The LEADS Initiative

What is the LEADS Initiative? 

The LEADS Initiative, in collaboration with the Rho Chi Post, is a pilot program starting in the 2022-2023 academic year involving writing for the Rho Chi Post and mentoring underclassmen. The goal of the LEADS Initiative is to provide an academic mentorship program for pharmacy students to promote scholastic excellence, ethics, service, leadership, and an increased sense of community. 

LEADS is an acronym representing the different aspects of the program:

• L: Leadership

  • The principle of the entire program wherein a Rho Chi member “leads” an individual/group of mentee(s) in various activities throughout the school year. 

• E: Ethics 

  • Oath of a Pharmacist event

    • It is our vision to invite our faculty advisor and/or a member of the Dean's Office to speak to the students on what it means to be a pharmacist and the pharmacy Code of Ethics/Oath of a Pharmacist

• A: Academics 

  • Each mentor/mentee group must submit an article to the Rho Chi Post (our award winning, national publication!) by the end of the academic year. Topics will be discussed between the mentor and mentee groups, but the article must be pharmacy/healthcare related.

• Each mentor/mentee group is required to attend the Writing Workshop during the Fall semester. 

• D: Development 

  • This portion focuses on the professional development of our students by requiring attendance to at least one of Rho Chi’s semi annual Coffeehouse Chats. 

• S: Service 

  • It is mandatory for mentee/mentor groups to participate in at least one service event per semester. Some examples include:

    • Cards for Children 

    • University Service Day 

    • Any food/canned goods/supply drive we hold throughout the year

Who can apply to be a LEADS Mentor? 

All Rho Chi members are eligible to serve as LEADS Mentors. Those who become LEADS Mentors will be awarded the full required service points for both semesters (10 points per semester). Mentors will be selected on an application-based process. This pilot initiative allows for a maximum of five (5) mentors, and the program is a year long commitment. 

Applications for the 2022-2023 academic year have closed.

What are the benefits of being a LEADS Mentor?

This position gives Rho Chi members the opportunity to showcase their mentorship skills and help younger students navigate pharmacy school. It is an experience that can be added to CV's/resumes and spoken upon in the future when applying for leadership positions, jobs, post-graduate training, and more!