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During the weekend of February 19 -21, 2010,
PPA held its
Third
Annual Government Relations
Advocacy for Student Pharmacists (GRASP) program.
Twenty-three
students from Pennsylvania’s
seven pharmacy schools;
LECOM, Duquesne University,
Temple University, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia
College of Pharmacy,
University of
Pittsburgh, and Wilkes University, attended the GRASP Program at the
PPA office in Harrisburg.
The students of this year's GRASP Program on their tour of
the Capitol Building.
The three-day program focuses on government relations,
legislative action, media training, and the
regulatory
process. It also provides student pharmacists with the
opportunity to learn, develop, and sharpen
their communication skills. Each year, PPA accepts a select
number of students into the program who are
interested in becoming effective advocates for the
profession.
This year, guest speakers from a variety of practice settings addressed
the student pharmacists.
The speakers consisted of Ed Bechtel, R.Ph., State Board
of Pharmacy;
Coleen Kayden, R.Ph., Medication Information Services,
and Pat Epple, Executive Director of PPA.
The students
were
able to collaborate with other students from across the
state to tackle some
very important issues facing the profession of pharmacy
today.
Students were also given the opportunity to relax, socialize,
and review the day's events
each
evening with their fellow pharmacy students.
Program attendees for 2010 included Duquesne
University students, Gina Ciccone, Desiree Croteau,
Katherine Gorcyca, and Sylvia Stoffella; Jefferson students,
Carla Eisenstein, Hassan Hammoud, Jaime Lopez-Quigley, and
Hoang-Ai Tang; LECOM students, Cory Ulisse and Bejamin
Vroman; University of Pittsburgh students Svetlana Goldman,
Ruth Seifert, Kate Steward, Elyze Weitzman, and Nick Wytiaz;
Temple University students Ryan Fuller, Malyha Mannan, and
Jay Wong; Philadelphia College of Pharmacy students Molly
Boucher and Gregory Yugov; and Wilkes University students
Michael Gionfriddo, Tiera Hickman, and Sarah Witkowski.
The GRASP Program was organized by PPA's Executive Director,
Pat Epple, with the intention to provide
students with a broader outlook on the legislative side of
pharmacy practice and encourage them to remain
politically active throughout their pharmacy careers. After
the success of the past three GRASP programs,
PPA is already looking forward to planning for the 2011
GRASP Program.
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