UB pharmacy school wins two APhA Region 1 Awards

UB was selected out of 17 schools in the region. The awards were announced at the APhA-ASP Midyear Meeting in early November.

The APhA-ASP Operation Immunization Award is given for outstanding development and implementation of Operation Immunization, a patient care project designed to increase the public’s knowledge of immunizations while raising the number of adults receiving immunizations.

University at Buffalo PharmD students were commended for administering COVID-19 vaccinations to more than 5,000 patients across Western New York.

Also noted was their bi-national conference held in partnership with students from the ESCP Business School in Paris, France. Led by Gina Prescott, clinical associate professor and global health outreach coordinator at UB SPPS, and Franck Perraudin, Head of Global Health Partnerships and Alliances at Sanofi, the event explored the effect of COVID-19 on healthcare in the U.S. and France and the possible roles the two countries could take in rectifying issues that have emerged due to the pandemic. 

The APhA-ASP Operation Heart Award is given for outstanding development and implementation of Operation Heart, a patient care project that increases awareness of cardiovascular disease through screening and educational activities, leading to improvements in health nationwide. This is the fifth year in a row that UB has won the Region 1 Operation Heart Award.

Despite the unique circumstances of the 2020-2021 academic year, the UB chapter of Operation Heart was able to continue its community education initiatives through virtual health fairs and consultations. They also ran a series of creative social media challenges during American Heart Month to raise awareness among students about heart-healthy lifestyles.

The mission of the APhA Academy of Student Pharmacists is to be the collective voice of student pharmacists, providing opportunities for professional growth, improving patient care, and advancing the future of pharmacy.