Light the Tower: Pharmacy Students Win National Title
The UT Austin Tower will shine with burnt orange lights Wednesday, Oct. 26 in celebration of a national title won by students in the College of Pharmacy.
The team of students recently won first place at a national competition designed to showcase business plans for independent pharmacies.
As part the competition, teams from 46 schools across the country created business plans for either buying an existing independent pharmacy or establishing a new one. The Longhorn students’ plan focused on the fictional Piney Woods Apothecary in Nacogdoches, Texas.
The UT Austin team’s presentation included specifics such as the company’s vision and mission statements, description of new products and services, a marketing plan, a financial plan, a location analysis and broader demographic studies of the region.
Dr. M Lynn Crismon, dean of the College of Pharmacy, said the victory is the most recent example of the excellence that exemplifies UT Austin’s student pharmacists.
“Our student pharmacists did an outstanding job of examining the factors necessary to put together a successful business plan for an independent pharmacy, and they presented that plan with polish and professionalism,” Crismon said.
Bradley Arthur, president of the National Community Pharmacists Association, said the UT Austin team “stood out above the rest.”
“These teams of pharmacy students received invaluable experience that increases their chances of being successful pharmacy owners,” Arthur said. “If these well-thought-out business plans are any indication of the future of independent community pharmacies, then the future is in good hands.”
The team from UT Austin that won first place in the 13th Good Neighbor Pharmacy NCPA Pruitt-Schutte Student Business Plan Competition includes: Brittany Corbell, Taylor Dean, Jennifer Ma, Heather Rozea, and Jigar Satasia. The team was supported by faculty advisor Dr. Nathan Pope, clinical assistant professor of health outcomes and pharmacy practice, and Dr. M. Lynn Crismon, dean of the UT College of Pharmacy.