Student Awards
USPHS Excellence in Public Health Pharmacy Award
This prestigious award recognizes pharmacy students who have made significant contributions to public health by promoting wellness and healthy communities. Specifically, students are evaluated on their contributions towards voluntary health related services, an emerging public health issue, or contributions that advance the goals of Healthy People 2030 or the National Prevention Strategy.
Today, we face increasing public health crises in America as evidenced by the emergence of COVID-19 pandemic, opioid epidemic, rise of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. With the advent of these public health issues, pharmacy students can play an important role in finding innovative ways to address these challenges. Therefore, the USPHS would like to recognize and encourage students to learn about public health and engage in public health efforts in their communities.
The Excellence in Public Health Pharmacy award is issued by the Pharmacist Professional Advisory Committee (PharmPAC) of the United States Public Health Service (USPHS). The USPHS is led by the Surgeon General and is made up of more than 6,000 Commissioned Corps officers that work on the front lines of public health – fighting disease, conducting research, and caring for patients in underserved communities. This diverse team of highly qualified healthcare professionals is driven by a passion to serve the underserved, and these men and women fill essential public health leadership and clinical service roles within the Nation’s Federal Government.
2023 Award Recipients
Congratulations to 88 pharmacy students from across the country that have been recognized as the USPHS Excellence in Public Health Pharmacy Award recipients in 2023. Of those, the PharmPAC Student Awards Program selected ten top award recipients for their public health work that positively impacted their local communities and beyond. Please click on the top award recipients’ photos below to learn more about their public health work accomplishments:
Taylor Coston
East Tennessee State University Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy
East Tennessee State University Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy
For providing a college wellbeing program, providing COVID-19 vaccines to the homeless, and educating patients about mental health.
Andy D. Fernandez
Nova Southeastern University College of Pharmacy
Nova Southeastern University College of Pharmacy
For developing and implementing a new community pharmacy-based program that provides self-management education and support services to patients newly diagnosed with diabetes.
Yaser Ghavami
Marshall B. Ketchum University College of Pharmacy
Marshall B. Ketchum University College of Pharmacy
For combatting COVID-19 misinformation, encouraging COVID-19 prevention and treatment, promoting influenza and pneumococcal vaccinations amongst high-risk patients, and encouraging pharmacy leadership.
Nathaniel Hays
Midwestern University College of Pharmacy
Midwestern University College of Pharmacy –
For educating students on the safe administration of naloxone as well as training others to teach naloxone administration.
Leila Hessam
Touro College of Pharmacy
Touro College of Pharmacy
For organizing and hosting multiple naloxone training events for 50+ students, participating in various flu clinics, and educating residents of Harlem on hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia.
Derek King
Shenandoah University Bernard J. Dunn School of Pharmacy
Shenandoah University Bernard J. Dunn School of Pharmacy
For leading collaboration between community pharmacies and police departments to dispose of unused medications. For policy development to improve public health education in pharmacy curricula.
Samantha Denise Mamie
Temple University School of Pharmacy
Temple University School of Pharmacy
For engaging with key constituents across multiple public health sectors to develop and implement programs that address the priorities of the Surgeon General.
Gabrielle Marchese
Medical College of Wisconsin School of Pharmacy
Medical College of Wisconsin School of Pharmacy
For developing a system to limit medication gaps, re-initiated immunizations post-COVID19, and designed a workflow to decrease medication costs at a student-led free clinic.
Jennifer Tram Nguyen
American University of Health Sciences School of Pharmacy
American University of Health Sciences School of Pharmacy
For her continuous efforts to promote public health by organizing health fairs, providing health screenings/vaccinations, and advocating legislative advocacy to advance the pharmacy profession.
Rafiaa Siddiqui
Roosevelt University College of Pharmacy
Roosevelt University College of Pharmacy
For establishing a non-profit organization, Life Star Foundation, to host community service events and health fairs for minority communities.
Page Last Modified on 7/12/2023
