For the first time, the American College of Veterinary Pharmacists (ACVP) national board has added a student member who hails from the WSU College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.
After receiving the Pharmacist Mutual/ACA Foundation Community Pharmacy Scholarship last year, fourth year pharmacy student Joanna Gourley had the opportunity to attend the ACVP annual meeting and board meeting. While there she proposed the addition of a student to the national board. The ACVP was established to support independent pharmacists to develop and strengthen services they provide for animals and veterinarians.
“Student members are the future of every organization and I wanted to improve the connection so more students would continue as pharmacist members after graduation,” said Gourley. “Adding a student to the national board gives all students a voice in the organization.”
The ACVP took her proposal to heart, making Gourley herself the first student on the ACVP national board of directors. She started her term this past February and will continue until the 2021 annual board meeting during the ACA/ACVP Annual Conference set to take place in February 2021.
In her role as a student board member her primary task is to foster a stronger connection between the national organization and the student chapters. She will be working with ACVP student chapters throughout the nation.
After she graduates from WSU, Gourley hopes to follow her passion for veterinary pharmacy into a career.