Lauren Pohl
OXFORD, Miss. – New pharmacist Lauren Pohl, who earned her Doctor of Pharmacy degree May 11 from the University of Mississippi, has been named a 2019 Walmart Scholar by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Walmart Scholars Program.
The honor and accompanying $1,000 scholarship are given to student pharmacists who are committed to a career in academic pharmacy. The scholarship will allow Pohl to attend the 2019 AACP annual meeting and teachers seminar in Chicago this July.
A native of St. Louis, Pohl said she is “honored” to be selected as a Walmart Scholar.
“Attending the AACP meeting for the first time will allow me to learn more about academic pharmacy and renew my commitment to pursuing a career in academia,” Pohl said.
During her time at the School of Pharmacy, Pohl was on the Chancellor’s or Dean’s Honor Rolls for six semesters and was inducted into the Rho Chi Society for academic excellence. She participated in several research projects and was awarded the UMSOP’s competitive Student Research Fellowship.
She was a member of the student chapters of the American Pharmacists Association, American Society of Health-System Pharmacists and American College of Clinical Pharmacy, as well as the Mississippi Pharmacists Association and Mississippi College of Clinical Pharmacy. She also volunteered with the Caring Hands Clinic, the Jackson Free Clinic and at numerous charity events.
Walmart Scholars are named in conjunction with a faculty member who has encouraged the student throughout his or her pharmacy school career. Pohl’s faculty mentor was Jordan Ballou, clinical assistant professor of pharmacy practice.
“Dr. Ballou has been a great mentor to me throughout my time in pharmacy school and helped guide me during the residency application process,” Pohl said. “It means a lot that the faculty at Ole Miss pharmacy care so much about the success of their students and go above and beyond for us.”
Ballou praised Pohl’s commitment to academic pharmacy, scholarship and service.
“Lauren is dependable, organized and passionate about the profession of pharmacy,” Ballou said. “She has very strong and mature communication skills and a dynamic desire for professional development. Participating in the Walmart Scholars program will enhance the skills she has cultivated throughout her young pharmacy career.”
Pohl’s scholarship marks the 11th consecutive year that a student pharmacist from UM has been named a Walmart Scholar. Ole Miss students have received this scholarship 13 of the 15 years it has been given.
Now that she has graduated, Pohl plans to begin a community-based pharmacy residency at the University of North Carolina and its Campus Health Services. Working at UNC’s Eshelman School of Pharmacy, she will precept students, serve as a teaching assistant for an international travel course and complete a research project.