UNE College of Pharmacy students travel to Capitol Hill for RxIMPACT Day

College of Pharmacy students and faculty at RxIMPACT Day
College of Pharmacy students and faculty at RxIMPACT Day

Chosen from a nationwide pool of applicants, Samantha Shannon (COP, ’18) and Tori Cavanaugh (COP ’19), were selected to represent the UNE College of Pharmacy at the 2018 National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) RxImpact Day. Held March 7 and 8, 2018, the event took place in Washington, D.C.

Shannon and Cavanaugh met with legislators to advocate for HR 592/S109, the Pharmacy and Medically Underserved Areas Enhancement Act. Currently, 226 sponsors in the House of Representatives and 45 sponsors in the Senate support this legislation that increases access to pharmacist services. By supporting this legislation, pharmacists are taking a stand for better health care and advancing the profession of pharmacy to provider status.

Shannon and Cavanaugh were selected through a competitive application process with only 50 slots available nationally. After being trained on the policy making process, effective communication and pharmacy issues, they applied their education through meetings on Capitol Hill. 

“Advocacy for our patients and our profession is important because it's the intersection of professionalism and citizenship,” said Kenneth McCall, B.S.Pharm., Pharm.D., CGP, associate professor and residency director in the College of Pharmacy. “This experience enables students to expand their own personal viewpoints through interactions with legislators and legislative staff and to better articulate the value that a pharmacist provides to the health of society.”

 

To learn more about the University of New England’s College of Pharmacy, visit www.une.edu/pharmacy

To apply, visit www.une.edu/admissions

About the University of New England

The University of New England is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of flexible, accredited online degrees. In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.