Dear Colleagues:
As we welcome summer and with so much change in the previous three months, let’s catch up with recent happenings.
First, I want to again congratulate the PharmD class of 2026. I had the privilege of attending several schools of pharmacy commencements and on behalf of the Board of Directors, we are extremely proud of your accomplishments. We are most appreciative of your willingness to take the sacred oath of a pharmacist and to provide the next generation of service to our profession.
I would like to also take a moment to congratulate all the P1s, P2s and P3s for climbing the next rung of the ladder of your journey to become a pharmacist. For the P1s, you made it through the first year. You are now off and running! To all my P2s, this next year is when all the prerequisites will start to make sense. Continue to prepare hard as this is your APPE readiness year. For the P3s, this is the time to take the skills you learned in the lecture halls and apply them to real life scenarios. Good luck with your APPEs. I cannot wait to see all of you cross that stage next year dressed in your caps and gowns.
Thank you goes out Colleen Carrigan, who just completed her term as chair of the PPA Student Advisory Board (SAB). I also want to thank Carly Eidle and Julia Lazzaris, who recently completed their terms on the PPA Board of Directors, as the East and West student director, respectively. All members of the 2026 class, we wish them Godspeed as they start their careers.
I would also like to congratulate Colleen (Jefferson), Carly (Wilkes), Julia (Pitt), as well as Hayleigh Monroe (Duquesne), Rylie Whitaker (LECOM) and Joel Issac (PCP/SJU) on winning the PPA Outstanding Student Awards for their respective schools of pharmacy. Enjoy the free PPA membership for next year. I look forward to seeing you at the 2027 Annual Conference.
Finally, I’d like to send congratulations to all the PGY-1 and PGY-2 pharmacy residents and fellows who are finishing their respective programs. You chose a path of delayed gratification, for additional year(s) of intense postgraduate training. That takes dedication, persistence, and selfless effort to put others before yourself. We are grateful for your efforts, and we wish you the best for a wonderful career that awaits you.
Second, as I’m sure you are aware, our CEO, Victoria Elliott, is retiring June 30, 2027. (Yes, that is 2027, not 2026!) If you have not seen the announcement, click HERE. While we have Victoria with us through this transition, we are very much full steam ahead in our succession plan.
Allow me to update you on this process. The search committee has been formed; we took care of that in the executive session I convened at our June 4 Board meeting. Joining me in this search are our officers and four Board members. The committee has begun the work of reviewing the qualifications for the position and developing a job announcement. Our plan is to complete this in the next month and have the job posted by the end of July. As I previously stated, I will continue to update the membership as we hit milestones. Stay tuned to The PPA Capsule + for details.
While on the topic of The Capsule +, I want to thank staff for the hard work in reporting PPA and pharmacy news in publishing The Capsule + twice weekly. It’s not an easy task; please make sure you read it.
The next item I am pleased to report on is the work members of the Board have done implementing the strategic plan. Our focus is on Advocacy, Education and Communication. These three buckets of focus were derived from our work at our annual leadership retreat in autumn. Kudos go out to Brenda Gruver, Darren Mensch, Jeffrey Gonzalez, Kyle McCormick, and others for the dozens of hours of work they have done to fine tune the plan. Here’s the link to the summary, click HERE.
Speaking of the Board, we have elections coming up! I know it has been posted in the Capsule, but it is time to reiterate that we are all called to service. Leadership is a relay race. Some of us seasoned leaders are now looking towards the next generation to run their lap of the race. If you have not considered your ability to serve us, now is the time. If you missed this year’s nomination deadline, or are interested but have questions, please reach out. We have plenty of opportunities for involvement! In the meantime, be on the lookout for the 2027 ballot coming soon to your inbox! Your voice matters – want to see everyone taking the opportunity to exercise your privilege as a member to vote on the next group of members to lead PPA’s future. Onward to some additional news…
As part of my effort to bring the whole pharmacy community together, I am pleased to report that we will be collaborating with the Pennsylvania Society of Health-system Pharmacists (PSHP) on developing standards of care policies. PSHP is hosting a summit this fall, and we have been asked to join.
I am thrilled that our two organizations are collaborating to tackle a subject that will benefit a vast majority of pharmacists, in all areas of pharmacy. I have long believed that the profession of pharmacy is better when we are defragmented and united to march to the beat of the same drum. This is important as I deem this to be our next big advocacy push after our efforts on PBM reform. If we get to a standard of care model, I believe this will solve some of the business challenges we face.
I would be remiss if I did not mention that this effort has been underway with the work being done by the Pennsylvania Pharmacist Care Network (PPCN). For the last decade, PPCN has become the gold standard – for having a well-structured and managed clinically integrated network of pharmacies providing care that improves patients’ lives, while reducing overall cost to the healthcare system. If we can duplicate those efforts, with some additional enhancements from a standard of care, we can create a healthier Pennsylvania, while improving our financial picture of our individual businesses and organizations.
Our state advocacy efforts continue at full speed ahead, even if the legislature is consumed with budget talks. Our CEO, along with our partners at Versant Strategies, continues to press the state assembly for PBM reforms. Currently, we have a single Medicaid PBM bill in both the state House and Senate. We have used the reality of the recent primary election to leverage our needs and concerns. PPA leadership continues to closely monitor developments, and the PharmPAC will distribute funds in accordance to get the best possible environment for our members. Please consider a donation to our PharmPAC, this does support our advocacy efforts! Donate HERE.
For future planning, please make note of the following dates or register now:
- Eastern Regional Meeting – Saturday, October 3 (8 am to 3 pm at PCP/St Joe’s SOP)
- Western Regional Meeting – Saturday, October 24 (8 am to 3 pm at Duquesne SOP)
If you have something you would like to present at one or both meetings, please contact Katie Rogers.
While you are saving dates, plan to be at our 2027 Annual Conference on February 5– 7, 2027. If you have not been to a PPA annual conference, you are really missing out! Not only is it filled with outstanding content, but we always have a good time. Think of it as a big family reunion for pharmacy. And don’t you worry about the date; I am making sure we stay away from Super Bowl Sunday. We will celebrate pharmacy the first weekend in February and then the next weekend – Valentine’s Day/Super Bowl. Nothing says love like an Eagles/Steelers Super Bowl on Valentine’s Day! Go BIRDS!
In conclusion, I do have an ask from you. I am interested in your thoughts and concerns. What should PPA do more of? How does PPA best meet your needs or not? And I want to hear your success stories. I want to hear about your unique communities, practice settings, and cutting-edge opportunities. EMAIL me your thoughts and feedback; I would love to hear from you.
Until the next time, I wish everyone a happy and most importantly, a relaxing summer. Take some time out with the ones you care about. Decompress, recharge and do something unique that you have never experienced.
Peace and blessings,
Darryle Tillman, RPh
PPA President
