Posted on: October 20, 2020
Pharmacy and pre-pharmacy students spent a recent Saturday learning about non-traditional career opportunities as the Kennedy Pharmacy Innovation Center held its 3rd Annual Career Summit. 94 students took part in the virtual summit that featured speakers from the UofSC College of Pharmacy as well as pharmaceutical businesses, health care organizations and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Students heard from pharmacists about their unique career opportunities and also gained helpful contacts for pursuing similar career fields. This year’s summit was held virtually due to safety restrictions because of COVID-19. “The virtual career summit is an example of how the pandemic is driving the surge in online learning and video conferencing,” says KPIC Chair Lindsay Cobbs. “The benefit of the virtual summit means it fits the new demands on our lives and schedules. It costs less for meeting hosts and attendees, and these sessions are more likely to be recorded, which allow attendees to go back and review, giving them the chance to fully grasp important concepts.”
You have to think outside the box for nontraditional pharmacy career opportunities ... and your creativity is the only thing that limits nontraditional roles.
Lindsay Cobbs, R.Ph. Chair, Kennedy Pharmacy Innovation Center
Cobbs, a ’92 alum of the College of Pharmacy, who also served as a speaker for the event says the summit demonstrates there are many different ways to benefit from a pharmacy degree. “You have to think outside the box for nontraditional pharmacy career opportunities,” he adds, “and your creativity is the only thing that limits nontraditional roles.”
Other speakers included Gene Reeder, Ph.D., Director of Outcomes Research & Professor Emeritus at the UofSC College of Pharmacy; Ashlee Klevens Hayes, Pharm.D., owner of RXAshlee; Cory Jenks, 2011 Pharm.D., a clinical pharmacist at Southern Arizona VA; Sandra Leal, Pharm.D., executive vice president at SinfoníaRx; Jo Ann Spearmon, Pharm.D., past president of the National Pharmaceutical Association and a senior program management officer for the FDA Employee Safety and Occupational Health Team; and Richard Waithe, Pharm.D., President, VUCA Health.
I discovered pharmacy fields I had never heard of before ... This is an event I recommend pharmacy students attend every year!
Alexis Caronis Pharm.D. Candidate, Class of 2021
Alexis Caronis, a fourth-year pharmacy student, wanted to learn more about non-traditional paths in pharmacy. “I wanted to hear where thought leaders see the future of pharmacy evolving into,” she says. “I discovered pharmacy fields I had never heard of before, learned how to further develop my leadership and professional development, and had the opportunity to virtually connect with others in a setting that wasn't a classroom. This is an event I recommend pharmacy students attend every year!”
LaShonda Frye is a second-year pharmacy student who also attended last year’s summit as well. “I enjoy attending them because it allows me to be exposed to different and non-traditional pathways that pharmacists can take.”
Frye, along with pre-pharmacy student Isabell Miller and first-year student Madeline Mahoney, won a $250 scholarship in a drawing sponsored by KPIC. “I will be utilizing my scholarship to help me pay for the additional courses that I need to take for the KPIC Business Track,” she said.
If you are interested in viewing the recorded version of the Career Summit, contact Pamela Hite, KPIC program coordinator.