UW Pharmacy Student Selected for Internship with National Walgreens Corporation

A second-year student in the University of Wyoming’s School of Pharmacy has been accepted into the Walgreens Corporate Summer Internship Program as a corporate pharmacy intern.

Paul Baeza, of Gillette, will join a select group of students from pharmacy schools around the country to serve an internship at the Walgreens corporate headquarters in Deerfield, Ill., this summer.

In addition to gaining advanced knowledge of the pharmacy industry, Baeza will support three administrative teams in the corporate office and will join other corporate interns in dialogue sessions, presentations by Walgreens corporate managers, guide several tours and attend networking events.

“I’m extremely honored and very excited to be given this opportunity to expand my knowledge of pharmacy from a systems and administrative perspective and represent the UW School of Pharmacy at a national level,” Baeza says. “In addition to expanding my knowledge, this internship will help me build invaluable connections that I wouldn’t be able to form anywhere else.”

Lorri Walmsley, vice president of pharmacy affairs, with the Walgreens corporate office, says the internship for which Baeza was selected is a paid, full-time program that is an excellent opportunity for rising second- and third-year student pharmacists who are interested in gaining a corporate perspective on community pharmacy.

“Walgreens’ Corporate Summer Internship Program gives student pharmacists a special opportunity to see how pharmacy care is delivered and scaled at a national level,” says John Colaizzi, group vice president and head of enterprise pharmacy practice with Walgreens. “We’re proud to support students like Paul as they gain hands-on exposure to pharmacy leadership, collaborate with experienced leaders and explore new ways pharmacists can improve patient care and health outcomes.”

Housing is provided for students who live more than 55 miles from the area.

“We are proud of Paul for earning a place in this nationally competitive internship,” says Kem Krueger, dean of the School of Pharmacy. “He is actively engaged across the school and campus community, serving as a Cowboy Coach, student ambassador and participant in the Health Access Leadership Program developed in partnership with Howard University. This opportunity will allow him to gain valuable insight into the corporate and administrative dimensions of pharmacy practice. We are grateful to Walgreens for investing in the development of future pharmacists through experiences like this.”

“As dean of the University of Wyoming’s College of Health Sciences, I am thrilled to congratulate Paul Baeza on his selection for the prestigious Walgreens Corporate Summer Internship Program,” Patrick Hardigan says. “This highly competitive opportunity reflects Paul’s outstanding potential and the excellence of our School of Pharmacy. Gaining hands-on experience at the national corporate level will richly complement the strong clinical and professional foundation he is building here at UW. We are proud of Paul’s initiative and leadership, and we look forward to seeing the impact he will make as a future pharmacist and healthcare leader.”