USC News

USC Pharmacy Students Win State Awards

03/01/07
The California Pharmacists Association honors David Truong as Student of the Year. Two others also earn notable recognition.
By Kukla Vera
Dean R. Pete Vanderveen, right, congratulates David Truong, Danielle Colayco and Emmanuelle Mirsakov at the California Pharmacists Association meeting.

David Truong, a fourth-year Pharm.D. candidate at the USC School of Pharmacy, was awarded the highest student honor at the annual meeting of the California Pharmacists Association in Palm Springs.

Truong was nominated to represent USC in the statewide competition by peers and faculty. His extraordinary record of professional pharmacy activities and community outreach garnered him the California title.

“This is a tremendous honor, and I recognize it was difficult for the committee to choose one student in the state when there are so many qualified students. I am very honored,” said Truong, who plans to continue his pharmacy education next year in a residency or fellowship program.

Truong served as the 2005-06 chapter president for the American Pharmacy Student Alliance, the umbrella organization for the four primary pharmacy groups on campus. During his presidency, Truong coordinated health fairs, legislative advocacy, professional development and other activities.

Truong, along with other students, was instrumental in the chapter’s receipt of an American Pharmacists Association grant to provide free health services to the homeless in Los Angeles. He is currently working with the California State Board of Pharmacy on expanding student options in non-traditional pharmacy internships as part of their work experience required for licensure.

USC students also prevailed in two other award categories at the meeting. Danielle Colayco, a third-year Pharm.D. student, was awarded a Robert C. Johnson Scholarship, recognizing her professional leadership and academic achievement. Colayco is president of the USC chapters of the California Pharmacists Association and the American Pharmacists Association.

Emmanuelle Mirsakov, a fourth-year Pharm.D. student, outperformed pharmacy students from across the state in the patient counseling competition. Next, Mirsakov will represent California in the national competition slated for the American Pharmacists Association annual meeting in Atlanta later this month. She placed third in the nation in 2005.