Sullivan recently opened Louisa Learning Center
LOUISVILLE, KY – A team from the Sullivan University College of Pharmacy has won a major national award while competing against some of the top pharmacy schools in the nation.
Competing for just the second time in this event, The Sullivan University College of Pharmacy team of three students and a faculty sponsor won the 2016 national championship in the Sixth Annual Student Pharmacist Compounding Competition, which was held March 19 and 20 at the University of Southern California School of Pharmacy in Los Angeles, CA.
Sullivan students Brianna Combs of New Albany, IN, Martika Martin of Eubank, KY, and Rachel Ramsey of Richmond, KY, along with faculty sponsor Dr. Uyen Le successfully competed against 19 other colleges and schools of pharmacy, including Butler University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, St. Louis College of Pharmacy, Washington State University, State University of New York at Buffalo and the University of Oklahoma.
“We are working to build a culture of professional engagement,” said Sullivan University College of Pharmacy Dean Cindy Stowe. “Actively participating in and using the national competitions available through various pharmacy professional organizations is a way to use co-curricular activities to compliment the curriculum, provide hands-on real world opportunities to practice what is being learned in the classroom and labs.
“It’s also incredibly important,” Dr. Stowe said, “for professional networking for the students and faculty involved.”
Pharmaceutical compounding is a method for personalizing medication to fit the unique needs of a patient. Compounded medications are created by combining individual ingredients in the exact strength and dosage required by the patient and their own unique needs.
The Student Pharmacist Compounding Competition is sponsored by MEDISCA, a repackaging and distributor of pharmaceutical compounding supplies, in collaboration with the University of Southern California School of Pharmacy. It was founded to provide an educational experience for the student pharmacist and to increase their exposure to the pharmacy compounding industry.
“The event is more than just a competition,” MEDISCA said in a news release. “It is an interactive venue designed to … maintain focus on the growing needs of the patient population and the quality of the pharmaceutical compounds they receive.”
The competition included three components: compounding jeopardy, compounding practice and poster presentation. Sullivan finished ahead of teams from the University of Colorado, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Washington State University College of Pharmacy.
In early March The Sullivan University Center for Learning -Louisa opened in space adjacent to the Lawrence County Courthouse.
