Janna Mozannar is a final-year PharmD candidate at West Coast University School of Pharmacy.
Being recognized as the APhA–ASP Most Improved Chapter at the 2025 APhA Annual Meeting & Exposition this past March was an incredible honor for all of us at West Coast University School of Pharmacy. Though we were still en route to Nashville when the award was announced, our friends at other pharmacy schools recorded the moment and sent it to us. Watching the video together brought a wave of joy and pride.
As a dedicated group of student pharmacists, we’ve worked so hard over the years to elevate our chapter.
Impactful initiatives
This past year, our focus was growth, collaboration, and advocacy. One of our most impactful annual events is Legislative Day, which raises awareness about legislative issues affecting the pharmacy profession. We expanded our efforts by cohosting a Legislative Night with other APhA–ASP and California Pharmacists Association Chapters to continue the policy conversation. We also hosted a “Pizza and Policy” lunch, which brought these important topics to students in an engaging way.
Community outreach remained a core priority. We organized blood drives, participated in local health fairs, and joined philanthropic events like the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Light the Night Walk. We also partnered with Pueblo y Salud to deliver monthly health education radio broadcasts on topics such as OTC medication safety, women’s health, diabetes awareness, and so much more.
Our chapter embraced collaboration with other student organizations to launch innovative events. We cohosted the Virtual Student Exchange Program and helped co-lead the SoCal Pharmacy School Mixer, involving eight other schools. We also co-organized a multi-chapter mixer for the APhA–ASP Midyear Regional Meeting and teamed up with local pharmacist associations like San Fernado Valley Pharmacists Association for professional networking events such as a “Night with Industry.”
One of our proudest new initiatives was Pharmacy Around the Globe, held on World Pharmacists Day. We gathered pharmacists from around the world for a virtual panel to share insights on international pharmacy practices, giving our members a global perspective.
We also invested in the next generation of health care professionals by visiting local high schools to share what pharmacy has to offer. On campus, our innovative orientation-week Pharmacy School Fair helped recruit new members. This past fall actually proved to be our strongest APhA–ASP enrollment yet.
Committed to improving
Despite being a small, relatively new program with lower enrollment, we have built a passionate, resilient chapter. We’ve shown that meaningful change and national recognition are possible with dedication, creativity, and community. This award not only validated our efforts; it energized us to keep going!
We’re more committed than ever to growing our chapter, expanding community outreach, strengthening our voice in advocacy, and preparing student pharmacists to be the future of health care.
As we like to say: Change starts with knowledge—and we’re here to share that knowledge, one event at a time. Thank you to the APhA–ASP Awards Standing Committee and everyone at APhA for this recognition. We are truly honored.