The Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association held their inaugural weekend for the Government Relations Advocacy for Student Pharmacists (GRASP) program at the Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association’s Harrisburg office from February 22-24, 2008. Denise Alexander PharmD’09, Tina Comarnitsky PharmD’08, and Milena Griffith PharmD’09, were the three USP students from Philadelphia College of Pharmacy selected to attend the first-of-its-kind program.
The GRASP program is a three-day legislative conference which focuses on government relations, legislative action, media training, and the regulatory process. Twenty-one students from six pharmacy schools in Pennsylvania attended the conference, held directly across the street from the state capitol, allowing students to visualize the place their legislative discussions could one day lead them. Guest speakers from a variety of practice settings addressed the student pharmacists, introducing them to the legislative side of pharmacy.
The GRASP program was organized by the Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association’s executive director, Patricia Epple, CAE and partially funded through a Merck/NASPA grant.