UH Hilo Pharmacy students present marketing plans in case competition

A team of third-year University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo College of Pharmacy students won almost $2,000 in the fall semester’s marketing case competition held on November 19, which featured a product that will make medication management more efficient. CoP faculty, Hawaiʻi- and California-based Target officials served as judges.

Winning students were Bernie Cheng, Megan Ching, Richelle Hirata, Jeff Retter and Jessie Wong. They were one of 20 teams of 89 students from Dr. Mok Chong’s course that focuses on exposing future pharmacists to business practices.

“This exercise teaches students how things run in the real world and shows them how they can make it happen,” said Chong, who is an assistant professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice. “Several students have said they don’t understand why they would have to learn the marketing concepts as part of the PharmD curriculum and could not understand how this can be important for a pharmacist. I tell them that many pharmacists who are now practicing pharmacy in various settings tell me that they wished they had the opportunity to learn this skill when they were in school. They now realize that such a course can prepare them to be more efficient and marketable in the pharmacy marketplace.”

The winning team devised a marketing plan to sell a product called “ClearGuide” that is designed to help patients take their medications more regularly. According to the marketing plan, “ClearGuide” will add value to services already offered by providing personalized drug information to customers, along with directions for use, a photo of the medication and description of major side effects.

Chong anticipates Target will submit the plan to corporate headquarters.

For more information on the College of Pharmacy, call (808) 933-2909.