Photo Journey: Reflecting on Our #1 Status

The achievements and the people that have given the School a 3-peat as #1 in the nation

Story by Ryan McDaniel | photos by Nick Ricotta and ZimZoom Photobooth | Published April 16, 2024

Last week, the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy community was thrilled to receive the news that we were ranked the #1 School of Pharmacy in the nation by US News & World Report – for the third time in a row! This ranking is a reflection of the incredible work being done every day by each and every member of the Carolina Pharmacy community:

• Receiving $87 million in research grants last fiscal year (more than double the amount since the last ranking)
• The best value for in-state students in North Carolina
• Launching the $50 million Research Triangle Center of Excellence in Regulatory Science and Innovation (Triangle CERSI), the newest and largest of five CERSI consortiums in the U.S.
• Creating the Rapidly Emerging Antiviral Drug Development Initiative (READDI), an international leader in preparing the world ahead of the next pandemic
• Being home to the only Structural Genomics Consortium in the US, a global public-private partnership dedicated to open science
• Maintaining the #1 American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) PGY1 residency match rate among schools of pharmacy in the U.S. with 75 or more students registering to match
• Partnering with top schools of pharmacy around the globe to create PharmAlliance
• Providing students international rotation opportunities through the Global Pharmacy Scholars Program
• Raising the bar in pharmacy education by delivering over half of the PharmD curriculum through experiential learning in real-world pharmacy settings around the state of North Carolina and nationwide
• Establishing Eshelman Innovation to help bring innovative research to patients
• Consistently having a NAPLEX first-time pass rate well above the national benchmark
• Engaging a network of 8,700 alumni who are leaders in the field of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences, elevating the profession every day

The School came together to celebrate these incredible achievements and to share the excitement of a three-peat #1 ranking. While Dean Kashuba and the Pharmacy Alumni Association staff passed out commemorative T-shirts, students, staff, and faculty enjoyed barbecue, cupcakes, a photo booth, and the excitement of knowing we are all part of something special.

Thank you to everyone who has committed to making the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy excellent. It is because of your tireless efforts that the School has become the best in the nation at Advancing Medicine for Life.