Meet the 2024 Aspiring Academics Announcing the 28 student pharmacists selected for the program's second cohort.

The American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) has selected 28 student pharmacists from across the country for the second cohort of the AACP Aspiring Academics Program.

The program, designed to facilitate a deeper understanding of career paths in academic pharmacy, engages the chosen students through asynchronous learning modules, mentorship, networking, a group project, involvement with AACP, and attendance at Pharmacy Education 2025 and the Teachers’ Seminar in Chicago.

The first cohort poses for a group photo during their graduation at Pharmacy Education 2024 in Boston.

By the completion of the program, students will be able to understand the various types of pharmacy faculty positions; state the expectations of faculty regarding scholarship, teaching and service; describe the process and skills needed to advance in a career in pharmacy academia; and more.

Meet the 2024 AACP Aspiring Academics:

Diyana Ahmad

The University of Arizona

Luis Alvarez

University of California, San Francisco

Adam Campos

The University of Texas at Austin

Kiri Carmody

University of Colorado

Maegan Casimir

West Virginia University

Amberly Clifton

University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences

Kayla Craig

Wayne State University

Jake Gallien

Belmont University

Bryan Gomez

University of Georgia

Mark Hanin

University of Southern California

Ramey Hensley

University of Kentucky

Jacob Holmes

The University of Findlay

Lauren Isaacs

Thomas Jefferson University

Chaza Khatib

Creighton University

Giovani Leon

Marshall B. Ketchum University

Paige Lever

Ohio Northern University

Magdalene Mallory

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Amari Manigault

Howard University

Mary-Pearl Ojukwu

University of Florida

John Pham

Virginia Commonwealth University

Tiffany Preda

Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science

Gabriela Rajic

Midwestern University - Glendale

Sara Sarpas

University of California, Irvine

May Shehata

The University of Toledo

Soutsada Sikhounchanh

Touro University California

Shayla Ta

The Ohio State University

Chenwei Yan

University of Minnesota

Annaston Young

Lipscomb University

Through this program, Aspiring Academics will have the opportunity to learn from two distinct faculty member mentors, one from within their own institution (the home mentor) and one assigned by AACP (the AACP group mentor).

The home mentor assists the student in their application to the program and commits to working with the student as they explore academic pharmacy for the duration of the program. They ensure that the student is prepared for each of their group meetings and accompanies their student to the Annual Meeting and Teachers' Seminar.

The AACP group mentor will work with a group of four students from various schools. They will facilitate group discussions following assigned modules, allowing students to learn about academic issues from perspectives outside their home institution. The AACP group mentor will also assist their group in the development of a poster for presentation for the AACP Annual Meeting.

This year's AACP Group Mentors are:

Wendy Cox

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Lukas Everly

Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED)

Elizabeth Hall

The University of Tennessee

Michelle Hilaire

University of Wyoming

Rebecca Mahan

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center

James Nawarskas

The University of New Mexico

Bradley Phillips

University of Florida

For more information about the program, visit:

For more AACP opportunities for students, visit: