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During the weekend of March 6-8, 2009, PPA held its Second
Annual Government Relations
Advocacy for Student Pharmacists (GRASP) program.
Twenty-one
students from Pennsylvania’s
seven pharmacy schools; LECOM, Duquesne University,
Temple University, Thomas Jefferson University, University of the Sciences
in
Philadelphia,
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 Ted
Mowatt, Lobbyist; Ed Bechtel, State Board
of Pharmacy;
Robert Killoran R.Ph., community pharmacy;
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.
The students had the opportunity to write sample letters to
legislators and share them with each other.
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 2009 included Duquesne University
students Kyle Hampson, Jennifer Myers, Lauren Pusateri,
and Alexa Sevin, LECOM students Emily Lancaster and Kristina
Mazzie,
Thomas Jefferson student, Michael Larosa, University of
Pittsburgh students Ashley Craig, Matthew Felbinger, Yardlee
Kauffman, Tina Khadem, Julie Lauffenburger, and Amanda
Simpson, Temple University student, Bridgett Wendel, University
of the Sciences in Philadelphia students Mariam Hanna,
Kareem Karara, Anokhi Shah, and Aditi Shukla, Wilkes
University students Peter Morgan and Jason Weilage, and
Duquesne University alumnus and University of Pittsburgh resident, Maria
Osborne, PharmD.
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 two GRASP programs,
PPA is already looking forward to planning for the 2010
GRASP Program.
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