The Georgia Pharmacy Association’s (GPhA) annual convention held at Amelia Island,
Florida, featured networking and continuing education opportunities, presentations
and competitions, according to PCOM Georgia School of Pharmacy students.
Sophia Jenkins (PharmD ’24) said, “We had a chance to meet a broad spectrum of leaders who shape the world of pharmacy, from legislators to CEOs to researchers, managers and entrepreneurs. The list goes on.”
Serving as part of the 2021-2022 Georgia Pharmacy Association Student Leadership Board, PCOM pharmacy students who attended the event along with Jenkins, the junior representative, included Andrew Wilson (PharmD ’24), president-elect, Dion Blocker (PharmD ’23), senior member, and Etim Nkereuwem and Tom Le, GPhA members. Makeda Lovelace is PCOM Georgia’s newest member.
Wilson was elected president-elect by the student leadership board at the end of the last school year and will be the next board president. Board members are voted into office by the existing board before they transition out of office.
The Student Leadership Board includes students from the four Georgia schools of pharmacy
at Mercer University, PCOM Georgia, South University and the University of Georgia
who serve as liaisons for their schools. They work closely with the GPhA CEO to
collaborate on projects and events under the unified umbrella of the association.
According to Wilson, board members encourage membership and attendance at regional meetings and the convention. In addition, they help direct students at the Day at the Dome event, write articles for the GPhA magazine, and staged an event called “Policy on Tap,” a collaboration between Mercer and PCOM Georgia, where students learned about how legislation affects their profession. They also write congratulatory letters to recent graduates.
However, the annual convention was the highlight.
Jenkins said, “All in all, our experience at this year’s pharmacy convention was one of epic proportions. The networking opportunities and genuine bonds made will take us further in our career endeavors as future pharmacists.”
She added, “We hope to gain more members and leaders as this chapter reaches new heights in creating a platform for the advancement of the pharmacy profession.”
“My experience at this year’s GPhA convention was better than I could have imagined,” Nkereuwem said. “I was able to meet and connect with numerous students who want to advocate for our profession. Also, my experiences meeting CEO Bob Coleman and Shobhna Butler, PharmD, really stood out to me. They were genuine, informative and friendly, which made me very grateful to be there.”
Blocker said, “Experiencing the GPhA annual convention was incredibly refreshing and eye-opening. It felt more like a pharmacy vacation than a convention. Meeting so many professionals in the field of pharmacy in a relaxed and fun environment is an experience that is difficult to come by. I can’t wait for the next one!”
The conference also featured the annual Pharm-A-Sea sandcastle building competition in which participants have the opportunity to highlight their skills while raising money for the pharmacy foundation.
PCOM Georgia has been serving students and the community for 20 years as a branch campus of Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM), a private, not-for-profit, accredited institution of higher education established in 1899. Located in Suwanee (Gwinnett County), PCOM Georgia offers doctoral degrees in osteopathic medicine, pharmacy and physical therapy. Graduate degrees are offered in biomedical sciences, medical laboratory science and physician assistant studies. The campus joins PCOM South Georgia in Moultrie in helping to meet the healthcare needs of the state. Emphasizing "a whole person" approach to care, PCOM Georgia focuses on educational excellence, interprofessional education and service to the community. For more information, visit pcom.edu or call 678-225-7500. The campus is also home to the Georgia Osteopathic Care Center, an osteopathic manipulative medicine clinic, which is open to the public by appointment. For more information, visit pcomgeorgiahealth.org.
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