Tinarena Awaradia, a PharmD candidate (C’o 2025), was honored with a CA AMCP Scholarship to attend the 2024 Nexus conference in Las Vegas. This scholarship recognized her dedication and potential in the field of managed care pharmacy, which is a reflection of the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy’s (AMCP) aim to strengthen managed care pharmacy through future-focused research and inspiring the next generation to improve patient health.

As a current APPE student at AMCP, Tinarena gained a unique perspective by experiencing both the AMCP staff environment and the Nexus student attendee experience. She had the opportunity to learn and engage in discussions on the latest advancements in specialty pharmaceuticals, biosimilars, and digital health tools. Extended exposure outside didactic classrooms to real-world applications, patient outcomes, and cost-effectiveness offered numerous networking opportunities, allowing Tinarena to connect with experts who generously shared their knowledge and experiences.

She said, “I am deeply grateful to California AMCP for awarding me the Nexus Scholarship, which made my attendance possible and seamless. A special thank you to my preceptor, Steven Kheloussi, PharmD, MBA, FAMCP, for the invaluable opportunity to sit in on Professional Affairs Committee meetings and Format Committee meetings.”

Tinarena help the position of Vice President of CUSP’s AMCP chapter from 2023 to 2024, and is also part of her class’s selective, application-based leadership emphasis cohort. She serves as a supplemental instructor, a role designed for the top eight pharmacy students to provide paid tutoring services to the junior cohort. In this capacity, she manages a team of eight supplemental instruction leaders, providing leadership, coaching, performance evaluation, and guidance on improvement. “As a health care practitioner, I am very aware of the challenges patients face in accessing and acquiring medications. I joined AMCP to do my part in bridging the gap in accessing medications,” Tinarena explained.

Since its inception in 1990, the AMCP Foundation has been devoted to advancing public health care needs. By providing access to unbiased, evidence-based information and training, the Foundation helps ensure that the public receives the best available, best-value drugs to maximize their pharmacy benefits.