At FAMU’s College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Institute of Public Health, this year’s “Match Day” was more than an annual ritual. It was a affirmation of a 75-year legacy.
Last week, 14 student-learners from the university learned they had secured postgraduate pharmacy residencies through the competitive American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Pharmacy Residency Matching Program. The matches place them in hospitals, health systems and specialized care settings for intensive, hands-on training, a critical step toward advanced clinical practice.
For a program celebrating its Diamond Jubilee this year, the results felt particularly spectacular. The ASHP Match is a national selection process that pairs pharmacy school graduates with residency programs, akin to the system used for medical doctors. Success is seen as a benchmark of a program’s caliber and its students’ readiness.
“The ASHP Match remains a defining marker of learner achievement and the enduring excellence of FAMU’s pharmacy education,” said Seth Y. Ablordeppey,Ph.D., the college’s interim dean. “In this 75th Diamond Jubilee Year, each match highlights the dedication of our students and the strength of our curriculum, mentorship, and experiential training.”
The matched students will enter either PGY1 (Postgraduate Year One) programs, which provide a foundation in patient care across various settings, or more specialized PGY2 residencies in areas like oncology, psychiatry or critical care.
Jocelyn D. Spates, Ph.D., the associate dean of clinical affairs and a professor, emphasized the foundational role of the first postgraduate year. “PGY1 training equips our graduates with the clinical readiness, professional confidence, and patient‑centered focus needed to excel in real‑world practice,” she said. “Our faculty are deeply committed to guiding students through every step of the Match process. This year’s success underscores FAMU’s legacy of producing practice‑ready pharmacists who lead with distinction and commitment.”
The FAMU College of Pharmacy has long focused on preparing pharmacists to address health disparities and serve underserved communities. The college’s stated mission is “excellence with purpose,” a phrase that takes on added weight as it marks three-quarters of a century of operation.