The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Pharmacy (SOP) celebrated the accomplishments of faculty and students during its annual Scholarship and Awards Ceremony held Thursday, April 5.
More than 35 students were honored with 25 scholarships and awards. Student Representative Council President Nikolina Golob, a third-year pharmacy student from St. Louis, served as the master of ceremonies.
“We gather to celebrate the hard work and professional commitment of these outstanding faculty and students,” Golob said. “We thank our generous donors, as well as the families and friends of our worthy student awardees, for your incredible support.”
SIUE SOP Dean Gireesh Gupchup, PhD, FAPhA, emphasized that scholarship gifts are remarkable investments in the future of students and the University.
“Without the assistance of the pharmacy community, our students would be at a loss and we thank all of our generous donors who provide scholarship funds to these future pharmacists,” Gupchup said. “We hope that students form a relationship with their scholarship sponsors and keep them informed of their academic progress.
Gupchup also thanked the ceremony’s sponsor, Walgreens, for its significant support. In attendance were Walgreens Healthcare Supervisor Julie Bickers and Healthcare Specialty Supervisor Heather Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald is a member of the SOP’s Experiential Education Committee and Advisory Board.
“The SIUE School of Pharmacy is successful because we receive help from our partners,” Gupchup said. “That help is in evidence every day through the work of the more than 700 alumni employed as pharmacists across the nation.”
Along with the student honors, the SOP also presented its Scholarship Recognition Award to Radhika Devraj, PhD, associate professor of pharmaceutical sciences.
Teaching Recognition Awards were presented to Mike Crider, PhD, associate dean for research, and chair and professor of pharmaceutical sciences, and McKenzie Ferguson, PharmD, BCPS, associate professor of pharmacy practice and director of the Drug Information and Wellness Center.
Photos: Student Representative Council President Nikolina Golob, a third-year pharmacy student from St. Louis, served as the master of ceremonies during the SIUE School of Pharmacy’s Scholarship and Awards Program.
Walgreens representatives and award winners (L-R) Julie Bickers, Hannah Seeger, Rebeca Mier y Leon, and Heather Fitzgerald.
(L-R) SIUE Chancellor Randy Pembrook and the School of Pharmacy’s Mike Crider, McKenzie Ferguson, Radhika Devraj, and Dean Gireesh Gupchup.