Building a culture of advocacy at UTEP
Caitlyn Lucore is a final-year PharmD candidate, and Getsemani Arteaga is a third-year PharmD candidate, at the University of Texas at El Paso School of Pharmacy.
As a first-year student pharmacist, I (Caitlyn) was eager to get involved in advocacy but struggled to find opportunities to do so. While our chapter had a policy vice president (PVP) position, we did not have a strong advocacy foundation, and there were few resources available for student pharmacists who were interested in learning more about the policy process. That experience motivated me to pursue the PVP role at my chapter with the primary goal of establishing a more sustainable culture of advocacy within our chapter.
Advocacy is often viewed solely as attending legislative visits or contacting elected officials, but effective advocacy begins with understanding how policy is made. Many student pharmacists are never taught how a bill is introduced, moves through committees, is amended, or becomes law. I wanted to help students understand not only the issues affecting pharmacy, but also the legislative structure behind those issues and where pharmacists can contribute our expertise throughout the policymaking process.
To accomplish this, we established the chapter Policy & Advocacy Committee, creating a space where students could learn about current legislative issues and develop their advocacy skills.
“A pivotal experience in my pharmacy journey”
What made these efforts meaningful was seeing other students discover a passion for advocacy that they may not have otherwise explored. One of these students was my co-author, Getsemani Arteaga, who joined the committee as a first-year student pharmacist.
“What initially felt unfamiliar and intimidating quickly become one of the most meaningful parts of my pharmacy school journey,” she shared. Through the committee, Getsemani gained firsthand experience drafting policy proposals focused on medication therapy management, practicing how to research proposed bills, and learning about the legislative process before Texas Pharmacy Day at the Capitol (PDATC).
“PDATC was a pivotal experience in my advocacy journey,” she said. “Meeting with legislators to discuss issues affecting pharmacy sustainability, health care access, and patient care helped me understand how policy decisions are made, and the role pharmacists can play in shaping them.” That experience alone empowered her to lead with a greater purpose and pursue leadership roles herself by serving as our APhA–ASP Chapter PVP and a member of the Texas Pharmacy Association Student Policy Committee.
APhA recognition an incredible honor
Receiving the APhA–ASP Chapter Policy and Legislative Award at the 2026 APhA Annual Meeting & Exposition in March was an incredible honor because it recognized the students and mentors who worked together to build a stronger culture of advocacy within our chapter. This recognition served as a reminder of how much can happen when students are given opportunities to engage in the policy process and only reinforced the need to continue to develop our student leaders into effective advocates.
For Getsemani, “Continuing a policy presence on campus is important because it encourages student pharmacists to step outside of their comfort zones and recognize that their voices have the ability to influence meaningful change within both the pharmacy profession and the communities they serve.”