ABOUT US | ua-cop-sshp

About UA COP SSHP

The University of Arizona College of Pharmacy Student-Society of Health System Pharmacist Chapter is an organization of pharmacy students who feel passionately about pharmacy as a clinical profession. The mission of the organization is to provide students with programs and services which add to the educational experiences of the college curriculum, to promote pharmacy as an integral part of the healthcare team, and to represent its members before private and public agencies as well as other healthcare organizations.

2019 Officers

President: Amy Nguyen
President-Elect: Dillon Yup
VP of Membership: Katie Blomquist
VP of Fundraising: Joshua Kessler
VP of Public Relations: Joselyn Villanueva
Secretary: Jana Sawyer
Treasurer: Elysia Lee
Philanthropy Chair: Claire Yeoman
IPCSC Chair: Alex Le
ASHP Liaison: Sammantha Meyer
Tucson Hypertension Health Fair Coordinators:
- Lindsey Baugham
- Jordan Gardiner
- Kwon Park
- David Zingale
Phoenix Hypertension Health Fair Coordinators:
- Alex Stich and Christian Cava
Phoenix Liaisons:
- Adam Bailey and Anisa Kamel
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Michael Katz

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Meet Our Officers!

Amy Nguyen – President

Amy is a second-year pharmacy student and initially was inspired by pharmacy when she noticed that pharmacists are one of the most accessible for one on one medical advice in the community. Her further experiences with pharmacists demonstrated the vital role they play in having a direct effect on patient outcomes through helping provide daily doses of medications, ensuring patients receive the safest medication treatment during emergency situations, and optimizing the medication regimen for patients on multiple medications through drug utilization reviews. Amy is planning on pursuing a residency after graduation and is still open to learning the different fields of specialties. In Amy’s free time, she likes to make video blogs, explore new foods, and travel.

Dillon Yup - President - Elect

Dillon is a first-year pharmacy student from Phoenix, AZ who became interested in pharmacy because of his passion for chemistry and physiology. At first, he was generally interested in the medical field, as most of his friends and family were involved somehow with healthcare. With time, he found a passion for chemistry and physiology and enjoyed learning about how drugs interacted with the body. Since then he has learned all the opportunities available for pharmacy and the accessibility of pharmacy and is excited to have ended up in this profession. In Dillon’s free time, he enjoys playing video games, working out, and rock climbing.

Katie Blomquist – VP of Membership

Katie is a second-year pharmacy student who became passionate about pursuing a career in pharmacy once she realized the impact pharmacists have in a patient’s life. Pharmacists are valuable members of the interprofessional health care team and are always being challenged to determine the best therapy for patients. After graduation she would like to pursue a residency to expand on her clinical knowledge so she can become a valuable member of the inter-professional team. In her free time Katie enjoys spending time with friends and family, going to the gym, and outdoor activities such as hiking.

Joshua Kessler – VP of Fundraising

Joshua Kessler is a first-year pharmacy student and Tucson native. He received his Bachelor’s of Science in Physiology from the University of Arizona. He chose pharmacy due to its tight relation to physiology and the body’s mechanisms. He hopes to utilize his time in pharmacy school to gain clinical knowledge as well as become an active participant in the ever-growing role of the pharmacy. Joshua is interested in the patient interaction with the pharmacist to continue for better health outcomes. Joshua is currently open to many clinical aspects of pharmacy as a future career. In his free time Joshua likes to spend his time with friends and family, try new foods, and travel to new places.

Joselyn Villanueva – VP of Public Relations

Joselyn is a second-year pharmacy student born and raised in Glendale, Arizona. She received her Bachelor's of Science in Health Sciences at Arizona State University. During her undergrad one of her classes required her to set up an internship in a setting where she was interested in pursuing a career in. At the time a family friend, who is a pharmacist, worked for Walgreens and that is where Joselyn gained her first experience in a pharmacy. As she watched the pharmacist counsel patients, make decisions with regard to the patient’s medications, and overall run the pharmacy, Joselyn saw the impact that was made on the community and she could see herself doing the same. In 2017 she moved to Tucson to purse her career in pharmacy at the University of Arizona. She has since learned about the different opportunities pharmacists have and after graduation she plans to complete a residency to further her education and gain more experience in order to provide her patients with the best care. In her free time, Joselyn likes to stay active by going to the gym or hiking, as well as spending time with her family and friends.

