During the 2019 MRMs, attendees got to learn more about what it means to be 'Fearlessly Authentic.'

This past fall, two first-year PharmD candidates—Sarder Sadid, from the Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, and Tiffany Bui from The University of Iowa College of Pharmacy—attended their first APhA–ASP Midyear Regional Meeting (MRM). Both Sarder (Region 1) and Tiffany (Region 5) chronicled each and every “MRMMoment” from their memorable weekends, and now share their experiences with Student Pharmacist readers. 

All of the hard work paid off for Brandy Seignemartin (second from right) and colleagues when Washington Governor Jay Inslee signed HB 1726 into law.

This year, as the Vice President of Legislative Affairs for the Associated Students of Washington State University Health Sciences (ASWSUHS), I helped lead the passage of HB 1726 in the Washington state legislature. The bill increased opportunities for interprofessional engagement by allowing any licensed nurse, physician, or pharmacist to supervise or precept any students in programs of nursing, medicine, or pharmacy, respectively, as long as the services being provided are within the shared scope of practice. Here’s how we did it.  

PharmD degrees offer expansive and diverse career opportunities, and this career flexibility was one of the aspects that sparked my initial interest in the profession. I have always had an interest in research, and I knew that I wanted to pursue a career that encompassed it.

Starting as a lab assistant at age 15, I realized that benchwork was unlike any science I had ever been exposed to. As I continued being involved in research through college, I worked in various labs gaining a background in cell culturing, biotechnology, and animal models. When I transitioned into pharmacy school, I realized that research could encompass not only benchwork, but clinical aspects from patients as well. In my first year, I started planning how I could incorporate research into my curriculum and realized the research area of emphasis that was offered was not as in depth as I wanted. My mentor, Marina Galvez-Peralta, PharmD, PhD, suggested that I look into additional programs that I could pursue in order to gain the level of knowledge I was after.

My inquisitive nature led me to become a pioneer of sorts at the West Virginia University (WVU) School of Pharmacy.