Participation in student organizations enriches the learning experience for our doctoral students, helps them to become invested in community, and provides important connections to their professions.
Participation in student organizations enriches the learning experience for our doctoral students, helps them to become invested in community, and provides important connections to their professions.
The Student Occupational Therapy Association (SOTA) is open to students enrolled in the Doctor of Occupational Therapy program. SOTAs are local OT student groups at colleges and universities across the nation. SOTAs are active in promoting intercollegiate relationships among students interested in better understanding occupational therapy. As a social group, SOTA promotes communication among and between OT students, serving as an advocate for student concerns. It also assists its members to advance their knowledge about the profession by encouraging and promoting participation in state and national conferences. SOTA is also committed to community service through volunteer and service oriented activities (www.aota.org).
Western New England University’s Coalition of Occupational Therapy Advocates for Diversity (COTAD) Chapter is open to all occupational therapy students, faculty, and staff. The mission of COTAD is to increase diversity within the occupational therapy workforce by empowering occupational therapy practitioners, educators, and students to enhance cultural humility and promote diversity and inclusion. COTAD Chapter events are designed to create opportunities to foster open conversation and increase awareness of different lived experiences, with the hopes that our student leaders will become tomorrow’s advocates for diversity and inclusion within the occupational therapy profession and around the world. For more information, please visit www.cotad.org
The mission of Inspired Minds is to enhance the quality of life of survivors of traumatic brain injury through accessible crafting activities that promote creative thinking and nurture a sense of community. Within the facilitation of each creative activity, Inspired Minds strives to improve and enhance the client’s cognition skills such as planning, executive function, attention, and memory, which are all required for functional living. We create a safe and fun environment where clients can connect with each other, share their stories about their injury, and share their creative abilities with each other.
Pi Theta Epsilon, Epsilon Omega Chapter at Western New England University is a specialized honor society for occupational therapy students and alumni. Its mission is to promote research and scholarship among occupational therapy students. Phi Theta Epsilon recognizes and encourages superior scholarship among students enrolled in accredited educational programs across the United States.
Pharmacy Student Governance Association (PSGA) is the overarching governing body for learners governing issues and concerns. All learners who are enrolled in the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences and in good academic standing are members of PSGA. Each class within the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences elects officers to represent its class on matters of interest. The class officers and officers from PSGA-recognized student organizations will make up the PSGA Executive Committee. Students are welcome to join PSGA committees such as Outreach Committee, Professional Committee, Social Engagement Committee, and the Golf Tournament Committee.
The mission of the Western New England University Chapter of the American Pharmacists Association Academy of Student Pharmacists (“APhA-ASP”) is to be the collective voice of student pharmacists, to provide opportunities for professional growth, to improve patient care, and to envision and advance the future of pharmacy. APhA-ASP offers students the opportunity to get involved in advocacy, continuing education, drug information, regional and national meetings and conferences, professional policy development, practice standards, and publishing opportunities, as well as a multitude of community service projects throughout their education and into their professional careers.
The American Society of Health System Pharmacists (ASHP)/Student Society for Health System Pharmacists (SSHP) is the organization for students with an interest in hospital and other health-systems work settings. ASHP/SSHP offers students the opportunity to get involved in advocacy, continuing education, drug information, national meetings and conferences, professional policies and practice standards, publishing opportunities, as well as a multitude of residency options throughout their education and continuing into their professional careers.
The Student National Pharmaceutical Association (SNPhA) is an educational service organization of pharmacy students with an interest in healthcare and pharmaceutical science. SNPhA encourages students to be voices for change and activism and serve as advocates for increased health awareness in medically underserved communities. As members of SNPhA, students are able to gain experience counseling patients, supplement their clinical knowledge, apply for special scholarships, and attend annual conferences where they can network with practicing health care professionals for research or intern opportunities. Moreover, SNPhA represents a group of students who strive not only to prosper in the field of pharmacy, but to remain lifelong learners and compassionate members of their communities.
The American Institute of the History of Pharmacy Student Association (AIHPSA) Alpha Chapter is the first recognized student organization of the American Institute of the History of Pharmacy. The primary aim of the Institute is the documentation and preservation of pharmacy's heritage. The mission of the Alpha Chapter is to foster an appreciation for pharmacy history, explore pharmacy’s heritage, and advocate for pharmacy history education. AIHPSA offers learners the opportunity to delve into the multi-faceted history of pharmacy through unique community service, professional promotion, and leadership development experiences with the hope of fostering an appreciation and enthusiasm for the past, present and future of the pharmacy profession.
The American Society of Consultant Pharmacists (ASCP) is the only international professional society which aims to provide optimal medication management and care to all older persons. ASCP-Western New England University chapter educates learners about consultant pharmacy and senior care pharmacy, provides networking opportunities for learners, and provides leadership and service opportunities. ASCP-Western New England University prepares learners to provide health services to the fastest growing population: the elderly.
The Christian Fellowship organization is unique to the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in that it focuses on the importance of our own beliefs, which play a significant role in our professional studies and lives. We strive to promote Christian values of love, friendship, gratitude, and compassion. Through the fellowship of other students, we want to build a strong community of Christian healthcare professionals. We desire to offer the entire College community the opportunity for Christian community, and extend it to our experiential rotations and future careers. Christian Fellowship encourages students to keep up in prayer and read the word daily. It provides us a way to cope with stress, but also to build our spiritual strength. Overall, Christian Fellowship challenges and promotes spiritual growth, encourages faith in practice, and provides support and opportunities for service and outreach.
The Industry Pharmacists Organization (IPhO) is a recent nationally recognized organization for all industry professionals and pharmacy learners. The mission of IPhO is that the organization is “exclusively dedicated to advancing the careers of industry pharmacists.” IPhO also helps industry pharmacists to “fully leverage the value of their academic and experiential training to advance their professional careers.” IPhO is an excellent resource for a learner interested in learning more about industry opportunities. It will allow learners to inquire more about available industry fellowships, listen in first-hand on IPhO fellow experiences, learn more about current pharmacy practices within industry and network among current IPhO pharmacists, fellows, and other student learners.
The purpose of the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) is to provide a forum for pharmacy students to learn about and support the mission and objectives of NCPA, including the many career opportunities available in independent pharmacy practice through an affiliation with NCPA.
The Academic Pharmacists Society (APS) is an organization focused on familiarizing students about pharmacy academia as a career choice. APS will promote dedication to teaching excellence, research, and education, as well as encourage the professional development necessary to be successful within the field of academic pharmacy.
Phi Lambda Sigma exemplifies the vanguard of pharmacy leadership and leadership development, creating and inspiring next generation’s leaders. Committed to recognizing and fostering leadership qualities in student pharmacists as developing new practitioners, the Society focuses its efforts on motivating learners to become agents of change within the pharmacy profession through continuous leadership involvement.
The Rho Chi Society is the nationally recognized academic honor society in pharmacy. The Epsilon Iota Chapter of the Rho Chi Society was established at Western New England University in 2016. The Chapter’s mission is to recognize and encourage intellectual achievement and high standards of moral character. The Chapter encourages lifelong learning and professional conduct and advocates for continued personal and professional growth. Pharmacy learners who rank in the top 20% of their class who have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 after completing 50% of the curriculum will have the opportunity to be inducted into the Rho Chi Society Epsilon Iota Chapter.
The Delta Tau Chapter of the Alpha Zeta Omega Pharmaceutical Fraternity (“Delta Tau”), chartered in 2012, is a coed professional pharmacy fraternity, originally founded in 1919, whose intent is to promote the profession of pharmacy among its members: pharmacists, pharmacy students, and friends of the profession of pharmacy. Delta Tau members are selected based on their character, fellowship, and scholarship. The fraternity’s objectives are to: promote the profession of pharmacy; develop high standards of scholarship; inculcate a spirit of fellowship; maintain high ethical ideals and faithful service; honor achievement in others; and commend all worthy deeds. Through these objectives, the fraternity instills in its members and builds within the fraternity its fundamental pillars of peace, friendship, and brotherly love.
Lambda Kappa Sigma is a coed international professional pharmacy fraternity with a mission to provide lifelong opportunities for women in pharmacy through professional excellence and personal growth. Lambda Kappa Sigma has over 44 collegiate chapters, with a strong presence in the northeast as the fraternity was founded in Boston in 1913. The Core Values of Lambda Kappa Sigma are: Sisterhood, Leadership, Service, Scholarship, and Integrity. The Lambda Kappa Sigma Beta Beta chapter at the Western New England University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences was chartered on February 21, 2015.
Delta Chi is America's first professional fraternity in pharmacy. The professional fraternity is a coed national organization with over 70 chapters spread across the country. Since 1883, the fraternity has worked to advance the profession of pharmacy and its allied interests, and to foster and promote a fraternal spirit among its Brothers. Phi Delta Chi, a lifelong experience, promotes scholastic, professional, and social growth in its Brothers. Brothers live by their motto, "Alterum Alterius Auxilio Eget" meaning, "Each needs the help of the other."