Combs Receives National Pharmacy Student Leadership Award

LEXINGTON, KY. (April 17, 2012) -- Casey Combs, a third-year pharmacy student in the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy, has been selected as a 2012 recipient of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Student Leadership Award.
 

Combs, from Honaker, Va., was selected because of her “interest in health-system pharmacy and demonstrated leadership” in the field. She is one of 12 pharmacy students across the nation that was selected to receive this honor.
 

“I am honored to receive such a prestigious award and to carry on a proud legacy that fellow UK College of Pharmacy students have built,” said Combs. “I thank the faculty members within the College who have helped to mold me into the leader I have become and my fellow students for assisting me with projects I have initiated.”
 

Combs has served in many leadership roles during her tenure at UK. In her most recent role as president of the Student Societies of Health-System Pharmacy (SSHP), she led the effort to design and distribute medication safety cards as well as the educational outreach about the importance of drug safety that followed. She continues to be a voice for innovation and change in professional practice, proposing and implementing procedures to increase clinical exposure and maximize efficiency during internships. She has also received numerous awards recognizing her academic achievements. Earlier this year, she was appointed as a student member for ASHP’s Commission on Affiliate Relations.
 

“I am thrilled for Casey,” said Aaron Cook, an adjunct faculty member and advisor to the College’s Kentucky Society of Health System Pharmacists/SSHP student organization. “She has embraced the role as a leader at the local, state and national level and she is poised to make her mark on the profession.”
 

As part of the award, Combs will receive a $2,500 cash award, a drug information library valued at more than $1,000, and a commemorative plaque.
 

“Casey is an exemplary student who is quite deserving of this honor,” said Timothy Tracy, dean of the UK College of Pharmacy. “This award is a perfect example of how the UK College of Pharmacy provides a unique educational opportunity to our students – an education that allows our students to complete for the nation’s top pharmacy awards.” 
 

Combs is the fifth UK student in the past seven years to win this award, continuing a proud UK tradition of excellence. Tyler R. Whisman won the award in 2006, Brittany Warrick claimed the honor in 2008, Joshua Elder received the honor in 2009, and Alex Flannery won the award in 2011.  

Media Contact: Ann Blackford at (859)323-6442 or ann.blackford@uky.edu