National honour for Medway pharmacy student
July 2006
A first year student from Medway School of Pharmacy will soon be representing her peers at an overseas conference after landing a prestigious national award. Allison Coll saw off fierce competition from students at pharmacy schools from across the country to win the British Pharmaceutical Students' Association (BPSA) student of the year competition.
As part of her prize, Allison has been invited to be an official delegate for the BPSA at an international conference in Cairns, Australia, in July, where she will meet pharmacy students from all over the world and take part in a range of discussions and social activities while representing Britain. Allison, who is from County Derry, Northern Ireland, and lives in Strood, Kent, had to come through three increasingly tough rounds in order to win. After completing a multiple-choice questionnaire and a tiebreaker, Allison made it through to the final shortlist of six finalists, which included experienced third and fourth-year students.
She then had to face a grilling from a panel of pharmacy experts to test her knowledge before she was declared the winner. Allison received her trophy and certificate at the annual BPSA conference in Bradford in April. A graduate from Queen's University, Belfast, Allison said she felt "humble and honoured" in winning the award, but insisted her tutors at Medway School of Pharmacy played a big part in her success.
Both the teaching I've received and the structure of the course have been first class, The world of pharmacy is changing so rapidly but by placing such an emphasis on new developments, and on modern pharmacy practice, our tutors make sure we stay one step ahead.
Head of School Professor Clare Mackie said that Allison’s achievement was remarkable. "The panel were not merely looking for someone to display knowledge of pharmacy. They also wanted an excellent communicator, with the vision and maturity to represent Britain at an international event," she said. "I'm proud that Allison has all these strengths, especially only eight months after starting her studies at Medway." Medway School of Pharmacy is a unique collaboration between the University of Greenwich and the University of Kent and is based at the institutions' shared campus. The School, which first opened its doors to students in September 2004, is part of the £350 million Universities at Medway initiative.
Professor Mackie added that it was thrilling news for everyone involved with the institution.
As a new School of Pharmacy we will be judged by the calibre of our students and it is up to each individual to achieve their very best. We have our sights firmly fixed on being one of the top pharmacy schools in the country and this is how our reputation will grow. Our future is in our students' hands.
More good news for Medway School of Pharmacy is that competition sponsor Reckitt Benckiser is donating textbooks to the school as the final part of Allison's prize.
