Ashley Ramp acquitted quite well her transition from teacher to student. Before attending the LECOM School of Pharmacy, Ramp taught high school math and science for two years at Villa Maria Academy in Erie, Pennsylvania. Always, she had held a deep and abiding interest in health care and at last - she knew that it was time to take the leap. “My mother, Que Nguyen Lasky, was a nurse for 25 years, so I had been well-exposed to health care providers. I also sought to increase my science education,” explained Ramp. “I always was attracted to pharmacy and with the profession growing at a rapid rate, I found that the patient care aspect of pharmacy most interested me,” she noted. Ramp further explained that she was attracted to pharmacy because it offers “a great mix” of all that she most loved about teaching. “The personal development and the furthering of my scientific knowledge was a significant driver of my motivation, but at the same time, I did not wish to lose the personal interaction that comes with teaching,” she said. “I felt that pharmacy was a very effective way to marry both of those desires into a second career. I also knew that I wanted eventually to return to the education field and I felt that pharmacy would allow me to do that,” she confided. While studying at LECOM, Ramp served as Student Government Association (SGA) President during her P2 year. As a member of the SGA, she played a pivotal role in bringing a more inter-professional approach to the organization. She offered gratitude to pharmacy faculty, Brian Simpkins, PharmD and to Janene Madras, PharmD, for their mentorship. “We collaborated to streamline the process, aligning the pharmacy and medical schools to work together,” Ramp said. “Some of the changes that we made were difficult, but that is what being a leader entails,” she remarked.
Ashley Ra mp, PharmD
LECOM Degree Creates Perfect Career Blend
Indeed, under her leadership, Pharmacy SGA worked with the College of Medicine SGA to align the constitution, the budgetary process, the procedures, and the websites. “We realized through this partnership that there were many similar initiatives that both schools were seeking,” she said. “We felt that if we combined our efforts and resources that we could accomplish many things,” she concluded. Ramp also served on the National Student Leadership and Development Advisory Group for the American Society of HealthSystem Pharmacists. Her key initiative has been advocating for health care provider status for pharmacists. Now a pharmacist herself, Ramp looks forward to working in a residency program in Health-System Pharmacy Administration.
20 LECOM CONNECTION | SUMMER 2015 | LECOM.edu