College of Pharmacy Student Selected to Participate in Inaugural Leadership Academy

Fourth-year Northeast Ohio Medical University College of Pharmacy student Erica McCoy has been selected to participate in Phi Lambda Sigma’s (PLS) inaugural Leader Academy.

A recent press release by PLS explained that the Academy originally only planned for eight slots, but due to substantial interest, expanded the leadership program into two cohorts — each with eleven collegiate members. Both cohorts will start in October 2020 and meet twice a month until May 2021.

“This is the first time PLS is offering the leader academy and I knew it would be a great opportunity for me to work on my leadership development. Since our P4 year is spent at sites away from NEOMED, I thought this would be the perfect time in my schooling for me to get involved in this longitudinal opportunity and focus in on developing myself as a leader,” says McCoy.

The Leader Academy is designed to help good leaders become great leaders. Participants will work with a facilitator and third- and fourth-year pharmacy PLS students from across the nation to learn and practice leadership skills. Ultimately, participants are expected to share what they’ve learned with their local chapter by the time they complete the Academy session in May 2021.

McCoy’s goal for the Academy? “I hope to develop my emotional intelligence and improve some of the soft skills necessary to be a good leader. My goal is to obtain a residency in health-system pharmacy administration and leadership, and these skills are critical to being successful in such role. Furthermore, our experience requires us to develop an event or activity for our local chapter that fosters leadership development. I am looking forward to this challenge and know it will be well received by our NEOMED chapter, Gamma Phi.”

As for PLS, McCoy sees its value at the University and national level.

“PLS is important to be me because they are committed to developing leaders in pharmacy. Ever since I started pharmacy school, it was clear to me the importance of advocating for the profession of pharmacy. Many people are still unaware of the roles pharmacists play in health care and public health. My mission is to advocate for this career because I am inspired by my peers and mentors. In order to do so, I ultimately hope to become a leader in pharmacy.”