ACCP is pleased to announce that Sarah J. Steinhardt, Pharm.D., J.D., M.S., of West Lafayette, Indiana, will serve as the fifth Congressional Healthcare Policy Fellow.
The Fellow program is a partnership of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP), Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Pharmacy, and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP).
Under the leadership of Gary R. Matzke, Pharm.D. (VCU School of Pharmacy), C. Edwin Webb, Pharm.D., MPH (ACCP), and Brian Meyer (ASHP), the program was developed to provide active learning in multiple policy environments.
Dr. Steinhardt earned her Pharm.D. degree from Purdue University, her J.D. degree from Indiana University School of Law–Indianapolis, and her master’s of science in pharmacy administration from the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Steinhardt also completed a rotation through the ASHP Government Affairs Division.
Dr. Steinhardt’s training and experience in the three professional career fields of pharmacy, law, and management, as well as her strong personal interest in health care policy, legislation, and regulation, provide her with a diverse range of skills that will prove invaluable throughout her time in Washington, DC.
Dr. Steinhardt commented, “As a practicing pharmacist for 7 years, I have experience in both hospital and retail pharmacy that would be useful in working out details for legislation involving healthcare provider roles and finding a place for pharmacists within the changes in the delivery of medical care brought about by healthcare reform.”
Dr. Steinhardt is expected to begin her Fellow program in September 2011 and plans to attend the 2011 ACCP Annual Meeting in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
About the ACCP/ASHP/VCU Pharmacy Policy Fellow Program
In 2006, ACCP, the VCU School of Pharmacy, and ASHP established the country’s first Pharmacy Healthcare Policy Fellow Program.
The initial month of the program consists of an orientation curriculum put on by faculty of the VCU School of Pharmacy and the government affairs staff of ACCP and ASHP. Fellows then spend 1 year working as special assistants/fellows on the staff of a congressional committee or the personal staff of a U.S. senator or representative.
The program provides a unique health care policy learning experience that allows Fellows to make practical contributions to the effective use of scientific and pharmaceutical knowledge in government decision-making.
Fellows are actively mentored during their development of both legislative evaluation and policy development skills and research and writing skills as they integrate practical policy experience with theory.
Fellows also undertake a wide array of responsibilities in the congressional office they serve, including researching and writing briefs on health care issues; assisting with policy decisions; drafting memoranda; and planning, organizing, and contributing to the management objectives of the office.
Introducing the Pharmacy Healthcare Policy Fellows
2006–2007. The program’s inaugural fellow – George Neyarapally, Pharm.D., MPH – worked in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response within the Department of Health and Human Services for 6 months, followed by almost 6 months in the office of Senator Joseph I. Lieberman (Independent-CT).
Dr. Neyarapally went on to serve as a policy scientist in the Outcomes for Pharmaceutical Outcomes Research in the Center for Outcomes and Evidence at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. He currently serves as an interdisciplinary scientist at the Office of Surveillance and Epidemiology within the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
2007–2008. Our second Pharmacy Healthcare Policy Fellow – Anna Legreid Dopp, Pharm.D. – took leave from her position as a clinical assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin, School of Pharmacy to move with her husband to Washington, DC.
Dr. Legreid Dopp also worked on health care issues in the office of Senator Lieberman. She then returned to Wisconsin with her husband, John, and baby, Krista, to serve on the pharmacy group at the Access Community Health Center, part of the Wisconsin Education Association Trust, providing insurance and retirement and investment services to Wisconsin public school employees and their families.
Dr. Legreid Dopp was recently selected as the next editor of the Journal of the Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin.
2008–2010. Our third Pharmacy Healthcare Policy Fellow – Stephanie Hammonds, Pharm.D. – served on the majority staff of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee under the leadership of Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA).
Dr. Hammonds was also selected as the 2009–2010 Fellow on the basis of her strong desire to continue her contribution to the health care reform initiatives overseen by the Senate HELP Committee.
Dr. Hammonds’ work focused on quality and delivery system improvement initiatives during the national health reform debate. She was instrumental in securing the inclusion of Section 3503 of the Affordable Care Act (H.R. 3590), Medication Management in the Treatment of Chronic Diseases, which was unanimously accepted as a “noncontroversial” amendment to H.R. 3962 by the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce.
