College of Pharmacy’s APhA Chapter Wins National Award
Alumna Installed as President-Elect
| UAMS College of Pharmacy students and alumni have been well-represented over the years with the American Pharmacists Association (APhA). Recently, the college celebrated two more milestones for student achievement and alumni leadership.
Students participated in several activities this year, including organizing health screenings and blood drives.
APhA recognized the college’s Academy of Student Pharmacists (ASP) chapter as the Division AA Student Chapter of the Year. The award is given annually to the most impactful or unique program based on enrollment. It is the ninth time the college has won its division.
“Being recognized with Division AA Chapter of the Year is a tremendous accomplishment for our students,” said Chris Johnson, Pharm.D., M.Ed., the chapter’s lead faculty advisor. “This demonstrates the continuation of the rich tradition of community involvement by UAMS student pharmacists. Our APhA-ASP students don’t wait to graduate to help Arkansans improve their health.”
President-Elect Lizzie Sandlin, a rising third-year pharmacy student, attributed the group’s success to its executive officers, including Katie Haynes, Maraam Zonfuly, Lorelei Kellhofer, and Regan Czarnecki. The chapter counts over 100 students among its members.
The chapter worked hard on a number of initiatives this year, Sandlin said. Those included providing health screenings for people experiencing homelessness, reproductive health drives, coordinating meetings, organizing fundraisers and blood drives, and encouraging interest in the college’s nuclear pharmacy summer programs.
Additionally, College of Pharmacy alumna Brandi Hamilton, Pharm.D., Class of 2014, was installed as APhA president-elect at its annual meeting in Los Angeles, held in late March.
APhA presidential officers serve for three one-year terms: one as president-elect, the next year as president, and a third and final year as immediate past president. As president-elect, Hamilton will chair multiple committees, including the Board of Trustees in 2027-2028, and work to advance the profession of pharmacy both at home and abroad.
Brandi Hamilton, Pharm.D.
Hamilton said her involvement with the college’s APhA-ASP chapter while a student set her on a path to national leadership for the profession. It’s a long way from her introduction to the profession — taking a position as a pharmacy technician while pursuing a theater degree.
“Because UAMS is very heavily engaged with APhA, my participation in those leadership structures really set me up for success,” she said. “My role [in APhA-ASP student leadership] positioned me for intensive leadership training and connected me to established pharmacy leaders. UAMS’s commitment to APhA cracked the door that led to all these wonderful things.”
Hamilton was one of two candidates for president-elect this year, with the other being fellow College of Pharmacy alumnus Stephen Carroll, Pharm.D., Class of 2005. She said they were both “surprised, and more than a little delighted” to see two UAMS graduates up for the position.
The “win-win situation” came about, Hamilton said, because of the longstanding reputation for national excellence that the UAMS College of Pharmacy has fostered in its graduates.
“We say ‘UAMS, you are the best’ for a reason,” she said. “Arkansas has a long track record of success at the national level. Many UAMS graduates have served on standing committees and in regional roles, and we have a strong reputation in the association and profession. I am just the next in a very long line of UAMS pharmacy leaders.”