Outstanding Graduate Organization at UH

APhA-ASP Chapter Among Organizations Recognized at 28th Annual UH Campus Leaders Event April 22

UH College of Pharmacy's American Pharmacists Association-Academy of Student Pharmacists (APhA-ASP) Chapter was honored with the Outstanding Graduate Organization Award at the 28th Annual UH Campus Leaders Reception and Awards Ceremony April 22. 

"I know I speak for everyone when I say that the leaders of APhA-ASP could not be more proud to be part of such an outstanding organization," said Chapter President Christina (Thuy) Vo. "Our organization will continue making amazing leaps and bounds next year under the leadership of (current President-elect) Ashley Trojcak and her fellow officers. With the endless efforts of (faculty advisors) Dr. Lynn Simpson and Dr. David Wallace as well as our volunteer preceptors, this award certainly wouldn't have been possible."

The chapter was recognized for its activities over the current academic year, which included more than a dozen community outreach/wellness events in which APhA-ASP providing more than 2,500 wellness screenings (blood pressure, glucose, cholesterol and/or diabetic foot exams) and nearly 1,000 seasonal flu immunizations.

Among the range of events and the organizations with which the chapter partnered in the community were the 3rd Annual Mayor's Back to School Fest with City of Houston Mayor's Office; Feria de Salud with American Diabetes Association and UH SNPhA Chapter; WATCH Your Wellness Health Fair with Fort Bend Medical Society Alliance; See, Test & Treat Health Fair with HOPE Clinic; Reliant Arena Health Fair with Univision KXLN-TV; Leonel Castillo Community Center; Multicultural Alliance Community Center of Houston; Aldine Community Health Fair (pictured above); Consulate of Mexico Health Fair; and the ESPN Deportes soccer tournament with American Heart Association and ESPN KGOL-AM.   

The chapter also worked to develop deeper connections among the campus community, including providing wellness screenings and health education on a range of topics at various on-campus events (such as Frontier Fiesta, UH Health and Wellness Week, and the March of Dimes March for Babies Walk at UH, which annually hosts the Houston-area event which typically draws 20,000-plus participants to campus).

In addition, the chapter engaged UH dorm residents and resident assistants in learning more about prescription drug awareness and preventions through its "Generation Rx" initiative and hosted a multiprofessional, multiorganizational Healthcare Town Hall Meeting on the Affordable Care Act. The Town Hall Meeting featured such dignitaries as Texas State Rep. Gene Wu of Houston; Texas Pharmacy Association President and UHCOP alumna Carole Hardin-Oliver; TPA PharmPAC representative and UHCOP alumnus Bruce Biundo; Deputy Assistant Director of the City of Houston's Department of Health and Human Services Benjamin Hernandez; and U.S. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, whose district includes UH, via phone-in.