Pharmacy students win outreach competition

Back row, from left: Nicole Ladd, Cassie Frimann, Sonya Sedahl, Brooke Heine, Amanda Mausbach and Erin Koch. Front row, from left: Lisa Lawton, Sarah Lee, Shelley Lippold and Emily Rice.

Students from 31 schools and colleges of pharmacy conducted more than 5,500 hours of outreach service and activities for more than 650,000 individuals across the country as part of the “Medicare Student Outreach Competition” sponsored by the State Pharmacists Associations and the National Council of State Pharmacy Association Executives (NCSPAE), and supported by a grant from the Medicare Rx Education Network.

Seventeen UNMC students participated in the competition locally. Dr. Jayashri Sankaranarayanan, assistant professor of pharmacy, coordinated the students’ activities designed to educate and answer questions regarding the Medicare Part D initiative for Nebraska citizens throughout the state.

In the competition, UNMC students finished 16th out of the 31 schools that competed, receiving a NCSPAE Medicare Student Outreach Competition Award of $500. P3 student Sarah Lee kicked off the College’s planned activities with a “students learn from students” session on the Medicare Part D program. Subsequently, students educated Medicare beneficiaries and the public at senior and day care centers, enrollment sites, assisted living facilities and pharmacies.

UNMC students who participated in the project were Christopher Blum, Ashley Brondum, Brock Bulas, Cassie Frimann, Christy Hanna, Brooke Heine, Erin Koch, Amy Krotter, Nicole Ladd, Lisa Lawton, Sarah Lee, Amanda Mausbach, Cerinda Morales, Emily Rice, Sonya Sedahl, Shelley Tifft-Lippold and Rona Vergo.