Shenandoah Pharmacy Student Wins National Patient Counseling Title

Shenandoah University’s Sheridan Herron, a third-year Pharm.D. student, has been named the national champion of the 2025 APhA-Academy of Student Pharmacists National Patient Counseling Competition, held during the American Pharmacists Association Annual Meeting from March 21–24 in Nashville, Tennessee.

Herron, class of 2026, is the third student from Shenandoah’s Bernard J. Dunn School of Pharmacy to win the competition—a record unmatched by any other school since Shenandoah began participating in 2000. The university is now tied with the University of California, San Francisco, for the most national wins in the competition’s 40-year history.

“Winning this competition meant so much to me, as counseling patients on their medications and alleviating their concerns is an area of pharmacy I am very passionate about,” said Herron.

She credited her success to the consistent support and coaching of Shenandoah adjunct associate professors of pharmacy practice Dr. Sarah Parnapy Jawaid and Dr. Renee Thomas, who first taught her during a communications course in her first year and later coached her throughout her competition prep.

“They both were willing to meet with me various times throughout the week to practice counseling and offer feedback,” Herron said. “At the national competition, I just told myself to continue to be myself and pretend it was another counseling session with my professors, and it worked!”

Herron began her journey to the national stage by winning Shenandoah’s local competition, which earned her a spot among 120 students from across the country at the national level. The competition, sponsored by CVS, is designed to test pharmacy students’ ability to communicate complex drug information clearly and empathetically during real-world counseling scenarios.

In the preliminary round, competitors had five minutes to review a prescription and patient profile before counseling a simulated patient. The top 10 students from that round advanced to the final round, where the challenge increased. Finalists had to counsel a patient who exhibited a specific personality trait—such as anxiousness, apathy, or belligerence—requiring an even greater depth of interpersonal skill, clarity, and professionalism.

“I am so proud of Sheridan!” said Robbie Kidd, Pharm.D., Ph.D., dean of the Bernard J. Dunn School of Pharmacy. “She embodies the best qualities of a Shenandoah graduate—pharmacists who have the compassion and communication skills to effectively use their knowledge and skills to improve their patients’ lives.”

Herron’s win reinforces Shenandoah’s reputation for excellence in pharmacy education. Since joining the competition circuit in 2000, Shenandoah students have consistently placed among the nation’s best, earning a first runner-up title in 2020, a third-place finish in 2002, and several additional top 10 spots in 2001, 2004, 2013, and 2018.

Herron received her award from Joshua Cahill, senior adviser of talent acquisition for CVS, during a ceremony attended by her proud parents.

Launched in 1985, the APhA-ASP National Patient Counseling Competition highlights one of the most critical roles of the modern pharmacist: helping patients understand and safely manage their medications. Herron’s achievement not only adds to Shenandoah’s legacy of success but also exemplifies the high standards and personal dedication at the heart of the profession.