STUDENT SUCCESS
Students with Air Force Experience Soar in Academic Pursuits
Dylan Hodges and Josh Henderson apply their military discipline and leadership skills to their studies and future careers
Dylan Hodges (left) is a Pharm.D./MBA student who served in the U.S. Air Force before starting pharmacy school.
The path to becoming a pharmacist takes dedication, discipline and a drive to serve – qualities Dylan Hodges and Josh Henderson know well, thanks to the U.S. Air Force.
Hodges, a Pharm.D./MBA dual-degree student preparing to graduate this spring, honed his skills during his previous years of service in the Air Force. Henderson, a current pharmacy student, earned the Air Force’s highly competitive Health Professions Scholarship through his hard work and dedication, and is committed to serving as an Air Force officer and pharmacist after graduation.
For Hodges, the skills instilled in the Air Force have not only shaped his character, but also made him a more focused student in the rigorous world of pharmacy school.
“Time management was something that’s drilled into you from the very beginning, and it almost becomes second nature at a point. You don’t think about it,” Hodges said.
Likewise, Henderson knew if he wanted to achieve his goals in the Air Force, he would first have to stay disciplined in school, keeping his GPA up and staying involved in extracurriculars.
“I wouldn’t have received (the scholarship) if I didn’t work hard through undergrad and pharmacy school,” Henderson said. “There were five spots in the country for it, and so I knew I had to do well. Like, I just had to be perfect.”
Earning the Health Professions Scholarship means Henderson is given a living stipend and his schooling is completely paid for by the Air Force. The scholarship also opens doors to unique opportunities to use his pharmacy degree after graduation.
“I’ll be a pharmacist as well as an officer, and I’ll do some stuff that’s not available in the civilian world too,” Henderson said. “As you rank up, you’re in charge of not just pharmacies, but also the lab. It’s all healthcare related.”
As a sixth-generation pharmacist who started working in his family’s pharmacy at 14 years old, Henderson is looking forward to the new opportunities the Air Force will give him and hopes to share his passion for pharmacy with others.
“Straight out of school, you get to be a leader in a pharmacy,” he said. “What I'm looking forward to most is the leadership and being able to inspire other techs to maybe pursue pharmacy as a career as well.”
As Hodges reflects on his journey, he recognizes the profound impact his service in the Air Force had on him.
“When I think back on my time in the Air Force, it did so much for me. It helped prepare me for life,” Hodges said. Graduating with both a Pharm.D. and an MBA, Hodges is eager to apply what he has learned and serve his community.
“When I finish school, I'm excited to get a position where I can start doing firsthand patient care, be able to see the fruits of my labor and see what I can do to make change,” Hodges said.
Josh Henderson (left) received the Health Professions Scholarship from the U.S. Air Force and will serve after graduation.
Brianna Caravella
Student of the Year
Brianna Caravella (Pharm.D. ’24) was named Student of the Year by the Greater Kansas City Society of Health-System Pharmacists in May. The society honored Caravella for “consistently proving herself as an outstanding individual with a profound dedication to patient-centered care and the advancement of pharmacy practice.” Caravella’s commitment to learning is shown through her past participation in three medication-use evaluation projects. Two of those projects advanced to state- and national-level poster presentations.
Student Awards and Recognition
UMKC’s American Pharmacists Association (APhA) chapter was honored at the society’s annual meeting in Orlando, Florida. UMKC students were recognized for their contributions to the profession and the community. Of more than 140 pharmacy schools and colleges nationwide, UMKC stands among the top 10, earning the APhA-ASP Division A “Second Runner-Up” award. The chapter also won the Region 6 awards for their Operation Immunization and Over-the-Counter Medicine Safety initiatives.
Daphne Boggs won Best Student Research Poster at the Missouri Society of Health-System Pharmacists’ 2024 Spring Meeting.
Allison Eppenauer (Pharm.D. ’24) was one of only 18 students named a Dean of Students Honor Recipient for Spring 2024. This UMKC program recognizes exceptional students who maintain high scholastic performance while actively participating in university and community leadership and service activities outside of the classroom.
