(261) Establishing a New Student Organization Inclusive of both Graduate and Professional Students

Objective : This poster describes lessons learned from establishing a new student organization at a School of Pharmacy, outside of the usual PharmD organizational structure, to include primarily graduate students, while also including professional students with research interests.

Methods: A primarily graduate student organization was envisioned as part of the Biophysical Society. The vision for the organization's mission was centered on the development of a series of events focusing on 1/ scientific and professional development, 2/ service and outreach, and 3/ networking and socializing.

Results: The organization was established, under the guidance of a dedicated faculty advisor and counts upwards of 25 members at various levels of involvement. Over the past years, more than 15 events were held including career panels, outreach to local high school students, recruitment trips to present student member's research at local primarily undergraduate institutions or scientific seminars featuring invited scientists.

Conclusions: The need for a faculty champion was essential, as was the critical mass of faculty and graduate students with an interest in the area for long-term health of membership. Important considerations for the strength of the organization are core principles consistent with aims of the graduate student body – research, professional development, networking, outreach, and recruiting. The recruitment was particularly important, as current students are far better prepared to reach potential students than faculty.