The Experiential Learning Program’s new Student Support Fund opens doors for student pharmacists.
Recognizing both the value of experiential learning and the financial barriers that can accompany it, the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy’s (UMSOP) Office of Experiential Learning has created the Experiential Learning Program (ELP) Student Support Fund, with the first four awards distributed to student pharmacists for global rotation experiences in the 2026-2027 academic year.
The fund was created in 2025 to help ensure that students can pursue career-shaping Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPE) opportunities based on their professional goals — not on their financial circumstances.
“The fourth year of pharmacy school represents a defining chapter,” says Mojdeh Heavner, PharmD, assistant dean for experiential learning and professor of practice, sciences, and health outcomes research. “A full academic year of APPE rotations transform classroom knowledge into patient care, research, leadership, and innovation. Whether students are caring for patients in hospitals, working alongside scientists at federal agencies, exploring pharmaceutical industry careers, or participating in global health experiences, these rotations often become the experiences that shape their future careers.”
Yet APPE year, according to Heavner, also comes with a reality that many students know all too well: The costs can add up quickly.
“Unlike the first three years of pharmacy school, APPEs frequently require extensive travel, temporary housing, commuting, parking, and other expenses,” she says. “In fact, the fourth year of pharmacy school can cost students approximately $5,000 to $11,000 more than the first three years. Additionally, published research examining APPE-related costs has similarly identified financial burden as one of the most significant concerns influencing students’ rotation experiences.”
Recognizing the financial burden fourth-year students often experience, ELP worked with the school’s Office of Development and Alumni Affairs in fall 2025 on its first fundraising campaign with a goal of engaging 35 donors.
“The response from our community was immediate,” says Greer Griffith, MS, executive director of the Office of Development and Alumni Affairs. “Thanks to the generosity of alumni, faculty, staff, preceptors, and friends of the school, that goal was exceeded with 41 donors contributing nearly $6,000 to support student pharmacists.”
Those contributions quickly turned into opportunities. Working alongside the school’s Experiential Learning Committee, award criteria and application processes were developed in spring 2026. Following a competitive review process, four rising fourth-year student pharmacists were selected to receive $1,000 ELP Student Support Awards.
“One of the things I appreciate most about UMSOP is the incredible variety of APPE opportunities available to students,” says Ella Cohen, fourth-year student pharmacist and award recipient. “These rotations allow us to explore practice settings we may have never considered.”
This year, Cohen will complete an international APPE at the University of Camerino in Italy, where she hopes to gain a broader perspective on pharmacy practice and health care. For Cohen, the ELP Student Support Award helps ease the financial burden associated with APPE year, including travel, housing, and other related expenses.
“It is incredibly meaningful to be part of the first class eligible for support through the ELP Student Support Fund,” she shares. “Donor contributions help ease these financial burdens, allowing students like me to focus on learning, caring for patients, and developing the skills needed to become exceptional pharmacists.”
Gabriella Werking’s APPE experiences will include a global rotation at Presidio San Salvatore Muraglia Hospital in Pesaro, Italy, where she will gain firsthand exposure to oncology clinical trials, investigational drug management, international regulatory requirements, and hospital pharmacy operations.
“The award provided from the ELP Student Support Fund reduces barriers for students to experience meaningful rotations which otherwise may not have been possible,” Werking says. “I am grateful to have been able to use the funds toward a global rotation, where I will have the opportunity to learn about differences in pharmacy practice, drug regulation, and clinical research.”
For award recipient Abby Le, access to the school’s extensive network of experiential opportunities was one of the reasons she chose to attend UMSOP. “As an out-of-state student, the wide variety of APPE opportunities was one of the main factors that drew me to the school,” she explains. “Having access to experiences across clinical practice, research, industry, regulatory agencies, and international health allows us to explore different career paths while developing a broader perspective on the pharmacy profession.”
This academic year, Le will participate in a clinical rotation at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center and an international pharmacy administration rotation in Italy, experiences that will further expand her understanding of the profession.
“The generosity of ELP Student Support Fund donors has a direct and lasting impact on students,” she says. “Their support not only helps ease financial stress but also empowers us to pursue experiences that broaden our clinical skills, expand our perspectives, and ultimately prepare us to better serve patients.”
According to Heavner, these stories reflect the very purpose of experiential education. “Each experience provides opportunities for students to discover new career paths, strengthen clinical decision-making, build professional networks, and develop the confidence needed to become future pharmacy leaders,” she says. “They prepare our graduates to serve patients and advance the profession in countless ways."
The ELP Student Support Fund also reflects UMSOP’s Strategic Plan theme of Strategic Resilience and Growth Opportunity, which focuses on fostering an enduring culture of philanthropy and increasing access, affordability, and opportunity for future students.
Preceptors and others who would like to support student pharmacists and reduce financial barriers associated with rotations may make a tax-deductible contribution through the UMB ELP Donation Site.