Lester Entrepreneurial Scholars

Selection: Each Spring semester interested students will submit an application with an innovative or entrepreneurial proposal. The applications are reviewed, and Scholars will then be selected for the program and notified by early summer. 

Learning: The selected Scholars will undergo an orientation session to set clear expectations of the program. Scholars will be required to register for the specific courses required for either the Health Innovation or Pharmacy Ownership tracks. 

Experiential: In both the Health Innovation and Pharmacy Ownership tracks, students build essential skills such as strategic thinking and persuasive communication, helping them transform ideas into clear, compelling stories tailored to a real audience. In preparing for either the i4Health Pitch Event or NCPA Student Business Plan Competition, students gain confidence presenting under pressure, learn to incorporate feedback quickly, and develop professionalism through teamwork.

Leadership: As new Scholars are selected, outgoing Scholars increase their leadership skills by mentoring incoming Scholars.

Students in the Health Innovations track gain a foundation in healthcare innovation and develop adaptive ways of thinking to tackle complex health challenges. Scholars work with students from various disciplines including Business, Medicine, Engineering, and Natural Sciences, equipping them to collaborate effectively and contribute meaningfully to the creation of impactful health solutions.

The following courses are required for this program track:

• PHM 389M or PGS 389M – Fundamentals of Health Innovation (Fall P2 or P3 year)
• PHM 383M or PGS 384M – Health Innovations and Entrepreneurship (Spring P2 or P3 year)

Students in the Pharmacy Ownership track learn skills in pharmacy business operations, including pharmacy financials, inventory management, and regulatory compliance. They also participate in the Good Neighbor Pharmacy NCPA Pruitt-Schutte Student Business Plan Competition, giving them hands-on experience developing and presenting innovative pharmacy business ideas to strengthen their entrepreneurial and professional skills.

The following courses are required for this program track:

• PHM 389M or PGS 389M – Fundamentals of Health Innovation (Fall P2 or P3 year)
• PHM 384K – Community Pharmacy Management (Fall P3 year)
• PHM 292G – Pharmacy Business Plan Development (Spring P3 year)

Please review the application instructions document for application steps.

2025 Admitted Scholars: Pharm.D. Candidates - Kelsey Barabas, Grace Johnson, Manda Lin, Miguel Garcia, Christine Nguyen, Yasmeen Patel, Carlo Velazquez, Deandra Zheng

2024 Admitted Scholars: Pharm.D. Candidates - Emily Anderson, Tori Chou, Doeun Kim, Eldina Memic, Paul Millet, Kim Nguyen, Jobie Ryan; Ph.D. Candidate – Nila Murali

2023 Admitted Scholars: Pharm.D. Candidates - Nora Abifaraj, Sydney Bryant, Casey Carswell, Erica Jermain, Joyance Liao-Mendoza, Romina Manochahri

2022 Admitted Scholars: Pharm.D. Candidates - Annelise Eeckman, Daniel Flores, Maria Gugliano, Dominique Lopez, Quinn Mosgrove, Bruno Onwukwe, Reagan Schlierf, Zachary Taylor

2021 Admitted Scholars: Pharm.D. Candidates - Brian Burpo, Amaka Epoh, Javier Granados, Jennifer Hoang, Ryan Hoffart, Vraj Patel, Vivian Peng, Lyndsey Price, Anuki Weerakoon-Wijeratne

2020 Admitted Scholars: Pharm.D. Candidates - Hector Fernandez, Faith Goan, Amrita Kanwar, Kailee Marikar

2019 Admitted Scholars: Pharm.D. Candidates - Devin Denofio, Tu Doan, Jacqueline Gavin, Kyler Tormey, Lauren Welton-Arndt; Ph.D. Candidate – Staphanie Hufnagle

2018 Admitted Scholars: Pharm.D. Candidates - Adam Burkhard, Alex Cantu, Aaron Carabajal-Johnson, Aisha Fowler, Haben Tesfamariam; Ph.D. Candidate - Patricia Pereira Martins

2017 Admitted Scholars: Pharm.D. Candidates - Omar Fuentes, James Cong, Meghan Ha, Sarah Nguyen; Ph.D. Candidates - Ashlee Brunaugh, Xiujuan Peng; M.S. Fellow Candidate - Esther Yi

2016 Admitted Scholars: Pharm.D. Candidates - Austin Green, Christian Carlson

A native of Pleasanton, Texas, Mike Lester became a Texas Longhorn pharmacist in 1979 when he earned his B.S. in pharmacy. Since then, he has distinguished his career with an entrepreneurial drive to deliver health care with innovation and efficiency.

His career includes 35 years in the multi-site health care services and pharmaceutical life sciences fields. Mike has successfully capitalized and assembled top tier management teams and implemented strategic and tactical business plans throughout his career. As a result, he has created long term value for employees, patients, and shareholders.

He was founder and CEO of:

• Accelecare Wound Centers, a comprehensive wound care and disease management company;
• Radiant Research, a comprehensive clinical research company providing Phase I-IV study conduct and drug development services to the biopharmaceutical industry; and
• ContinueCare Health Systems, a high tech home, and alternate site infusion therapy company.

He founded LifeStance Health, a behavioral health company, and served as a venture partner at Bain Capital and SV Life Sciences

Mr. Lester serves on The University of Texas College of Pharmacy Pharmaceutical Foundation Advisory Council; is a member of the Board of Directors of LifeStance Health, Inc., Ventec Life Systems, Inc.; and is a senior advisor to Silversmith Capital Partners. He was formerly a board member and president of the Texas State Board of Pharmacy.

What are innovation and entrepreneurship?
Innovation and entrepreneurship involve having the ideas, initiative and capacity to develop new business ventures that offer an innovative product, service, or process that improves upon existing models. 

Why should I apply to this program?
The Lester Entrepreneurial Scholars Program is designed to prepare our students in the professional and graduate programs to develop entrepreneurial and innovative leadership and thinking skills to tackle healthcare issues in creative new ways. Lester Entrepreneurial Scholars will have access to a variety of resources typically not available to students.

Who can apply to the program?
The program is open to College of Pharmacy Pharm.D. and Ph.D. students and is designed to foster innovative and entrepreneurial thinkers and leaders. Pharm.D. students must be in their first or second year of coursework.

What counts as a gateway experience?
There are many formal and informal courses, both on and off campus, that could be considered gateway experiences. In addition, employment and internships in an entrepreneurial/startup environment, such as the Austin Technology Incubator, would be considered. These are just a few suggested experiences, and this is by no means a comprehensive listing.

While highly encouraged, a gateway experience is not a requirement for admission to the Lester Entrepreneurial Scholars program.

If I have completed a previous internship, does that count as a gateway experience?
If the internship focused on innovation or entrepreneurship, it would be considered to qualify as the gateway experience.

Are grades an important consideration?
Successful applicants need to be academically sound; however, GPA is not a critical element in the decision-making process.

What about intellectual property?
Any creation of intellectual property by a student enrolled in the LES program falls under The University of Texas System Rule 91010. Please read the full rule documentation for more information.