Jana Sawyer - Secretary

Jana Sawyer is currently in her P2 year at the UA COP. She lived in Gilbert, AZ until Fall of 2014 when she moved to Tucson to complete her undergraduate studies. In May of 2017 she earned her Bachelors degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the UA College of Science. She joined SSHP when she started pharmacy school in the Fall of 2017. She served as the VP of Fundraising for the 2018 calendar year, and is excited to serve as secretary for 2019. She has an interest in hospital/clinical pharmacy and plans to apply for residency following her graduation in May of 2021.

Elysia Lee – Treasurer

Elysia is born and raised in South Korea and immigrated to the United States in the 7th grade. She lived in Phoenix, Arizona for about three years and moved to Cupertino, California in 2010. She moved again to Tucson in 2014, where she completed her Bachelor of Science in Nutritional Science at the University of Arizona with a minor in Biochemistry. Elysia is currently a first year pharmacy student. She aspires to become a pharmacist who can be able to give back to the community and actively reach out to patients to provide quality patient care. Elysia is planning on pursuing a residency after graduation and is still open to learning the different fields of specialties. In Elysia’s free time, she likes to make vlogs for her Youtube channel, cook, and travel.

Claire Yeoman – Philanthropy Chair

Claire is a second-year pharmacy student and chose to pursue pharmacy when she shadowed pharmacists and realized the impact they can make on a patient’s life. She appreciates that in order to ensure the most optimal health outcomes for our patients, we must engage in inter-professional collaboration. She values the crucial role pharmacists play in the care team and looks forward to working with other health professionals as a clinical pharmacist in the future. After graduation, Claire is planning on pursuing a residency in clinical pharmacy in order to be a better candidate to be a part of this inter-professional team. She is a Tucson native and believes that by pursing pharmacy she is giving back to her community. She is a die-hard U of A Men’s basketball fan, so when she has free time she enjoys cheering on the Wildcats.

Alex Le – Interprofessional Clinical Skills Competition Chair

Alex is a University of Arizona pharmacy student of the class of 2022. He completed high school at Brophy College Preparatory and completed his pre-pharmacy undergraduate classes at the University of Arizona. He is currently a Medication Management Center pharmacy intern providing comprehensive medication reviews to members enrolled in their health plan’s medication therapy management program. He enjoys spending his free time walking at the park, reading books at the library, and visiting his family in Phoenix, Arizona.

Sammantha Meyer - ASHP Liaison

Sammantha is a first year pharmacy student from Tucson, Arizona. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Microbiology from the University of Arizona. She first became interested in pharmacy after volunteering in the outpatient VA hospital in Northern California. She saw the role of pharmacists and the dynamic within the health care team and fell in love with the field. After graduation, she hopes to complete a residency and focus on finding what specialty she finds most interesting. She will graduate in 2022. In her free time she enjoys outdoor adventures like hiking and camping.

David Zingale – Tucson Hypertension Coordinator

David was originally born in Jamestown, New York. His entire family relocated to Phoenix when he was two years old and have been living in Arizona ever since. Throughout high school he played lacrosse year-round, participating in every travel, and club team imaginable. He was fortunate enough to complete 3 years of undergraduate coursework at the University of Arizona before gaining acceptance into the pharmacy program. The main reason he's interested in clinical pharmacy is due to the endless opportunities that are available enhance patient care. The idea of integrating various physiological, clinical, and social skills in a team setting is exciting to him. As the scope of pharmacy practice expands much of society will realize that pharmacists are not just there to count pills. He plans to apply for residencies upon graduation and his goal is to work in an interdisciplinary setting with physicians, nurses, and other providers. Additionally, he is interested in exploring the fields of emergency medicine and critical care.

Jordan Gardiner - Tucson Hypertension Coordinator

Jordan is a first-year pharmacy student who completed her Bachelor's of Science degree in Human Biology at Michigan State University. She moved to Tucson from Michigan a year after her graduation and loves Arizona so far. She became interested in pharmacy when she began working as a technician at CVS pharmacy and realized how much a pharmacist has an impact on patient care. After graduating pharmacy school in 2022, she hopes to pursue a residency and eventually work in an interdisciplinary setting alongside different health care professionals. She thinks it is important to establish relationships between patients in order for them to get the best care and that this practice setting would be the best route to do so.

