It’s summertime here at the Union University College of Pharmacy. That means we have been quite busy preparing for spring’s big event – graduation for the Class of 2025. In addition to graduation, there have been many special moments scattered across the spring semester that are worthy of note. I hope you follow the COP on social media and have been keeping up with the many faculty and student accomplishments since our last newsletter. Here’s a top 5 highlight reel, with all items of equal importance!
1. Students from the Class of 2024 showed out—earning a 91.7% pass rate on both the NAPLEX and MPJE exams, ranking Union #1 in the state of Tennessee and #10 of 143 colleges and schools of pharmacy nationwide for performance on BOTH exams.
2. Third-year student, Rachel Lucky, was installed as the APhA-ASP national president during the APhA Annual Meeting held in March in Nashville, Tennessee.
3. Also at the meeting, the UUCOP was awarded our highest APhA recognition to date, Division III Winner!
4. UUCOP students achieved residency match perfection, with 100% of our PGY-1 and PGY-2 candidates receiving a match during the ASHP match process.
5. Dr. Jennifer Byrd was awarded a $20,000 grant from the NACDS Foundation for her work entitled, “Nourish & Flourish: Empowering Underrepresented Minority Student Pharmacists.”
As you continue to read this newsletter, you’ll see that this top 5 list could have easily been much longer! COP faculty and staff have been quite busy living up to our 4 core values: Excellence-driven, Christ-centered, People-focused, and Future-directed. I’m truly honored to work with and learn from our faculty, staff, and students each and every day.
Additionally, we also held five very special events this semester. In January, we recognized third-year students during the Pinning Ceremony. Dr. Christian Lyons, Class of 2020 alum served as the keynote speaker, eloquently marking the student transition from classroom to practice. In March, we adorned our first-year students with their white coats during the annual White Coat Ceremony. Class of 2016 alumnus, Dr. Kevin Arrison delivered the keynote address—the first alum to have this honor. In April, the Office of Student Services hosted our incoming cohort—the Class of 2029—during the annual Kickoff event. Our P4s took part in a new event, titled, PharmD Forward: Celebrating U. During this event, P4 students were treated to lunch, prepped for licensing exams, learned about becoming a preceptor, and received their first UUCOP alumni swag (yes, we now have a UUCOP alum t-shirt!). Last, but certainly not least, we celebrated both the Class of 2025 and all students who were awarded a scholarship during this academic year during the annual Honors and Awards Ceremony. This year’s ceremony was extra special in that it was the first time the COP awarded a scholarship established by an alumnus of our program. It was truly an honor to recognize the legacy of Mr. Jerry Hughes, father to Dr. Angela Hughes Crocker, from the Class of 2015. What a joy it has been to pause and reflect on these meaningful moments and accomplishments. Life is indeed a collection of small things that weave together to become big things!
If you are receiving this newsletter, it means you are important to what we do here at Union. At the end of this academic year, the COP will be publishing its first-ever Dean’s Report, highlighting what’s been mentioned above and so much more. I want a copy of this report to find its way to you, so please CLICK HERE to ensure we have your correct mailing address. The report will expound on the COP’s new Strategic Plan and will launch a new initiative that I hope you will want to be a part of!
As I’ve said before, it’s important to me that you – our alumni, preceptors, and partners – always know what we’re doing at the college. You help make our COP one of distinction, a place where faith and knowledge unite in a beautiful way.
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Kim M. Jones, PharmD, BCPS, FASHP
Dean and Professor of Pharmacy Practice
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Allison Hebert ('15) was recently promoted to Director of Pharmacy at Deaconess Union County Critical Access Hospital in Kentucky. Congratulations, Dr. Hebert!
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Allison Yates ('17) and her family have recently moved to Montana, where she will serve as an Inpatient Pharmacist with Bozeman Health, and her husband will live out his dreams as a mountain man! We wish all of the best for your family in this new season!
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Chris Bowens ('19) and Dr. Jay Phipps (Preceptor) were recently named among Pharmacy’s 50 Most Influential Pharmacists for 2024. You can read more about this honor and see the awards ceremony podcast for yourself at this link!
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Kacy Howell ('22) recently began a position as Clinical Pharmacist at Pemiscot Memorial Hospital where she is responsible for managing the internal medicine patients as well as any patients in the emergency department that are considered to be critical. In this role, she rounds with physicians daily and oversees some of the institution's pharmacy operations.
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| Meredith Johnson ('22) recently accepted a new position as a Remote Staff Pharmacist with Accredo Health Group. We are incredibly excited for her new role!
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The Class of 2022 has been hard at work! Congratulations to these alumni who have recently received Board Certifications (photographed left to right): Dr. Kaleb Adams, BCPS; Dr. Minh Dong, BCPS; Dr. Meredith Johnson, BCPS; Dr. Savannah Pratt, BCPS; Dr. Clint Smith, BCPS, and Dr. Firas Quran, CACP
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| Lauren Thornburg ('23) has accepted a new position as Clinical Pharmacist within Regional One Health's Infusion Center in Memphis, Tennessee. Way to go, Lauren!
