes 66 students nationwide and aims to develop them from student-pharmacists into leaders in community-based pharmacy practice.
“We are so proud of Abbi for this accomplishment,” said Ashok Philip, Ph.D., the College of Pharmacy’s associate dean for student services. “I know she will represent the college well on this national stage.”
The program consists of four monthly sessions from January through April, culminating with an immersive virtual workshop across three half-days in the summer. The program aims to help students develop leadership skills through the process of self-discovery and reflection, create a practice transformation philosophy to guide community-based pharmacy practice, and create their own career development plan. Students will be recognized at the 2024 AACP Annual Meeting in July in Boston.
“The ACT Community Pharmacy Student Scholar Leaders Program is such a timely and important program to engage student pharmacists to learn more about the challenges and opportunities of community-based pharmacy, develop future community-based pharmacy leaders, and cultivate a network of colleagues who share a passion for community-based practice,” said Randy P. McDonough, Pharm.D., program co-lead, CEO of Towncrest Pharmacy Corp. and professor of pharmacy management and innovation at Loma Linda University School of Pharmacy. “This unique program provides student pharmacists with an incredible interactive educational experience.”
“Community pharmacy has changed drastically since the pandemic, and it is a really exciting time to be getting into the profession,” Kidd said. “After graduation, I plan to return to Hope and own a pharmacy. My community is very important to me, and I want to be the best leader and pharmacist I can be. Being from a rural area with limited accessibility, I plan to take advantage of every opportunity that may help progress health care in my community.”
The College of Pharmacy’s student chapter of the National Community Pharmacists’ Association (NCPA) focuses on building the community pharmacy leaders of the future. Faculty advisors are Rachel Stafford, Pharm.D., vice chair and associate professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice, and Megan Smith, Pharm.D., associate professor in the department. The annual NCPA Foundation-UAMS Pharmacy Ownership and Leadership Academy, open to pharmacy students nationwide, will be June 24-28 in Little Rock.
“I’m so proud of Abbi to be selected for this inaugural leadership program,” Smith said. “She sought me out early as a first-year student wanting to learn about expanding community services, and I’m confident she will become a great leader in community pharmacy.”