Paving the Way

Upsilon Chapter of Phi Lambda Sigma Pharmacy Leadership Society Wins 4th National Chapter of Year Award in Past 10 Years

April 23 — The University of Houston College of Pharmacy's Upsilon Chapter of the Phi Lambda Sigma (PLS) Pharmacy Leadership Society secured its fourth national Chapter of the Year Award – Division III (large chapter) in the past 10 years during the 2025 PLS Awards Ceremony held virtually April 12.

The chapter award recognized Upsilon’s wide-ranging leadership, professional development and outreach activities during the 2023-24 year under the leadership of 2023-24 PLS Upsilon President Julia Wheat, Pharm.D. candidate.

"Winning Chapter of the Year is truly a reflection of the incredible teamwork, dedication and passion of our entire chapter," Wheat said. "As president, I had the privilege of working with a motivated officer team along with supportive advisors who consistently went above and beyond."

The 2023-24 theme for the Upsilon chapter was "Pave the Way." The theme’s purpose was to motivate students to trust the process, continue their journeys through the profession, and intentionally use experiences as steppingstones to create the path to their futures. The theme, woven into the year's events, reminded students that success is a road that is not always linear or smooth, but together, they can lay the foundation to create a sturdy path.

To foster professional development and growth, Upsilon held several educational and interactive workshops on topics such as approaching conflicts appropriately, overcoming hardships with resilience and grit, and leading from behind. The workshops embody the core principles of PLS by fostering leadership through developing collaborative relationships and bolstering confidence in all students, Wheat said.

"In this field, as a pharmacist, you’re naturally going to be in a position of leadership," said Aniqa Virani, Pharm.D. student and current 2024-25 PLS Upsilon president. "You want to have your leadership skills developed because you’re likely going to be working in a team setting."

With a mission to assist in the development of leaders across the profession, the Upsilon chapter hosted its annual President's Retreat May 8, 2024, in which chapter presidents of all UHCOP student organizations are invited to attend. The goals of the retreat were to provide guidance to organizational leaders about how to improve their organizations, raise awareness of problems that may occur and strategies to handle them, and learn from others' experiences. Topics covered included organization, delegation, teamwork, flexibility, stress, schoolwork, setting and meeting deadlines, trust, communication and compassion. The PLS officer team also curated a scavenger hunt to foster team development and reinforce leadership concepts addressed during the presentations.

The Upsilon chapter hosted its annual James T. McCarty Leadership Lecture with a presentation by UHCOP alumna Denise Jonathan, Pharm.D. ('05), who emphasized the importance of a support system and surrounding yourself with those who lift you up and propel you toward your goals.

PLS members volunteered at the Houston Food Bank, making care packages and putting together over 5,000 meals to be distributed to families in need in the Houston community. This provided an opportunity for leaders in pharmacy school to also be leaders within the community.

In addition, PLS members volunteered at Project C.U.R.E. in Houston, a nonprofit organization that helps underserved countries gain access to important medications and medical equipment to improve patient safety and patient care. By organizing pallets of medical supplies and helping to prioritize overseas shipments, PLS members made a positive impact on global patient care.

The Mentorship Program provided PLS chapter members with the opportunity to be matched with a mentor that is a UHCOP PLS alum, helping members grow their professional network and connect with established pharmacists in the workforce.

Additionally, Upsilon was one of the two winning schools of the Lead the Way Award for its four-workshop series focused on enhancing the skills and effectiveness of leaders in the pharmacy profession through acceptance and understanding of the diverse communities around them.

The idea for this special workshop series was created by Sarah Garcia-Plouch, Pharm.D. ('24), 2022-23 PLS Upsilon chapter leadership challenge chair, and won the PLS Charles Thomas Leadership Challenge in 2023. The chapter earned national recognition and a monetary prize to assist in implementation of the workshop series, which was implemented under the leadership of Wheat in 2023-24.

“Our hope was that this series would empower students as they enter the profession and combine that enthusiasm with our collective passion to improve patient outcomes, which often starts with how our health care teams function together,” said Garcia-Plouch, PGY-1 pharmacy practice resident on the ambulatory care track at DHR Health in Edinburg.

In addition to receiving resoundingly positive feedback from students and faculty, the workshop series strengthened PLS as an organization.

"Balancing the implementation of Sarah’s plan alongside our other chapter initiatives pushed us to grow and ultimately made our work even more rewarding," Wheat said. "It was important to our team to turn her vision into action and create meaningful change within our chapter and the pharmacy profession."

In addition to Wheat, the executive officer team responsible for the Chapter of the Year Award for the year 2023-24 included Vice President – Emmanuel Iruru, Pharm.D. Candidate; Treasurer – Abigail Alley, Pharm.D. Candidate; Secretary – Alyssa Kahiwat, Pharm.D. Candidate; and Leadership Challenge Chair – Hunter Adam, Pharm.D. Candidate.

— Kristin Marie Mitchener