Jacqueline Estes received the National Community Pharmacists Association Foundation’s Presidential Scholarship. The foundation annually awards scholarships to students pursuing community pharmacy ownership, recognizing those with demonstrated leadership qualities, academic achievement and an interest in independent pharmacy.
Rachel Sturdevant was awarded a registration grant to attend the 2024 American Association of Psychiatric Pharmacists’ (AAPP) meeting in Orlando, Florida. Funding was provided by the AAPP Foundation, AAPP Past Presidents’ Destiny Fund and AAPP members. Only 19 students were awarded the opportunity. Recipients were highly recommended and selected based on the merits of their applications.
KC Scholar Pursues Pharmacy and Business Degrees
Leresa Cozart first heard about KC Scholars on the radio. The program offers an adult learner scholarship that provides up to $50,000 for eligible adults who do not have a bachelor’s degree. Now, with help from the program, Cozart is pursuing both her MBA and pharmacy degrees at UMKC, all while raising two children and working full time.
Cozart’s son, MJ, was born with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and Cozart knew firsthand if she became a pharmacist she could help others in a more personal way.
“I just wanted to be on the front line to help people, as opposed to having to call their insurance company,” said Cozart, who became interested in pharmacy after working at CVS Caremark.
Managing two graduate programs, full-time work and motherhood is a balancing act, but Cozart says with some determination, there’s nothing that can’t be done.
“If I can do it, anyone can do it, given everything I have on my plate,” Cozart said.
For MJ, a junior in high school, having a parent who can relate to school-related challenges helps keep him motivated.
“I feel as compared to most parent-kid relationships, where the parent just doesn't know what the kid’s going through, having a mom in school makes me feel better about asking for help, and she helps me be better because we're both going through kind of similar experiences,” he said.
Showing her kids what is possible is part of what motivates Cozart to keep going during challenging times.
“I definitely do everything I can to try to be the best role model for my kids,” Cozart said. “I want them to know that the opportunities are endless.”
Leresa Cozart is earning an MBA and Pharm.D. while working full-time and raising her two kids.
"If I can do it, anyone can do it."
LERESA COZART
This year, the university conferred two Doctor of Philosophy degrees in pharmaceutical sciences:
2024 Career Placement, Discipline of Pharmaceutical Sciences
BY THE NUMBERS
- When asked if they were prepared to enter pharmacy practice after graduation, 96% of UMKC graduates agreed, compared to 94% of graduates nationally.
- When asked if they would choose the same pharmacy program if they were to start all over again, 89% of UMKC graduates said they would choose the same program, compared to 83% of graduates nationally.
Doctor of Pharmacy Class of 2028
First-generation college students
Racial and ethnic minority students
Students who speak two or more languages
STATES REPRESENTED BY STUDENT:
•Colorado •Mississippi •Illinois •Missouri •Kansas •Texas
Doctor of Pharmacy Class of 2028
Accepted Applicants
Applicants Matriculated
Average Age
Female
Male
Resident of Missouri
Previous Baccalaureate Degree
Average GPA
Doctor of Pharmacy Class of 2024
On-Time Graduation Rate
NAPLEX first-time pass rate (5-year average)
MPJE first-time pass rate (5-year average)
POST-GRADUATE
PLACEMENT
Employment
Residency or Fellowship
Unknown
UMKC RESIDENCY MATCH APPLICANTS
UMKC APPLICANTS MATCHED
UMKC SOP RESIDENCY MATCH RATE
NATIONAL RESIDENCY MATCH RATE
Residency Placements
As the number of career paths in pharmacy rapidly grows, so does the number of UMKC School of Pharmacy graduates preparing for opportunities through post-graduate residency training. From the graduating Class of 2024, 49 students received residency placement through the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) match program. Of those students entering an ASHP accredited program, 37 attended classes in Kansas City, six attended classes in Columbia and six were from the Springfield campus. These students will complete their post-doctoral training in Missouri and across 20 other states. Four students accepted post-doctoral positions that were not a part of the ASHP residency placement program.
