New on campus this year, the Veterinary Pharmacy Club came about when two third-year College of Pharmacy students intertwined their passion for animals and pharmacy. President Hayley Terlizzi (shown standing at left in photo) and vice president Cory Mathia explain.
So how did the Veterinary Pharmacy Club come about?
HT: I’m really interested in doing a residency in veterinary pharmacy. Fun fact, the Veterinary Pharmacy Club is an official student chapter of the American College of Veterinary Pharmacists.
CM: Haley did all the legwork in getting the club started. She actually found a lot of students who were interested. We both have horses, and some other students have horses — and dogs and cats, and so on — so it was the perfect opportunity.
What’s on the horizon for the club?
HT: Our primary goal is to advocate for and bring awareness to the field of veterinary pharmacy. We plan to work with local animal shelters and host food drives for them. We also plan to invite people in the field to come speak to us or work with us. For example, over the summer, I shadowed the head veterinarian at the Akron Zoo and she said she’s open to collaboration. We’d also like to bring the therapy dogs to campus again. They’re such a stress reliever, and I know it’s been a really popular activity in the past. In addition, one of our advisors, Liz Fredrickson, Pharm.D. (‘14), assistant professor of pharmacy practice, plans to hold veterinary pharmacy compounding workshops.
What would you tell students who are interested in joining the club?
HT: It’s a very unique organization for a specialized field. Most people don’t realize you can become a veterinary pharmacist. I think it is interesting to point out to other students that pharmacists are the only health care professionals that can care for both humans and animals!
Over the summer, I went to Ohio State University to shadow at its Veterinary Medical Center. It has a pharmacy and a veterinary pharmacy coordinator. Those are real jobs for someone!
CM: Exactly! The field of veterinary pharmacy isn’t very widely known. We’re trying to bring awareness to the specialty and let students know that it is an option — especially for animal lovers who might like to connect the dots in their life, career and passion.
HT: We have a veterinarian on campus, Stanley Dannemiller, D.V.M., M.S., DACLAM, who is a great resource — and another one of our club advisors. He works as the director of the Comparative Medicine Unit.
For more information on the Veterinary Pharmacy Club, contact Hayley Terlizzi at hterlizzi@neomed.edu or Cory Mathia at cmathia@neomed.edu.