Service has always been part of Alyssa Reese’s life. It was one of the reasons that inspired her to follow the same path as her sister in becoming a pharmacist.
“My sister is my role model,” Reese, a 2022 graduate of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore pharmaceutical science program, said. “When she graduated pharmacy school, I was able to witness her blossom into a brilliant, devoted healthcare professional. I wanted to help serve my community with grace and compassion like she does every day.”
It was that very devotion to service that was recognized as Reese was named this year’s recipient of the “Future Pharmacist” award, during the 2022 Next Generation Pharmacist Awards in Kansas City, MO. The annual awards ceremony is sponsored by The Pharmacy Times and Parata Systems.
Reese, who currently serves as a pharmacy resident at Central Virginia VA Health Care System, was one of three nominees for the award.
The “Future Pharmacist” award is given to a student or graduate student pharmacist who “demonstrates spirit and passion for the profession, primarily through academic achievement, in conjunction with one or more of the following criteria: industry advocacy, patient advocacy, technology innovation, civic leadership and/or environmental stewardship with regard to pharmacy,” according to the Next Generation Pharmacist website.
Reese was involved in a number of projects including facilitating a residency and fellowship forum and establishing a program focused on offering mentorship to upcoming seniors, according to Dr. James Bresette II, a clinical adjunct associate professor in UMES’s pharmacy program.
“She exemplifies the role of a pharmacist as a clinician, profession-advocate, and civic leader,” Bresette said. “She has also made significant public health contributions through her volunteer efforts promoting wellness and healthy communities, engaging in emerging public health issues, and advancing Healthy People 2030 goals.
“She has actively planned, implemented, and participated in multiple community wellness and public health projects including COVID-19 testing and vaccine administration, addressing vaccine hesitancy, skin cancer awareness, and opioid abuse awareness and prevention.
In addition to local community service, Reese also participated in a FEMA mobile mass vaccination clinic in Hobbs, NM. The initiative led to the administration of more than 6,000 COVID-19 vaccines to provide the rural population with necessary preventive care.
This achievement of being named “Future Pharmacist” is a reflection of Reese’s personal philosophy of leaving a place better than one found it through either physical, emotional, or intellectual means.
“I am hopeful and passionately advocating for the day where pharmacists have a more pronounced role in the care of our patients by providing proactive, interprofessional, patient-centered care that optimizes drug therapy outcomes, especially in the community setting,” she said.