After her Fellowship, Dr. Hammonds joined the Health Resources and Services Administration in the Office of Pharmacy Affairs, where her work focused on the Patient Safety and Clinical Pharmacy Services Collaborative and Affordable Care Act Provisions related to the patient-centered health home, care coordination during transitions of care, and clinical pharmacy services.
Dr. Hammonds currently serves as the manager of the Hospital Acute Care Pharmacies for LifeBridge Health in Baltimore, where her work blends policy and practice to develop a new community pharmacy business model.
2010–2011. Joshua P. Lorenz of Columbus, Ohio, is the 2010–2011 Congressional Healthcare Policy Fellow. Dr. Lorenz earned his Pharm.D. degree in 2009 from Butler University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in Indianapolis. While enrolled at Butler, he also earned a master’s degree in business administration. In addition, he recently completed a PGY1 pharmacy practice residency affiliated with The Ohio State University.
Dr. Lorenz began his fellowship on September 1, 2010, spending 1 month with the ASHP government affairs staff and 1 month with the ACCP government and professional affairs staff. Dr. Lorenz is currently serving as a Health Policy Fellow for the Minority Staff on the U.S. Senate HELP Committee under Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY).
Applications for the 2012–2013 Pharmacy Healthcare Policy Fellow Program
Interested candidates should visit the Pharmacy Healthcare Policy Fellow Program’s website for more information and instructions on submitting an application.
ACCP Advocacy – Get Involved!
ACCP’s Legislative Action Center contains a wealth of information about your elected officials and allows you to communicate with your members of Congress.
Invite Your Legislators to Tour Your Practice Setting
Perhaps the single greatest challenge facing the pharmacy community in Washington is the enduring perception that pharmacists are drug dispensers who do not play a role in patient care.
The most effective step an ACCP member can take to help members of Congress understand the differences between traditional retail pharmacy and the patient care services provided by a clinical pharmacy is to invite members to tour a practice setting and see firsthand what clinical pharmacy is all about.
ACCP has prepared a guide to help you reach out to members of Congress and schedule a visit. We’ve even drafted a letter you can send directly from the Legislative Action Center inviting your federal officials to tour your facility.
Click here to visit the site and send a letter yourself!
NOTE – Please make sure to secure the necessary approval from your organization before requesting that members of Congress tour your practice setting.
Please also make sure to work closely with ACCP staff in Washington to ensure that your practice tour is as effective as possible.
Contact John McGlew at (202) 621-1820 or [email protected] to discuss how to conduct a successful meeting with a lawmaker and how to maximize your political impact with that lawmaker.
Urge Your Senators to Cosponsor the Pharmacist Loan Repayment Eligibility Act of 2011 (S. 48)
On January 25, 2011, Senators Inouye (D-HI), Begich (D-AK), and Reed (D-RI) introduced the Pharmacist Student Loan Repayment Eligibility Act of 2011 (S. 48).
This bill would provide for the participation of pharmacists in the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) loan repayment program.
This legislation would increase patient access to patient-centered, team-based health care services for underserved populations. Specifically, this bill would recognize the vital role that pharmacists can play on the health care team by providing incentives for pharmacists to participate in NHSC.
ACCP encourages you to contact your senators TODAY and urge them to cosponsor S. 48 and support its passage through the Senate.
Click here to take action.
Support the Preserving Access to Life-Saving Medications Act (S. 296)
Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Robert Casey (D-PA) introduced S. 296, the Preserving Access to Life-Saving Medications Act.
The legislation directs the FDA to address drug shortages by requiring drug manufacturers to notify the FDA when there are manufacturing problems or when a drug product will be discontinued; requires the agency to maintain an online list of drugs in shortage situations; and revises the FDA’s definition of “medically necessary.”
Click here to take action.
Protect Funding for Poison Control Centers
On February 19, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that would effectively eliminate the federal poison control program.
The House plan would cut $27.3 million out of the current $29.3 million in funding, a cut that would lead to the closure of many of the nation’s poison centers and result in skyrocketing health care costs and an erosion in public health.
To ensure public safety, these cuts must not be allowed. You can help by sending a letter to your senator, alerting him/her to the disaster this could cause and urging him/her to protect funding for poison centers.
Click here to take action.
Contact us! For more information on any of ACCP’s advocacy efforts, please contact:
John K. McGlew
American College of Clinical Pharmacy
1455 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Suite 400
Washington, DC 20004-1017
Telephone: (202) 621-1820
Fax: (202) 621-1819