St. John’s Pharmacy Students and Faculty Make Their Mark at Annual Conference

St. John’s University’s chapter of the American Pharmacists Association–Academy of Student Pharmacists (APhA–ASP) recently earned two prestigious honors at the national organization’s 2023 annual conference. The mission of the APhA is to be the collective voice of student pharmacists, provide opportunities for professional growth, improve patient care, and advance the pharmacy profession.

The group won the Over-the-Counter Medicine Safety Second Runner-Up Regional Award for 2021–22. APhA also approved St. John’s APhA-ASP’s policy proposal, which will be officially published in the APhA Adopted Resolutions.

Thousands of professional and student pharmacists attended this year’s APhA Annual Meeting and Exposition, which was held March 24–27 in Phoenix, AZ.

“As we reflect on our APhA annual meeting experience this year, we are glad to say that it has truly been life-changing,” said Debika Kundu, a Pharm.D. candidate and President of the St. John’s APhA-ASP chapter. “We made connections with student pharmacists across the country and learned from successful pharmacists who have pursued nontraditional career pathways.”

“These connections and memories will be cherished forever,” Debika added.

Accompanying Ms. Kundu at the conference were fellow St. John’s Pharm.D. candidates Sarah Adly, who serves as Vice President of the St. John’s APhA-ASP chapter; Amisha Jaimon; Amanda Schleider, who serves as the Patient Care Project Vice President of the St. John’s APhA-ASP chapter; and Nancy Yousry, who serves as the Policy Vice President of the St. John’s APhA-ASP Chapter. In addition, Vibhuti Arya, Pharm.D., Clinical Professor, Clinical Health Professions, College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, and Saara Nasruddin ’20Pharm.D., jointly presented an educational session about health equity and patient care.

“Congratulations on all the chapter achievements! We are so proud of our APhA-ASP student leaders and faculty who have worked hard to make our chapter a success!” said Celia Lu, Pharm.D., Associate Professor, Clinical Health Professions, College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.