Happy New Year! I cannot believe we are halfway through the first month of a new year, 2025! It is my prayer that you be granted health and happiness in the year to come. I know I have certainly thanked the Lord for His hand of favor in my life in recent days. There’s nothing like a good snow day to help you slow down, be still, and rest in awe of Him.

In the fall newsletter, I promised that the COP would remain steadfast in our commitment to our mission and to living out the Core Values of Union University. Today I provide an update on that very commitment. The COP has just approved a new vision and mission, and I am excited to share it with you today. Before I do, I want to walk you through the decision-making process that led to these new statements. These statements are foundational to our work, and the decision to revise them was not made lightly.

The founding vision and mission were written at the onset of the program in 2008. You are likely aware that new accreditation standards were released in July for implementation in 2025. These new standards do include certain components that must be included in a program’s vision and mission. For these two reasons, we evaluated our existing statements and determined an update was needed.

COP leadership convened a group of external stakeholders to participate in a SWOT analysis of the program. This group included UUCOP alumni in various practice settings, state organization and regulatory leaders, health-system partners, and a student representative. The analysis consisted of an online survey and then a virtual meeting where COP leaders and stakeholders analyzed the survey results. Informed by these findings, COP faculty and staff then had a series of meetings to dream, discuss, and refine the language I share with you today.

New vision: To develop compassionate pharmacists of distinctive character committed to exceptional patient care, service, and lifelong learning.

New mission: Equipping student pharmacists through excellent, Christ-centered education, scholarship, and service to practice in an ever-changing healthcare environment.

In closing, it’s important to me that you – our alumni, preceptors, and partners – always know what we’re doing at the college. More importantly, I want you to know why we’re doing what we’re doing at the college. Please know that each word in the statements above was chosen with intentionality. We want our graduates to be compassionate, to be exceptional, and to be distinctly different from other graduates. We know that our alumni, preceptors, and partners play a key role in accomplishing these goals, and for that, we are grateful.

Thank you for continuing to support what we do here at Union, a place where faith and knowledge unite in a beautiful way.

Kim M. Jones, PharmD, BCPS, FASHP
Dean and Professor of Pharmacy Practice

Union University Fall 2024 Graduation

Congratulations to three of our students who accomplished big things in December. P4 Student Harley Thomason (middle) graduated with her MBA. We also had two students receive their Doctor of Pharmacy degrees early through our 3.5-year track, Dr. Hannah Rico (left) and Dr. Karlie Bevis (right). We are so proud of these students!

Alumni Recognition

Jacob Fussell ('18) was named West Tennessee Healthcare Henry County Hospital Partner of the Year for his dedication, teamwork, and passion for patient care. Check out the article about this accomplishment here.

Dr. Slater Lomax ('19) hosted our Class of 2028 cohort at his practice site, AmPharm in Parsons, TN, as a part of our Introduction to Pharmacy course. Students and faculty in attendance enjoyed the opportunity to see an alumnus in action! You're never too old for a field trip!

Daniel Horton ('25) was appointed to ASHP's Pharmacy Student Forum advisory group on Advancement of Professional Pharmacy Practice! This national advisory group serves to advise ASHP regarding the development and support of programs designed to engage and educate students regarding initiatives to advance the practice of pharmacy.

Corey McLemore ('25) was appointed to NCPA's national Compounding Committee and was also awarded the NCPA Foundation's Presidential Scholarship! This scholarship is awarded to students who demonstrate leadership, academic achievement, and interest in independent pharmacy. He was recognized for this accomplishment at the 2024 NCPA Annual Convention in Columbus, Ohio.

UUCOP had a great showing at the student poster showcases during the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) 2024 Midyear Clinical Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana! Congratulations to all on your hard work!

Pictured (left to right): Rachel Lucky ('26), Brianna Correia ('26), Jacob Shaver ('25), Collin Fiorentini ('25), Samarah Wallace ('25), and Delaney Peterson ('25).

Scholarship Updates

Dr. Luna Bennett (Faculty): Bennett LL. Synergistic Effect of Reservatrol and Paclitaxel in the Treatment of Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma. OBM Genetics. 2024 Oct 18. 8(4):268. Check it out here.
- AND -
Tan BL, Konsue N, Bennett LL, et al. Editorial: Preventive potential of antioxidants in age-related diseases. Frontiers in Pharmacology. 2024 Nov 07. Check it out here.

 Dr. George DeMaagd (Professor Emeritus) and Dr. Zac Halford (Faculty): DeMaagd G, Franz G, Halford Z. Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor-Associated Nephritis: A Case of Nivolumab-induced Acute Kidney Injury in a Patient with Urothelial Carcinoma. Pharmacy Times. 2024 Dec 20. Check it out here.

