Wagner Family Scholarships in Pharmapreneurship

Wagner Scholarship Application Announcement

Overview

The University of Maryland School of Pharmacy invites current first-, second-, or third-year student pharmacists enrolled in the PharmD program to apply for the Wagner Family Scholarships in Pharmapreneurship, established by Daniel E. Wagner, JD ’62, to honor his family’s legacy at the School of Pharmacy.

Mr. Wagner is a powerful advocate for student success through his support of the School of Pharmacy’s Pharmapreneurship initiative. He has established a collection of annual endowed scholarships in honor of his family’s legacy at the School, which includes an impressive nine graduates.

Pharmapreneurship - entrepreneurship in health care - encourages students to translate ideas into solutions that address real health care challenges. The initiative promotes thinking grounded in purpose (solving meaningful health care problems), growth (developing sustainable and scalable solutions), and value (creating solutions people want, use, and invest in).

Eligibility

PharmD students enrolled in their first, second or third professional year at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy (UMSOP) are eligible to apply.
The scholarship will be awarded beginning in the Fall semester following the award decision and will support the recipient during the next stage of their PharmD training.
Because Pharmapreneurship relies on strong critical thinking, applicants are expected to demonstrate their ability to analyze problems, evaluate opportunities, and communicate thoughtful perspectives. Evidence of these skills should be reflected in the application materials and supporting documentation.

Application Materials and Link

The application due date is April 12, 2026, at midnight.

The application for the Wagner Scholarships in Pharmapreneurship consists of the following materials:

Statement of Interest
A one-page essay describing a project that entails critical thinking in one of the three areas listed under Critical Thinking Project Tracks (below).
Curriculum Vitae (CV)
The CV should summarize the applicant’s academic, professional, and personal accomplishments.
One Letter of Recommendation
Letter should come from individuals familiar with the applicant’s academic or professional work and should specifically comment on the student’s critical thinking abilities, including their ability to analyze problems, evaluate options, and communicate thoughtful insights.

2026 Wagner Scholarship Application

Selection Criteria

The Wagner Scholarships in Pharmapreneurship aim to support students who demonstrate strong critical thinking and academic excellence, and who show the potential to apply these abilities to meaningful health care challenges.

Submitted applications will be reviewed by a selection committee and evaluated based on the following criteria:

Critical Thinking Ability – Weight: 60%
The applicant’s demonstrated ability to analyze problems, evaluate evidence, consider alternative perspectives, and communicate thoughtful conclusions.

This will be assessed based on the Statement of Interest, CV, and Letter of Recommendation, including the applicant’s proposed measurable deliverables for further developing their critical thinking during the remainder of the PharmD program.
Academic Performance – Weight: 40%
The applicant’s academic achievement and engagement in the PharmD program, as demonstrated through the CV.

Pharmapreneurship – Critical Thinking Project Tracks

Applicants should propose a project aligned with one of the following tracks that demonstrates how they will develop and apply critical thinking during the remainder of their PharmD training.

All projects should apply the DIA framework (Decision–Information–Analysis) to structure the student’s reasoning.

Clinical Decision-Making
Focus: Applying structured critical thinking to therapeutic decisions in patient care.
DIA application
- Decision – What clinical decision must be made?
- Information – What patient data, clinical evidence, and guidelines inform the decision?
- Analysis – What alternatives exist and which option is most appropriate?
Medication Safety and Systems Improvement
Focus:Improving medication-use processes through analytical thinking.
DIA application
- Decision – What improvement decision should be made?
- Information – What data or observations reveal the system problem?
- Analysis – What interventions could reduce risk or improve workflow?

Health Care Innovation and Technology
Focus: Evaluating emerging technologies relevant to pharmacy practice.
DIA application

Decision – Should this innovation be adopted or applied?
Information – What evidence exists regarding its effectiveness?
Analysis – What benefits, risks, and implementation considerations should be evaluated?

Awardee Commitment

Wagner Scholarship recipients are expected to:

Review the DIA tutorials on critical thinking to develop familiarity with the Decision–Information–Analysis (DIA) framework.
Develop and present a critical thinking proposal aligned with one of the Pharmapreneurship Critical Thinking Tracks to the Pharmapreneurship–DIA Advisory Committee.
Execute the proposed project, applying the DIA framework to analyze the selected clinical or healthcare problem.
Submit a written report and deliver a presentation to the Pharmapreneurship–DIA Advisory Committee, demonstrating how the DIA framework informed their analysis and conclusions.

Contact Information

Joga Gobburu, PhD, MBA, FCP, FAAPS, FISOP
Gyi Endowed Memorial Professor in Pharmapreneurship
Professor of Practice, Sciences, and Health Outcomes Research
Director, Center for Translational Medicine
University of Maryland School of Pharmacy

Email: jgobburu@rx.umaryland.edu

Previous Wagner Scholarship Recipients

Year	Recipient
2025-26	Rabia Asjid Oanh Hoang Sierra Larson Milka Lenarz Gabriele Miksa Vijay Modi Jiwon Oh Shiv Patel Maci Wong
2024-25	Andrew Gureje Chiamaka Ikereafor Jiwon Oh Lalla Maiga Samantha Zakhem Tuador Wikina Arthaniel Guisadio

See additional past years' recipients.