Shiyar “Shy” Kapan, a P3 student on the Nashville campus, was one of the winners of the inaugural UTHSC Student Social Justice and Diversity Healthcare Leadership Award.
Kapan has served on the dean’s newly formed Equity, Inclusivity, and Diversity (EID) Advisory Board, and is an active member of the college’s chapter of the Student National Pharmaceutical Association (SNPhA), serving as vice president for the chapter on the Nashville campus.
“Shiyar’s involvement in SNPhA and the experience he has gained in the community and hospital pharmacy setting demonstrates his ability to be a versatile student,” said College of Pharmacy Dean Marie Chisholm-Burns. “He constantly strives for excellence and consistently excels in any task given to him. He is truly an invaluable asset to the advisory board, the college, and the campus community.”
The Student Social Justice and Diversity Healthcare Leadership Award recognizes UTHSC students from the colleges of dentistry, graduate health sciences, health professions, medicine, nursing, and pharmacy, whose actions demonstrate the importance of social justice activism and equity and diversity while positively impacting UTHSC and the community.
Kapan helped to develop a series of listening sessions through the Office of Student Affairs and hosted a session on “Systemic Racism,” recruiting facilitators and planning discussion groups during the sessions. He said he could not have received the award without the help of his classmates and faculty members.
“Thank you to my classmates Alex S., Will C., and Lorraine T., and faculty members Dr. Rachel Barenie and Dr. Brian Winbigler for being the push to my pull in our law revision project,” he said. “None of this would be possible if they weren’t always there to assist, and I’m forever grateful for them.”
