ETSU Gatton College of Pharmacy national champions for second time

JOHNSON CITY For the second time in school history, the Gatton College of Pharmacy at East Tennessee State University was named the national champion of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP)s Clinical Pharmacy Challenge.

The Clinical Pharmacy Challenge is a unique pharmacy student team competition that draws participation from institutions across the country. The online competition gave 112 teams the opportunity to compete in up to four rounds of competition in Hollywood, Florida, where they answered questions about everything from cardiovascular disorders and critical care to immunology and palliative care.

After successfully making its way to Hollywood and defeating opponents in the first three rounds of competition there, ETSUs three-man team moved to the championship round against Oregon State Universitys College of Pharmacy, winning the match and championship title.

Members of the winning team are fourth-year pharmacy students Brad Dedic, of Downs, Illinois; Dan Schroedl, of Syracuse, New York; and Wade Tugman, of Mountain City. Gatton College of Pharmacy assistant professor Dr. David Cluck serves as the teams coach.

I couldnt be more proud of these students and how much dedication they put into being successful in this event, Cluck said. These students, from the first round moving forward, worked very well together and played off each others strengths.

The victory marks the second time the Gatton team has come out on top in the competition, with its first championship coming in 2013.

Its pretty impressive, really. Our students have only competed in the ACCP Clinical Pharmacy Challenge for five years, and during that time, we have earned the championship twice, said Dr. Debbie Byrd, dean of the college. I am so proud of these three gentlemen. The teamwork and level of knowledge they displayed was astounding.