April 26, 2019
By Whitney Tarpy
OXFORD, Miss. – Sixteen University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy students will travel across the country and around the world to participate in competitive Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences that will enhance their pharmacy practice skills.
APPEs are part of the UM School of Pharmacy’s curriculum. All fourth-year student pharmacists must complete 10, four-week long rotations at various pharmacy practice sites. Working with pharmacy preceptors at each location, student pharmacists will gain knowledge, skills and practice experience.
Last year, four student pharmacists completed an international rotation in Peru, helping locals with medication needs. Photo submitted by Randy Calvert.
One of the more competitive APPE rotations is the American Pharmacists Association Experiential Program in Association Management and Leadership in Washington, D.C. Four UM student pharmacists were selected for this rotation: Kayla Bourgeois of Gonzales, Louisiana; William Gust of Collierville, Tennessee; Anna Touchstone of Smithdale, Mississippi; and Yujing Zhang of Oxford, Mississippi.
“This was definitely a record year for APhA rotations and for national rotations overall,” said Laurie Fleming, the pharmacy school’s director of experiential programs and experiential affairs. “We are thrilled about this unique opportunity for our students to learn about operations within a prestigious national pharmacy association.”
Ole Miss Pharmacy students will complete APPEs at four other national organizations as well. Gust was also selected for a rotation at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Kailey Denny of Buncombe, Illinois, was accepted at the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. Henry Harris of Olive Branch, Mississippi, will travel to Bristol-Myers Squibb, while Emily Gravlee of Prattville, Alabama, will participate in a rotation at Pharmacy Quality Alliance.
Eleven student pharmacists will travel abroad for rotations. Peru Medical Mission Experience selections include Bourgeois; Madison Gray of Lena, Mississippi; Brooke Long of Philadelphia, Mississippi; Sarah Medeiros of Madison, Alabama; and Wendy Zheng of Meridian, Mississippi.
The Australia Community Elective Experience recipients include Gust; Hayley Davis of Santa Maria, California; Victoria Goodman of Byram, Mississippi; Victoria Miller of Danville, Alabama; Taylor Montague of Gautier, Mississippi; and Jamie Stone of Hot Springs, Arkansas.
“Our student pharmacists’ acceptance to these national and international rotation sites is a tremendous accomplishment,” said David D. Allen, dean of the School of Pharmacy. “It speaks volumes about the hard work and dedication they’ve put forth in and out of the classroom, and we’re thrilled that they will have these unique experiences.”