Sabrina Cangas, Catherine Ironbar, Gage McInturff, Brittany Palasik, Jonathan Rivera, Lauren Robertson, Payton Simpson, Dr. Annesha White and Storee Yzaguirre – College of Pharmacy
May 29, 2022 • May 2022, Serve Others First, valubility, VOTM
Valubility of the Month May 2022
Nominated by Haley McKeefer Hearn for Serve Others First
Catherine, Sabrina, Payton, Johnny, Gage, and Storee are the founding students of a new student pharmacist mental health initiative led by Drs. Brittany (Palasik) Torres and Annesha White. The pandemic has uniquely affected health professional students, and this amazing group decided to do something about it for the HSC College of Pharmacy. Right before our finals week, they designed and executed both an in-person and a virtual “mental wellness” space for students to mentally relax with puzzles, card games, and scenic simulations. Every student pharmacist had the option to use these resources during our May Dead Week and I personally know of at least 30 students who benefitted from the stress relievers. Additionally, our faculty have been personally sponsoring healthy snacks and face masks before major exam days this last academic year for all three cohorts on campus. To share thanks and emphasize the student need for these wellness resources, these students partnered with Phi Delta Chi (a professional pharmacy fraternity) to fundraise over $1,500 in funding. Furthermore, they partnered with Pharmacy Student Government Association (PSGA) to advocate for Activity Chairs to promote “mental wellness” activities in conjunction with the College. Our student body passed this bylaw change. Their efforts to promote sustainability in this initiative for future cohorts demonstrates how necessary our students need these resources. They are prime examples of Serving Others First.
Social media