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| Elleigh Shepherd ('25) received the Tennessee Pharmacists Association's 2025 TSSP Student Allegiance Award during TPA's Day on the Hill in February.
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Congratulations to the Class of 2024, whose efforts on the NAPLEX and MPJE cannot go unnoticed! These alumni achieved pass rates earning them the #1 spot in the state and the #10 spot across the country. Way to go - we are so proud of you!
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Congratulations to our recently graduated Class of 2025 as well as the Class of 2024 participants in the Match! UUCOP achieved 100% match rates for all of our participants in the PGY-1 and PGY-2 ASHP Match process.
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Current P4 student Brianna Correia has had an excellent semester! She was installed as the 2025-2026 TPA-TSSP President, she received the APhA Foundation's Pharmacists Mutual Community Pharmacy Scholarship, and she was selected to serve on APhA's National Communications Standing Committee.
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Current P4 student Rachel Lucky was installed as the 2025-2026 APhA-ASP President during the 2025 American Pharmacists Association Annual Meeting and Exposition in Nashville, Tennessee.
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| Current P3 student Hudson Angel was one of only sixteen students in the nation to be appointed to serve on NCPA's Student Leadership Council. He will serve in this role for the next two years.
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Pinning Ceremony (Class of 2026)
January 24, 2025 at 2:00pm in the Carl Grant Event Center
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Christian Lyons ('20)
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White Coat Ceremony (Class of 2028)
March 28, 2025 at 2:00pm in the G.M. Savage Memorial Chapel
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Kevin Arrison ('16)
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2025 Honors and Awards Ceremony (Class of 2025)
May 2, 2025 at 2:00pm in the G.M. Savage Memorial Chapel
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Zac Halford
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Congratulations, Class of 2025!! |
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| Dr. Luna Bennett was recently credentialed as a Certified Nutrition Specialist (CNS) from the Board of Certification of Nutrition Specialists.
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Dr. Jennifer Byrd authored a proposal for a NACDS Foundation Scholarship, which was accepted and awarded during the 2025 NACDS Annual meeting attended by Dean Jones in April. The Inspirational Scholarship from the NACDS Foundation supports our work on launching a new program to attract and retain pharmacy students from rural West Tennessee. The full press release can be found here.
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Dr. Luna Bennett (Faculty): Bennett LL. Effects of Pharmacological Dose of Vitamin C on MDA-MB-231 Cells. Biomedicines. 2025;13(3):ePub. Check it out here!
Simran Chahal ('25), Elleigh Shepherd ('25), Nicole Taylor ('25), Dr. Bethany Murphy (Faculty), Dr. Austin Camp (Faculty): Murphy B, Chahal S, Shepherd E, et al. Impact of Hospitalization on Continuation of SGLT2 Inhibitors and GLP-1 Receptor Agonists for Comorbidities in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes. Innovations in Pharmacy. 2025 Jan 14.15(4):ePub. Check it out here!
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| Anna Bostick ('18) and her husband welcomed their second child, Hudson Bostick, on October 19, 2024.
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| Kacy Howell ('22) married Terry Howell on October 19, 2024.
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Abigail Providence Herman, daughter of current P3 student Bradi Herman, joined the Pharm Pham on April 21, 2025.
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Opportunities to Get Involved
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WTPA INFORMATION
Interested in obtaining continuing education credit through the West Tennessee Pharmacists Association (WTPA)? UUCOP alumni are welcome to join! Each year, WTPA typically provides six live virtual programs plus two in-person programs with each program offering two hours of continuing pharmacy education (CPE) credit. Dues are $30 each calendar year. If interested in participating in these CPE programs, please complete this WTPA membership form and send payment following the instructions in the form. We hope to see you there!
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CLICK TO CONNECT
Click "Leave a Review" to help us boost our online presence through niche.com, a website utilized by undergrad students to learn more about our graduate programs at Union University.
Click "Alumni Profile Update" to let us know about the big things happening in your life and help us maintain up-to-date contact information in our alumni database.
Click "UUCOP Giving" if you feel led to give financially to support the current and future students of Union University College of Pharmacy.
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Pharmacy Camp is scheduled June 4-6th. It is designed for rising high school juniors, seniors, and college freshmen. If you know of any friends or family members who would be interested in participating, please share the information below. Registration closes TODAY, Monday, May 12th, so act fast! The QR code or this link can be used to register!
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| Union University College of Pharmacy
1050 Union University Dr.
Jackson, Tennessee 38305
uu.edu/pharmacy
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Copyright © 2024 College of Pharmacy at Union University, All rights reserved
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