School of Pharmacy Newsroom

Pharmacy students win ACCP Clinical Pharmacy Challenge

Written by Sara Knuth | July 13, 2020

After challenging pharmacy schools from across the nation, three University of Colorado Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences students won the American College of Clinical Pharmacy’s Clinical Pharmacy Challenge in New York.

The winners are:


Students Armen Fstkchian (left), Kyle Coronato and Mary Reilly accept their awards after winning the ACCP Clinical Pharmacy Challenge in New York.
  • Kyle Coronato
  • Armen Fstkchian
  • Mary Reilly

The ACCP Clinical Pharmacy Challenge is a team-based competition hosted at the ACCP’s annual meeting.

The students, who are all in their fourth year at CU Pharmacy, competed in multiple preliminary rounds of virtual competition leading up to the live competition — a chance to show off their clinical pharmacy knowledge at a national conference. As part of the live event, the students competed in a lightning round of competition, finished a clinical case and answered Jeopardy-style questions.

Heading into the challenge, the competitors were prepared. Coronato said he went back to review facts.

“It’s pushing us to remember as much as we can,” Fstkchian said, adding that he found himself holding onto every detail he learned on rotations. “It’s a nice motivational factor for me.”

Reilly added: “It’s a great review for the NAPLEX (North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination).”

The students said they appreciate the support from their CU Pharmacy ACCP faculty advisors, Associate Professor Joel Marrs, PharmD, and Associate Professor Toby Trujillo, PharmD.

Note: This story was originally published on Oct. 25, 2019.


Faculty advisor Joel Marrs, PharmD, poses for a photo with the award winners, Kyle Coronato, Armen Fstkchian and Mary Reilly. (Photo courtesy of Sarah Anderson, PharmD)
Students Mary Reilly, Kyle Coronato (center), and Armen Fstkchian pose for a photo at the ACCP Clinical Pharmacy Challenge.
The CU Pharmacy team competes in the ACCP Clinical Pharmacy Challenge.