MUSC pharmacy students team up to take 2nd in national business case competition

The summer has paid off handsomely for Sherri McLamb and Aisha Siddique.

The two MUSC College of Pharmacy students spent part of their summer forming a team for the Eli Lilly Business Case Competition, which came to a close during the Student National Pharmacists Association (SNPhA) National Convention July 28-July 31 in New Orleans.

After succeeding through two preliminary rounds, the McLamb-Siddique team SkinCARE pitched their product to a panel of Eli Lilly judges and were awarded 2^nd place in this national competition.

“It’s a tremendous accomplishment and a testament to the hard work and commitment of the students and their faculty advisors,” said Philip D. Hall, dean of MUSC College of Pharmacy. “It’s quite a recognition when your business case impresses a panel of business people. It shows the students put together a very sophisticated and compelling case.”

SkinCARE (community advancement for racial equity) created a service integrating pharmacy and biotechnology in order to leverage pharmacists and increase patient access to specialty medications in dermatology and beyond. 

The students were particularly well-suited for this achievement. McLamb, a third-year pharmacy student, is president of the MUSC College of Pharmacy SNPhA chapter. Siddique is a second-year pharmacy student and serves as the president-elect of the college’s chapter of the Industry Pharmacists Organization.

SNPhA faculty advisors include clinical pharmacy and outcome science faculty members Marc Lapointe, professor, and Scott Bragg, associate professor.

The Leverage, Engage, and Advance Pharmacists (LEAP) at LillyTM Business Competition gives student pharmacists an opportunity to apply their clinical knowledge, clinical experience, and problem-solving skills to address real-world business challenges faced by the pharmaceutical industry. These challenges combine Lilly’s mission of improving diversity and inclusion to drive innovation with SNPhA’s mission of serving the underserved.