Highest Residency Match Rate
UMKC’s Match Day was held on March 13. In 2024, 89% of School of Pharmacy students matched with residency programs, the highest rate to date. The school celebrated with students virtually through photos shared on the School of Pharmacy’s Instagram page.
Samuel Althiser Cox Medical Center Branson Branson, Missouri
Micah Anderson University Health Truman Medical Center Kansas City, Missouri
Marissa Aquino Mercy Hospital Springfield Springfield, Missouri
James Ary CoxHealth Springfield, Missouri
Sehar Asim University Hospitals – UH Meds Parma, Ohio
Fady Bekheet University of California Davis Medical Center Sacramento, California
Tyler Betchwars CoxHealth Springfield, Missouri
Alyssa Bui Centerpoint Medical Center Independence, Missouri
Ryan Burke St. Luke’s Hospital Chesterfield, Missouri
Joshua Call University of Kansas Health System Kansas City, Kansas
Brianna Caravella Kansas City VA Medical Center Kansas City, Missouri
Sarah Clingan Mosaic Life Care St. Joseph, Missouri
Jacob Cogley Mosaic Life Care St. Joseph, Missouri
Kortni D’Andrea Mercy Hospital Springfield Springfield, Missouri
Molly Ellefsen Research Medical Center Kansas City, Missouri
Allison Eppenauer Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center Charleston, South Carolina
Brady Gholson Children’s Mercy Hospital Kansas City, Missouri
Angela Giglione University of Oklahoma College of Pharmacy Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Kirsten Grier Central Arkansas Veterans HCS Little Rock, Arkansas
Eathan Hickey Cox Medical Center Branson Branson, Missouri
Cassandra Hoover Kansas City VA Medical Center Kansas City, Missouri
Alexis Hudspeth Baptist Memorial Hospital Memphis, Tennessee
Julia Jandro Massachusetts General Hospital Boston, Massachusetts
Kylie Jorgensen University of Rochester Medical Center Rochester, New York
Garima Kalia Univ. of Kansas Health System St. Francis Campus Topeka, Kansas
Meredith Lammers Baptist Medical Center/Wolfson Children’s Hospital Jacksonville, Florida
Shuwen Lin University Health Truman Medical Center Kansas City, Missouri
Karissa May Walgreens Specialty Kansas City, Missouri
Aaron McGhee North Kansas City Hospital North Kansas City, Missouri
Abby Merlino Banner-University Medical Center Tucson Tucson, Arizona
Allison Mermelstein University of Kansas Health System Kansas City, Kansas
Colleen Messerly SSM Health – St. Clare Hospital Fenton, Missouri
Haley Nikolaenko University of Kansas Health System – Olathe Olathe, Kansas
Emily Paridy St. Louis Children’s Hospital St. Louis, Missouri
Makayla Passmore Overland Park Regional Medical Center Overland Park, Kansas
Monika Patel Centerpoint Medical Center Independence, Missouri
Rylee Pitts Nebraska Medicine Omaha, Nebraska
Abby Poage Saint Luke’s Hospital of Kansas City Kansas City, Missouri
Kelly Ratanasitee University of Michigan Health Ann Arbor, Michigan
Madison Robinette North Kansas City Hospital North Kansas City, Missouri
Brooke Smith Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital Roanoke, Virginia
Avery Snelling University of Missouri Health Care Columbia, Missouri
Cortni Stevenson CVS Health – North Houston Houston, Texas
Madeline Stransky SSM Health DePaul Hospital Bridgeton, Missouri
Kristina Strong Christian Hospital St. Louis, Missouri
Ai Nhu Tran University of Missouri Health Care Columbia, Missouri
Jessica Tran University of Kansas Health System Kansas City, Kansas
Cassandra Van Horn Saint Luke’s Hospital of Kansas City Kansas City, Missouri
Claire Vogl VA Ann Arbor HCS – LTC Kettles Ann Arbor, Michigan
Samantha Zoellner Barnes-Jewish Hospital St. Louis, Missouri
