PharmD candidates champion advocacy at OPA Student Legislative Day
On Feb. 19, Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) students from The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy joined their peers in downtown Columbus for the annual Student Legislative Day.
All seven schools of pharmacy in Ohio were represented, offering opportunities for students to network with their future colleagues. Ohio State turned out in record numbers, with 31 PharmD Buckeyes in attendance, accompanied by three faculty, a fellow and a resident.
Launched over a decade ago by the Ohio Pharmacists Association (OPA), this annual event immerses student pharmacists in the world of advocacy.
“If we only train pharmacists to provide care without teaching them how to advocate for the value of that care, we’re not equipping them to fully improve their patients’ lives," said Jennifer Rodis, PharmD, FAPhA, associate dean for outreach and engagement at the Ohio State College of Pharmacy and president of OPA. "Advocacy is part of our professional oath, our accreditation requirements and our land-grant mission at Ohio State.”
“At Student Legislative Day, even if you feel small, you’re surrounded by others in white coats who want to make a difference. Together, we are significant.”
Before entering the grand rotunda of the Ohio Statehouse, students gathered at a nearby hotel with OPA leaders to dive into the day’s key advocacy topics. Students were briefed by pharmacists and faculty on legislative topics and the social standards when engaging in conversations with lawmakers.
The students then rushed to their respective appointments to connect with state legislators about pharmacy-related issues.
“At the core, the meetings with legislators demonstrate to students that advocacy is not hard or scary,” Dr. Rodis said. “Attending a meeting with a representative or senator unveils the fact that legislators are people – more than that, they are people in students’ communities who are in their positions to serve their constituents.”
Like many of the OPA pharmacists assisting with the day’s events, Bella Blankenship, PharmD, practice advancement and advocacy fellow at the Ohio State College of Pharmacy, took part in her own Student Legislative Day while a student at Drake University in Iowa.
“Thinking back to when I first attended and met with legislators, it was so intimidating,” Dr. Blankenship recalled. “But it’s wonderful to take my experience and empower today’s students as the experts and as constituents.”
Among those inspired by their Legislative Day experience is P2 candidate and vice president of Pharmacy Council Melissa Wilmer. This was her second year attending Student Legislative Day and serving as a leader in the Student Advocacy Collaborative.
Before this year’s event, Wilmer worked with the rest of the Student Advocacy Collaborative to coordinate Legislative Day Bootcamp for Ohio State students. The annual training session connects PharmD candidates to Ohio State faculty to polish their skills.
“As a student, you don’t necessarily recognize your ability to make an impact on legislation and patient care,” Wilmer said. “Attending advocacy day or joining in on college events that encourage advocacy are really important to teach students what their power is.”
Wilmer started to explore promoting the profession as a P1, when she was elected advocacy co-chair for the Ohio State chapter of the Student Society of Health-System Pharmacists (SSHP). Since that introduction, Wilmer has gone on to write letters to the Ohio lawmakers on proposed legislation, organized college advocacy initiatives and encouraged her classmates to get involved.
“At Student Legislative Day, even if you feel small, you’re surrounded by others in white coats who want to make a difference," she said. "Together, we are significant."
Feeling prepared from their morning of legislative study and rehearsal, the students had the chance to apply their expertise in pharmacy and engage with their assigned legislators.
“The legislative session has only just begun, so there aren't many pharmacy bills on the table yet,” Dr. Blankenship said. “Instead, we encouraged students to inform legislators of the role of a pharmacist and stress the significant impact we have on our communities.”
PharmD students sat in with staffers and legislators, broaching the topics of pharmacist accessibility, point-of-care testing and much more. They often found that the lawmakers had plenty of questions in return.
“In pharmacy school, you’re in a kind of bubble. When you’re surrounded by pharmacy professionals, of course you’re not going to see as many outside perspectives,” Wilmer said. “Legislators at Student Legislative Day ask you questions that you wouldn’t encounter in the classroom, particularly tackling the personal aspects of pharmacy.”
By the end of the day, Ohio’s student pharmacists had achieved a major milestone as champions of pharmacy. They will continue to have opportunities to exercise their power of advocacy, particularly as legislation begins to build in the Ohio General Assembly.
“Finding a passion for advocacy was a surprise for me,” Wilmer recalled. “But speaking out for my patients and profession alongside others who are passionate about the topic – that told me it was something I needed to pursue.”
Challenging student pharmacists to become advocates year-round
By Melissa Wilmer
PharmD candidate (P2)
Vice president, Pharmacy Council
Legislation directly impacts pharmacists’ ability to provide care. Many services pharmacists offer today, such as immunizations, medication therapy management and collaborative practice agreements, would not be possible without advocacy.
The Ohio Pharmacists Association (OPA) Student Legislative Day offers a valuable chance to engage policymakers, but advocacy matters every day of the year. As vice president of Pharmacy Council and co-leader of the College of Pharmacy’s Advocacy Collaborative, I work year-round to educate students, patients and legislators on key pharmacy issues.
In 2019, Ohio pharmacists gained provider status, enabling them to bill for essential services like immunizations, medication therapy management and chronic disease management through Medicaid and other payers. However, pharmacists still lack federal provider status under Medicare Part B, limiting them from receiving reimbursement opportunities for vital services.
To address this gap, Lyuba Benin, a fellow P2 candidate and Advocacy Collaborative co-leader, and I collaborated with Associate Dean for Outreach and Engagement Jen Rodis, PharmD, FAPhA, and Practice Advancement Fellow Bella Blankenship, PharmD, to create resources and videos for educating patients at point-of-care testing (POCT) events about the benefits of provider status.
Our goal was threefold:
- Educating students on pharmacist provider status at federal and state levels to improve patient conversations
- Informing patients about how provider status affects health care access
- Encouraging patients to contact legislators using a sample message
Once launched, we hope this project will strengthen grassroots efforts for pharmacist provider status, especially in pharmacy deserts and for underserved populations.
Beyond advocating for expanded services, I’ve participated in legislative efforts to improve patient safety. In December, alongside other Advocacy Collaborative student leaders, I co-authored opposition testimony for Ohio House Bill 73, the Dave and Angie Patient and Health Provider Protection Act, which would have required pharmacists to dispense medications for off-label uses. We felt that this bill posed significant risks, particularly for vulnerable populations such as pediatric patients, and threatened to undermine pharmacists' professional judgment in ensuring the appropriate use of medications.
Our testimony, published on the official HB 73 website, highlighted the dangers of the bill and advocated for safer policies. Due to concerns raised by our group and other health care professionals, the legislature amended the bill’s language when elements were incorporated into a separate bill, HB 315, resulting in the removal of some of the bill’s most problematic provisions. This experience reinforced my belief in the importance of advocacy on legislative outcomes and patient safety.
Advocacy opportunities for students help future pharmacists understand the profession's evolution, the challenges ahead and how to address them. Through ongoing education and advocacy for pharmacist-provided care, we can create positive changes benefiting the profession and our patients.