Lena McDowell is an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice. Originally from Snowdoun, Alabama, she received a Bachelor of Science degree in biomedical sciences from Auburn University and completed her Doctor of Pharmacy at the Harrison College of Pharmacy. Upon graduation, she completed an ASHP-accredited community pharmacy post-graduate year 1 (PGY-1) residency at the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy in Oxford, Mississippi. Dr. McDowell serves as HCOP’s Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience (IPPE) Coordinator and oversees the college’s five IPPEs: community, health and wellness, health-system, clinical, and population health. In her position, she teaches within the Practice Ready Curriculum in both the didactic and experiential settings. She serves as a preceptor for PGY-1 residents for a longitudinal experiential education rotation. Her primary areas of research and scholarship are focused on experiential education and community pharmacy practice transformation. Dr. McDowell is actively involved in several state, regional, and national pharmacy organizations, including the Alabama Pharmacy Association, Southeastern Pharmacy Experiential Education Consortium, and the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy.

Elizabeth W. Covington, Pharm.D., BCIDP is an Associate Clinical Professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice. Originally from Birmingham, Alabama, she received a bachelor of science degree in chemistry from Furman University in 2012 and completed her doctor of pharmacy at the Harrison College of Pharmacy in 2016. Upon graduation, she went on to complete an ASHP-accredited post-graduate residency at DCH Regional Medical Center in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Dr. Covington joined the Harrison College of Pharmacy faculty in May 2023 as an associate clinical professor. She returned to The Plains after six years as an assistant professor at the Samford University McWhorter School of Pharmacy. In her position at Auburn, she teaches within the Practice Ready Curriculum in both the didactic and experiential settings. Dr. Covington is active in several state and national pharmacy organizations, including the Alabama Society of Health-System Pharmacists, the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP), and the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP). In 2019, she became a Board-Certified Infectious Disease Pharmacist. She was also recognized by AACP in 2022 with the AACP Women Faculty SIG Early Transformative Teaching Award. Dr. Covington maintains an internal medicine practice site at East Alabama Health in Opelika, Alabama, and precepts students on introductory pharmacy practice experiences (IPPEs) and advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs). She serves as a longitudinal research mentor for post-graduate year 1 (PGY-1) residents. She also engages in clinical research and scholarship, with an emphasis on infectious disease and antimicrobial stewardship in the community hospital setting.

April Staton, Ph.D., is the Director of Experiential Operations and Co-Curriculum, attended Auburn University where she obtained a B.S. in Healthcare Administration and a Master’s in Higher Education Administration. In 2017, she completed her Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration. Dr. Staton worked for a decade in two hospital systems in North Alabama in corporate health services and occupational health prior to joining HCOP in 2000. She has served on several school committees and university committees. Between 2005-08, Staton served as a representative on the Auburn University Administrative and Professional Assembly, and then she served as Chair and Past Chair in 2009 and 2010, respectively. As a founding member of the Southeastern Pharmacy Experiential Education Consortium, she works with colleagues at the six schools and colleges of pharmacy in Alabama and Georgia. Dr. Staton is also an active member of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. She has co-authored numerous educational manuscripts and posters and has presented experiential sessions at national meetings. She has also provided experiential consulting services to colleagues as other schools and colleges of pharmacy. In her role as a student services coordinator, Dr. Staton managed the APPE and IPPE schedules all HCOP student pharmacists. As the Director of Operations for Experiential Programs and Co-curriculum, Dr. Staton directs and oversees the co-curriculum as well as manages all operations of the experiential programs. Dr. Staton was the recipient of the HCOP’s Outstanding Staff Member Award in 2004 and 2016 and was the recipient of the HCOP Way of Working (WOW) Award in 2011.