Student of the Month Spotlight: November 2020
VALERIE AMEDEO, PY3 DOCTOR OF PHARMACY CANDIDATE FROM WOLCOTT, CT
Meet Valerie Amedeo! Valerie is a third year PharmD student who holds leadership positions in the WNE chapters of the American Pharmacists Association (president), American College of Clinical Pharmacy (vice president), and Phi Delta Chi Pharmaceutical Fraternity (vice president). Valerie has presented faculty-mentored research posters at the American College of Clinical Pharmacy National Meeting and the New England Pharmacists Convention, where her presentation of “Learning from patient experience at independent community pharmacies in Massachusetts” placed second in the best poster contest. She currently works as a pharmacy intern at Yale New Haven Hospital, and aspires to complete a post-graduate residency. She attributes her success in school to actively getting involved in student activities; she was recently initiated into Phi Lambda Sigma Pharmacy Leadership Society, and was recognized as the “Most Dedicated Member” of our chapter of the American Pharmacists Association in 2019-2020. Valerie was nominated for Student of the Month by Assistant Professor Dr. Kimberly Pesaturo and her classmate Tiffany Walter.
Interview with Valerie:
Why did you choose Western New England University?
After stepping on campus for my undergraduate tour, I knew WNE was the right University for me. I was drawn to their individualized learning with smaller class sizes, as well as the 2+4 pharmacy program. Being able to earn a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy studies after four years of study was also a draw; many universities do not offer this.
Please share your thoughts about the Doctor of Pharmacy program at Western New England University.
My years in the Pharmacy program have been full of great experiences. The faculty and students are so encouraging and have helped me tremendously. The opportunities I have been given have allowed me to advance academically, professionally, and personally.
What are your current career aspirations?
I aspire to become a clinical pediatric pharmacist. It is my goal to be an advocate for my future pediatric patients, since they have little to no autonomy during their hospital stay. Following graduation, I will be pursuing a post-graduate residency.
What advice would you provide to a student considering pharmacy for a career?
Get involved! I have made so many connections through the organizations I have joined. They have also given me opportunities to be a leader and learn what aspects of pharmacy I am interested in, which have helped form my future career goals.
Valerie’s Faculty Advisor (Natalia Shcherbakova, PhD; Associate Professor of Pharmacoeconomics), shared the following thoughts:
“In addition to being my advisee, Valerie is also my research mentee and has been involved in a project that evaluated online patient reviews of independent community pharmacies in Massachusetts, and presented this research at two conferences. Along with being active in student organization leadership roles, working in an inpatient hospital pharmacy, and also succeeding in her studies, it is remarkable that Valerie is able to find time for productive independent research. Both the nomination and selection as the Student of the Month are tributes to her hard work and dedication to pharmacy.”
Learn more about the opportunities available to our students by visiting our student organizations page, here.