A team of University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Pharmacy students won the runner-up prize in a national business plan competition sponsored by the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA). 

Aaron Hunsaker, Kayla Copeland, Dylan Detlor and Kayla Shaw, all from the Springfield campus, presented a plan for an innovative approach to community pharmacy at the 15th annual Good Neighbor Pharmacy NCPA Pruitt-Schutte Student Business Plan Competition. The contest took place Oct. 7 at the NCPA 2018 annual convention in Boston. 

Heather Lyons-Burney, clinical assistant professor at UMKC, served as the team’s faculty adviser. 

“I am extremely proud of this group of students and their determination to succeed on a national stage,” Lyons-Burney said. 

About their project 

The team used a holistic approach to health care to produce a plan that targeted high-risk patients in the community by partnering with a local health system. The initiative also sought to reduce the impact of food insecurity by partnering with the city’s community garden and food bank. 

“Our students truly delivered a great presentation,” said Dr. Paul Gubbins, associate dean for the UMKC School of Pharmacy at Missouri State. “While they came in second, which is quite an honor, I will always believe they were number one.” 

For the second-place finish, the UMKC chapter received a $2,000 award and an additional $2,000 award for the School of Pharmacy to promote an independent community pharmacy. 

“Finishing second out of 34 teams made up of close to 200 students in the country is amazing,” said Russell Melchert, dean of the UMKC School of Pharmacy. “They make us proud.” 

About the competition 

This team was one of 34 teams from across the country participating in the competition. After submitting a 70-page written plan, the UMKC team was selected as one of the top three at the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy annual meeting in July. Those teams took part in a live competition at the NCPA convention, each giving a 20-minute presentation to a panel of judges in front of a live audience. 

The competition is the first of its kind in the pharmacy profession. It serves to motivate entrepreneurship among student pharmacists to create a business model for buying an existing independent community pharmacy or developing a new one. 

“The student pharmacists received invaluable experience that will increase their chance of being successful pharmacy owners,” said NCPA President David Smith. “If these well-thought-out business plans are any indication of the future of independent community pharmacies, the future is in good hands.” 

This was originally posted on the UMKC School of Pharmacy page.