Wayne State's Omicron chapter of Lambda Kappa Sigma went into the pharmacy fraternity's 2023 National Convention as the reigning Chapter of the Year and departed in Warrior Strong fashion with that title intact.

In addition to WSU Applebaum achieving that high honor at the July 19-23 event in Norfolk, Virginia, 2021-22 Chapter President Jewel Konja earned the very competitive Collegiate of the Year award, plus Omicron won Top Chapter among Wayne State's level and swept the convention's two new awards: PepTalks Attendance and PepTalks Top Quiz.

"Earning those two new awards was due in great part to LKS Omicron Past President Morgan Mrowca attending all the weekend training sessions and earning a cumulative score of 97.8%," said Professor of Pharmacy Practice Mary Beth O'Connell, who serves as the group's faculty advisor. Mrowca was the chapter's delegate this year with Andria Zuhlke serving as alternate delegate.

"It was an honor to serve as president this year and lead such an amazing group of women who shared the goal of winning back-to-back Chapter of the Year awards," Mrowca said. "LKS has brought me some of the best memories of pharmacy school, as well as some of the best bonds with the empowering and motivating women who make up our chapter [pictured at top], and I'm honored to be able to showcase them!"

According to Mrowca, events that helped secure Omicron's Chapter of the Year status included:

Hygeia Day: We were honored to have Wayne State's very own Dr. Sheila Wilhelm come and educate the community about pharmacists' role in infertility in honor of our fraternity holiday, Hygeia Day. This CE event had approximately 50 pharmacists and technicians in attendance, as well as over 50 student pharmacists. Contraception and Fertility are the women's health initiative topics for LKS nationally this year, so this event definitely contributed to our win.

Hope WaLKS 5K: We hosted our second annual 5K walk to support LKS's national philanthropy, Project HOPE. This year, we were able to raise over $3,500 from ticket sales and sponsorships from local organizations and businesses, including support from WCPA and MCPA.

Contraception Trivia: Our sisters hosted tables not only in the Applebaum Building commons but in the Student Center Building on main campus as well, where we interacted with students of all majors and asked them trivia questions about contraception to educate our community on some basic facts that even non-health care professionals should know. We handed out candy and treats and were able to really bring our knowledge outside of just our pharmacy program, while still sticking to the women's health initiative I mentioned above!

During our last general meeting, we had Representative Kara Hope speak to our chapter regarding her work on a bill to allow pharmacists in Michigan to prescribe contraception. We were honored to speak with her and discuss what we as student pharmacists can do to expand our scope of practice.

One of our goals this year was to increase P4 involvement within our chapter. Even with their busy APPE schedules, our amazing P4s attended a variety of our events throughout the year. We even had 100% P4 membership retention this year!

On top of our great P4s, I wanted to shout out how dedicated all of our members are. We retained over 90% of our sisters from last year, and were able to initiate 13 new members this past fall.

Other smaller (but still important) events we hosted over the year include a CV/Letter of Intent seminar with PLS, a pharmacy internship panel open to all pharmacy students, DEA Drug Takeback Day in October and April, and so much more.

"This is once again beyond all expectations, and a wonderful recognition for an incredible group of women," said Associate Dean for Pharmacy Susan Davis. "We are so grateful to student leaders Morgan, Andria, and Jewel, and to Dr. Mary Beth O'Connell for mentoring them!"

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The Doctor of Pharmacy program at Wayne State University is a four-year curriculum in the heart of Detroit. Approximately 100 students are enrolled in each year of the program. WSU Applebaum information meetings for prospective students take place at 6 p.m. on the first Tuesday of each month. The application process for the Doctor of Pharmacy program begins each July.

An anchor in urban health care

The Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences is built on more than 100 years of tradition and innovation in the heart of Detroit. We have grown deep roots in our city, harnessing its powerhouse hospital systems and community service organizations as vibrant, real-world training grounds for students, with an ongoing focus on social justice in health care. And our research at all levels - from undergraduates to veteran faculty members - translates into creative solutions for healthier communities.

Wayne State University is a premier urban research institution offering approximately 350 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to nearly 24,000 students.