ATLANTA—Mercer University’s chapter of the American Pharmacists Association-Academy of Students in Pharmacy (APhA-ASP) recently received national honors for its community outreach efforts.
Mercer’s Southern School of Pharmacy APhA-ASP chapter was the only chapter out of 87 colleges of pharmacy to receive the Chapter Pharmaceutical Care Award. This award is given by the national APhA-ASP organization to recognize chapters that improve the relationship between pharmacists and patients through direct patient care.
James G. Strom, Mercer pharmacy professor and co-advisor of the School’s APhA-ASP chapter, said the chapter went beyond the call of duty to reach out to the community during the 2001-2002 academic year, which is the year on which the award was based. The chapter had a record number of participants in Operation Immunization, a national immunization awareness campaign.
The pharmacy students also hosted many health screenings throughout the community. They screened residents of their local community for osteoporosis, diabetes and hypertension. And the Mercer APhA-ASP chapter held social events for underprivileged children and for adults with severe illnesses.
“Getting this award means more than I can say,” said Shelby Biagi, who graduated from Mercer’s Southern School of Pharmacy earlier this month and served as president of the 300-student organization during the 2001-2002 school year. “My executive committee worked very hard all year arranging these activities, and I know personally that there were many sacrifices along the way in favor of the organization. It really made me feel proud to know that our chapter had accomplished something worthy of national recognition.”
