Recently updated on October 24th, 2022 at 03:31 pm
Folashade Salako has won the 2018-2019 maiden edition of the Shalina Young Talent Award (SYTA) also dubbed the ‘Best Pharmacy Brain’ Award.
Folashade Salako, a final year student of the Faculty of Pharmacy, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), clinched the award to emerge the best pharmacy brain in Nigeria. She beat two other contestants from Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ibadan – Temiwunmi Akinmuleya and Adeboye Bamgboye to second and third places respectively.
Organised by Shalina Healthcare, the Shalina Young Talent Award (SYTA), seeks to promote pharmacy as a profession in Nigeria by engaging tertiary health institutions in the country in the professional development of young pharmacists.
The Managing Director of Shalina Healthcare, Mr. Somnath Malakar noted that at the regional level, Shalina connected directly with about 365 contestants in the 2019 edition of the contest, with nine emerging at the grand finale.
According to Mr. Somnath Malakar:
“I agree that most companies start and back out of projects but that will depend on their perspectives too. We have seen a lot of the benefits that it would make more sense to keep this project in place for the future”
There were debates, case studies, open presentations, clinical and pharmacological quizzes, among a host of other criteria to pick the eventual winner. President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, PSN, Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa, in an address read by Pharm. Okame Okah-Arae, applauded the initiative and declared that it is the dream of every parent to see their children excel.
The National Chairman, Association of Hospital and Administrative Pharmacists of Nigeria (AHAPN), Dr Kingsley Amibor said Shalina had set the pace and called on other pharmaceutical companies in Nigeria to follow suit.
“It is a talent hunt. The idea is to challenge our students to become sound and to realise that there is reward for the hard work they put into their studies.
The event is also quite versatile in terms of knowledge base.
It is not only restricted to one arm of pharmacy practice. It encompassed all aspect of pharmaceutical care and outside the scope of pharmacy.
I think it is a worthwhile programme. From what I have seen today, the students were challenged and I have no doubt that they will be encouraged to take their studies serious from now.”
