WVU Pharmacy students receive national and regional honors

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - West Virginia University School of Pharmacy students received two awards during the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) 2011 Annual Meeting in Seattle, Wash., in March. The students are members of the APhA Academy of Student Pharmacists (ASP).

The students won a regional award for educating the community about diabetes through the 2010 Operation Diabetes campaign. The Region 2 award includes student chapters from Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, West Virginia, Virginia and Washington D.C.  The students in the WVU School of Pharmacy chapter worked to achieve this award by performing blood glucose screenings, conducting health fairs for seniors and children and participating in a variety of health education events to inform the community about preventing or managing diabetes. The students also raised awareness about diabetes through participation in the West Virginia State Fair and holding activities to observe World Diabetes Day.

The national award honored the chapter for advancing the profession of pharmacy and protecting the health of the public by participating in the Operation Diabetes, Heartburn Awareness Challenge, Operation Heart and Operation Immunization campaigns. The campaigns focused on managing or preventing diabetes, heartburn and heart disease and educating the community about the importance of vaccinations.

The student chapter also received recognition for attracting 90 percent or greater of eligible members to join. Only eight chapters of the approximately 120 chapters at schools of pharmacy across the nation received this award for the 2010 school year.