Most pharmacy professionals enter the North American-Trained PharmD (NTPD) program as a way to earn their Doctor of Pharmacy degree and increase their career opportunities. But an increasing number of NTPD graduates are also using their expanded opportunities to flex their leadership muscle and give back to the pharmacy profession. One place that NTPD graduates are making their mark is on the CU Pharmacy Alumni Association Board. This year almost half of the board is comprised of alumni from the North American-Trained PharmD program.
NTPD graduate Lokendra Upadhyay, PharmD ’18 serves as the Alumni Association president. Dr. Upadhyay has been a member of the board since its inception. He’ll be focused on streamlining the structure of the work for the board and looking at policy and functionality for the board. Dr. Upadhyay's professional specialties include healthcare and informatics. He is currently an Associate Director at Willis Towers Watson in Atlanta, Georgia.
The vice president/president-elect is NTPD graduate Bryan Killam, PharmD ’06. Dr. Killam joined the board in 2020. His leadership interests include identifying ways to foster collaboration between the Pharmacy Alumni Association and university units to optimize the use of alumni in building community relations. Dr. Killim's professional work has been focused on outpatient pharmacy.
Lokendra Upadhyay, PharmD '18 |
Bryan Killam, PharmD '06 |
NTPD graduate Amy Smendik, PharmD ’20 is a new board member this year. Dr. Smendik currently holds the position of Home Infusion Pharmacist with Mercy Health. Her professional background also includes experience in retail, acute skilled care hospital, long-term care, nursing home consultation, and specialty pharmacy.
NTPD graduate Paul Minne, PharmD, '02 has served on the Alumni Board for several years and has spent 20 years of his career in medical affairs within the bio-pharmaceutical industry. Dr. Minne's broad cross-functional experience extends into vendor contracting and budgeting, product resource support, team member mentoring and training, brand team planning, design and execution of Medical Science Liaison (MSL) goals and strategies, key performance indicator development, piloting and implementation of technology, and as a manager of MSL teams.
Amy Smendik, PharmD '20 |
Paul Minne, PharmD '02 |
The Alumni Board for the CU Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences is responsible for overseeing the mission and goals of the Pharmacy Alumni Association. While each board member brings a unique skill set and perspective, all of them possess the desire to give back to the School and support the next generation of pharmacy professionals.
The North American-Trained PharmD program is a flexible, online program for bachelor’s-trained pharmacists. Starting an application is the first step towards career and leadership advancement. Review application requirements here.