George Saied ('25), Dr. Zac Halford (Faculty): Saied G, Halford Z. Engaging a New Treatment Paradigm: Elranatamab in Relapsed/Refractory Multiple Myeloma. Annals of Pharmacotherapy. 2024 Oct. 16. Check it out here. 

Opportunities to Get Involved

1. Support Our Students Attending 2025 APhA Annual Meeting in Nashville, TN!

This year's American Pharmacists Association's Annual Meeting is very special to us not just because it is happening in our neighborhood but also because one of our very own, P3 student Rachel Lucky, will be installed during this meeting as the President of APhA-ASP! She was elected from her national peers to serve in this role. This is an incredible recognition of her gifts and leadership abilities and shines a year-long spotlight on the pharmacy program here at Union University.

In the words of Rachel, "Professional meetings are the greatest way for students to understand the magnitude of our profession and of their place within it. Having the APhA Annual Meeting & Exposition so close to home this year is an incredible opportunity for students. Please consider contributing to the future success of student pharmacists by sponsoring registrations for current students - whether that is the full student registration amount of $299 or a partial amount that you can contribute."

Please consider paying it forward and donate to our students today by clicking the "Support a Student" button below. To ensure your donation will assist student travel, please select College of Pharmacy General Donations from the dropdown menu.

2. Honor Founding Members Dr. Sheila Mitchell and Dr. George DeMaagd

A tremendous foundation has been laid by Drs. Mitchell and DeMaagd. We honor their legacy by continuing their expectation of excellence. We honor their legacy by continuing to honor Christ with our thoughts and actions. We honor their legacy by remaining focused on the development of the heart of the COP, our current and future students. To honor Dean Mitchell and Dr. DeMaagd for their 17 years of dedicated service to the College of Pharmacy, please consider making a donation to the Founders Award, established in their names to continue supporting the students who were at the heart of their commitment. 

3. Spread the Word about Union University College of Pharmacy

In a recent meeting with the University's marketing department, we learned that the #1 driver of students to Union University is word of mouth! As you encounter students interested in the healthcare field, share your experiences and feel free to connect them with a member of our Student Services Team:
Mr. Mike Renfrow, Director of Admissions and Recruitment (mrenfrow@uu.edu)
Mrs. Kristin Taylor, Coordinator for Student Services, (ktaylor@uu.edu)
Dr. Taylor Mathis, Assistant Dean for Student Services (tmathis@uu.edu).

The #1 online driver of students to Union University is niche.com. Our marketing team is building out the College of Pharmacy's page on this website, and we need your help! Our new page currently has no student/alumni testimonials to inform prospective students. We would deeply appreciate it if you would use the button below to leave a positive review of your experience at Union University College of Pharmacy to inform prospective students of the benefits of choosing the UUCOP Pharmily for their educational journey!

4. Keep Us in the Loop!

We want to celebrate your wins with you, mourn your losses, and support you in any way we can. The best way to do that is to keep us in the loop! Each quarterly newsletter will have a button like the one below that links you to a Microsoft Form that will allow you to share any changes to your contact information (e.g. phone, email, mailing address), professional successes (e.g. publications, job changes, honors & awards), personal successes (e.g. marriage, babies, adoptions), and ways we can be in prayer for our alumni. 

Our Office of Student Services is updating our alumni contact resource, and it would be very helpful if you would use the button below to update your contact information. You may receive a call from our Coordinator for Student Services, Mrs. Kristin Taylor, in the coming months as she verifies our current alumni contact listing. We are also asking if you would like to include any of your family in our email communications and mailed products. We are happy to share the successes of our alumni, faculty, staff, and students with all who would like to hear!

Our current and prospective students love to connect with our alumni. If you are interested in speaking to our students, participating in COP activities, or providing a written or video testimonial that can be shared, please do reach out to Dr. Taylor Mathis (tmathis@uu.edu) or Dr. Kim Jones (kjones@uu.edu).

Upcoming events at Union University College of Pharmacy:
  January 24: P3 Pinning Ceremony
  March 28: P1 White Coat Ceremony

Upcoming Conferences:
  January 23-25: SCCM Annual Congress - Orlando, FL
  January 31-February 2: TPA Winter Meeting - Nashville, TN
  March 21-24: APhA Annual Meeting & Exposition - Nashville, TN

Union University College of Pharmacy
1050 Union University Dr.
Jackson, Tennessee 38305
uu.edu/pharmacy 

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