Henderson P3 Christine Taing Awarded 2022 APhA Scholarship
The American Pharmacists Association (APhA) Foundation recently announced the APhA Foundation Student Scholarship Program recipients for 2022. This year, Christine Taing, a P3 from the Henderson campus was one of 24 student pharmacists honored based on academic accomplishments and leadership skills as demonstrated through active involvement in the APhA Academy of Student Pharmacists (APhA-ASP). Nominated by Dr. Mark Decerbo, Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice, Christine was awarded the APhA Robert D. Gibson Scholarship.
Christine is a final-year pharmacy student in the College of Pharmacy. She was born in Los Angeles and moved to Las Vegas in 2011. Her experiences thus far have led her to live by this simple but powerful motto, “Do not be afraid of failure or judgment from other people but be afraid of regret.”
Her main goal is to inspire her fellow students to find the courage to speak up for their passions. She truly feels that everyone should have a voice because if we do not bring our issues to the forefront of everyone’s agenda, we will not be heard, and we will slow the advancement of our progress. Christine knows the struggle of speaking out in public firsthand. In 2019, she represented the Roseman APhA student chapter during the MRM Policy Proposal Forum where the thought of speaking in front of countless colleagues absolutely petrified her. With the support of her Roseman and APhA peers, she gathered the strength to speak her mind. This experience allowed her to pursue opportunities that she would not have thought were possible.
As a highly motivated and driven individual, Christine secured seven different roles, ranging from Roseman chapter’s APhA-ASP’s Vice President of Policy to Roseman University’s Student Government Association President at the Henderson campus. On top of those leadership roles, Christine was elected as APhA-ASP’s Region 8 Region Delegate. As a Region Delegate, she represents student pharmacists from five states in the west coast and motivates them to become leaders in the future of pharmacy. She is an investigator in two on-going research projects that focus on naloxone administration training and bioinformatics. Despite the ever-changing environment, she has adapted to the new technologies required for her education and advocate for her profession.
As the Vice President of Policy, she encourages cultural humility and inclusion by producing and coordinating presentations that focus on underrepresented groups such as the LGBTQIA+ community. As the President of the Roseman’s Drug Awareness and Advocacy Team, she regularly organizes new events featuring guest speakers from the Drug Enforcement Administration, Centers for Behavioral Health, and other healthcare members within Southern Nevada. She frequently presents and encourages other pharmacy students to volunteer at the local high schools to educate students on the dangers of misusing and abusing drugs.
During the COVID-29 pandemic, Christine individually partnered with Hedley & Bennett and FIGS to donate 500 reusable face masks, face shields, and scrubs to Roseman University students, faculty, and staff to give back to her community and school. She enjoyed volunteering at the Remote Area Medical event in Pahrump that brought free health care to underserved areas and, recently, COVID-19 clinics across the Las Vegas valley. A skill she can attribute to her continued success would be her general outspoken nature; thanks to this, she often ends up leaving a lasting impression on those who have met her as her passion for pharmacy advocacy is somewhat contagious. Outside of academics and advocacy, Christine loves cuddling up with her adopted Yorkie, Chewy, on her rare but relaxing days off.