This summer, three deserving students from the South Carolina College of Pharmacy (SCCP), interested in independent pharmacy ownership, got a very unique and rewarding experience at Live Oak Bank located in Wilmington, North Carolina. This financial institution is one of the foremost leading and innovative lenders in independent pharmacy.

Are you interested in learning more about compounding? Register for the 2017 PCCA Student Boot Camp. This school year’s boot camp will be held February 25-26, 2017 at the USC Campus of SCCP. This event is being coordinated and partially funded by the Kennedy Pharmacy Innovation Center.

South Carolina College of Pharmacy students Kristen Arnall, Sarah Lewter and Adam Talbert went into the national Medisca Student Pharmacist Compounding Competition with the saying "Third time’s a charm!" The event, held in Los Angeles, California, was a two-day competition between 22 teams from pharmacy schools across the country who had been invited to participate. Elite guests from USP, ACHC, IJPC, and Medisca gave informative presentations during the event, and numerous networking opportunities were available with them as well as other participating students. The competition consisted of four parts, each weighing differently and having varying relevance to the world of compounding.

Students, from any SCCP campus, work in teams of up to four students to develop a written business plan to either create a new community pharmacy or purchase an existing community pharmacy. Teams are able to work with a faculty/practitioner mentor for guidance if needed. Three teams will be selected from the written plans to participate in the finals, which allows the teams to provide a formal presentation of their business idea.

Gene Reeder, RPh, PhD, FAPhA, FAMCP is not new to the ins and outs of the College of Pharmacy at the University of South Carolina. In fact, he spent 33 years at the University of South Carolina from 1975 to 2008. During his time at Carolina, Dr. Reeder received multiple accolades including the Outstanding Teacher and Outstanding Researcher Awards, the 2006 AMCP Distinguished Service Award, and the 2007 Richard A. Remple Faculty Award. He also served as Chair of the Faculty Senate for USC as well as the Faculty Liaison and ex officio member of the USC Board of Trustees from 2006-2008. In addition to teaching at USC’s College of Pharmacy, Dr. Reeder is a proud graduate of the program and was honored with the University of South Carolina College of Pharmacy Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2015.