About Kappa Epsilon

On May 13, 1921, in Iowa City, Iowa, at the invitation of Professor Zada Mary Cooper, female pharmacy students attending the universities of Minnesota, Nebraska and Iowa State agreed for the establishment of Kappa Epsilon.

The Kappa Epsilon Fraternity was established to unite women pharmacy students across the United States. For more than 90 years, Kappa Epsilon has played an important role in the profession of pharmacy by supporting both personal and professional development through continuing education, providing networking opportunities, promoting pharmacy as a career and by participating in National Projects including Breast Cancer Awareness.

Internationally, Kappa Epsilon sponsored a breakfast for women pharmacists attending the 1957 Pan American Congress of Pharmacyand Biochemistry in Washington, D.C. This event united the largest gathering of women pharmacists representing nations from around the world. In 1971, Kappa Epsilon hosted a luncheon at the International Congress of Pharmaceutical Sciences Meeting in Washington, D.C. Later, Kappa Epsilon supported the 1987 International Symposium on Women in Pharmacy, which initiated the movement for a series of international forums for women in pharmacy luncheons and a symposium at the Federation of International Pharmaceutique Congresses (FIP).

Since the 1980s, Kappa Epsilon has promoted women’s health issues, supported projects that addressed areas such as PMS, osteoporosis, contraception and breast cancer and has furthered pharmaceutical education and research. For next generation, KE developed the Pharm-CORP Program to encourage high school students to attain an advanced education and provide an overview of the benefits of pursuing a career in pharmacy.

Over the years, the Kappa Epsilon Fraternity and Foundation has promoted the scholastic and professional achievement among its members through continuing education and the support of research projects and has honored their achievements through many awards, scholarships and fellowships. The Fraternity and Foundation also values having a fraternal presence at national conventions including the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Midyear Clinical Meeting and the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) Annual Meeting.

To date, more than 25,000 Members have been initiated in the Kappa Epsilon Fraternity, 50 Collegiate Chapters have been chartered and 21 Alumni Chapters have been established. Today, Kappa Epsilon celebrates 43 Collegiate Chapters and 10 Alumni Chapters active in their unversities, colleges and communities.