Posted by Mary Wimberley on 2008-07-29

A team from Samford University's McWhorter School of Pharmacy was named among the top three finalists in business plan completion sponsored by the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA).

The four-member team will now take their presentation to the annual NCPA convention in Tampa, Fla., in October.

Team members Christy Kight Garmon of Talladega, Brad Nall of Pinson, Elizabeth Redmill of Jasper and Alex Sproule of Bessemer competed against teams from 30 schools and colleges of pharmacy to make the top three. Samford pharmacy professor Dr. Condit Steil is team advisor.

The goal of the NCPA student business plan competition is to motivate pharmacy students to create a blueprint necessary for buying an existing independent community pharmacy or developing a new pharmacy.

The Samford team created a plan outlining the purchase and merger of two competing independent pharmacies in central Alabama.

In Tampa, the Samford foursome will compete against teams from University of Arizona and University of Kansas pharmacy schools. At stake will be top national honors, a $6,000 cash prize and a trip to an international conference for the team members.

 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 6,101 students from 45 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.