Kwon Park - Tucson Hypertension Coordinator

Kwon is a first-year pharmacy student who completed a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry before continuing in the PharmD program. His initial interest in pharmacy started with his passion in chemistry and how medications work in the human body. He chose pharmacy as his career because he strongly believes pharmacists play a crucial role in a patient-centered healthcare team as well as promoting health and medication safety in our community. Kwon plans to pursue a residency program upon graduation to gain more clinical knowledge in pharmacy, to add more value in a healthcare team as a clinical pharmacist, and to provide optimal care to his patients. He especially enjoys interacting with patients and getting to know them at a personal level. He is passionate about working with his peer pharmacy students in our community to promote health and medications safety. In his free time, Kwon enjoys trying new foods, watching movies, or playing with his dog, Leo.

Lindsey Baugham - Tucson Hypertension Coordinator

Lindsey is a first year pharmacy student and has been interested in pharmacy since high school. At her mom’s urging, she spoke with a clinical pharmacist at a local hospital and fell in love with the combination of patient care, drug knowledge, and inter-professional collaboration that pharmacy provides. Throughout the years, Lindsey has learned more about the profession and its importance in our world today as its role expands. She currently works at the Medication Management Center where she has learned much about medications and chronic disease state management. She plans on completing residency after graduation and hopes to one day work either in an inpatient, clinical setting in the hospital or in an ambulatory care clinic, helping patients manage their diseases long-term. For fun, Lindsey loves to read, listen to music, and just spend time with friends and family.

Alex Stich - Phoenix Hypertension Coordinator

Alex Stich is a first-year pharmacy student who became interested in pharmacy during her undergraduate internship at an independent pharmacy. Alex became a technician at OnePoint Patient Care while finishing her Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Sciences and a minor in Spanish at Barrett the Honors College at Arizona State University. After graduating from pharmacy school, she hopes to work in a clinical setting where she can work with other health care providers to provide the best patient care. In Alex’s free time, she spends time outdoors, at the gym, and with friends and family.

Christian Cava - Phoenix Hypertension Coordinator

Christian is a first-year Pharmacy student that first became interested in the field of pharmacy after his first chemistry class in high school. He completed his Bachelor's of Science in Biology with an Emphasis in Pre-Pharmacy at Grand Canyon University in May of 2018 and has worked at CVS Pharmacy for 2 years now. His goals after graduation are to pursue a career in pediatrics, acute care, compounding, or anything else that catches his eye. In Christian's free time, you can find him rocking out on his drums, working out at the gym, hanging out with his girlfriend and puppy named Moose, and playing video games.

Adam Bailey - Phoenix Liaison

Adam is a second-year pharmacy student in the Phoenix cohort. He did his undergraduate studies at the University of Oregon and received his bachelor’s degree in business administration. He learned about a career in pharmacy while he recruited pharmacists for a staffing company he worked at and decided that was what he wanted to do. Now currently working as an Intern Pharmacist at Banner University Medical Center Phoenix for a full year now, his passion for pharmacy has never been stronger and he is eager to continue learning and growing. When not studying or working, Adam enjoys sports, cooking, and spending time with his beautiful wife and cute dog, in no particular order. Except the wife one, that one should be up top.

Anisa Kamel - Phoenix Liaison

Anisa Kamel is a first-year pharmacy student from Northampton, MA. She pursued her undergraduate degree at Syracuse University. After visiting Arizona several times, she fell in love with the desert. Through her undergraduate coursework, specifically, nutritional biochemistry, she became interested in how drugs work in the body. Anisa became passionate for the profession from shadowing pharmacists, volunteering in hospitals, learning from a family of healthcare professionals, and working as a pharmacy technician. After seeing how medications can save patients’ lives, Anisa is excited to have a vital role as a pharmacist in the healthcare team. While she is open to the many paths in the field, she has special interests in pediatrics and oncology. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, traveling, and vacationing at the beach.

Meet Our Faculty Advisor

Dr. Michael Katz, PharmD - Faculty Advisor

Michael D. Katz, PharmD, has been with the Department of Pharmacy Practice and Science since 1979. He received a Bachelor of Science in pharmacy degree from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy in 1976 and his doctor of pharmacy degree from the University of Kentucky in 1979. Dr. Katz serves as clinical pharmacist at University Medical Center. His major interests include internal medicine, infectious diseases and nutrition. Dr. Katz is faculty adviser for the Student Society of Health-System Pharmacists.