MPA | Committees

"It is important that MPA members involve themselves in professional Committees and Task Forces because of the valuable experience they bring from their field of practice. This experience translates to a passion for the subject, and MPA offers many opportunities to turn this passion into meaningful outcomes. Whether you’re a new practitioner that has an idea for how to attract new members, or a community pharmacist helping to ensure the profession is not taken advantage of by third-parties, you have an opportunity to contribute. This opportunity doesn’t require much time; it just requires your experience. And a Committee composed of a diverse group of members, with a variety of experiences, means better outcomes, greater credibility of the groups’ decisions and more steps forward in advancing the profession. As a bonus, at the end of your term, you can step back and say ‘I helped make this possible.’”

−Mike Crowe, MPA Executive Board and Local Association Development Committee

“I feel it’s important to be involved because attending MSHP Committee Day inspires me to be a better pharmacist. I leave each discussion with ideas to improve my relationship with patients, and educate the public on the integral role that pharmacists play in health care.”

–Lisa Sutton, past chair, MPA/MSHP Public Affairs Committee

Michigan Pharmacists Association (MPA) has several standing Committees and special Task Forces to assist with conducting the business of the Association and advancing pharmacy practice in Michigan. Joining one of these groups allows you to make an impact on your profession, while networking and collaborating with peers.

MPA Committee and Task Force meetings are scheduled by each individual group. Each Committee and Task Force is also assigned charges to accomplish throughout the year. Committee members are appointed to a one-year term (January-December).

Click on the black bars below to learn more about each Committee or Task Force.

MPA Education Task Force

The Education Task Force assists in developing the educational programming for meetings. Members of the Task Force develop topics and identify speakers for the Annual Convention & Exposition, authors and topics for home study CE articles and brainstorm strategies to deliver education programs utilizing alternative presentation formats. View the Education Task Force Annual Report .

2018 MPA Education Task Force Members

Linda Stuckey, chair	Roseanne Paglia
Mary Farrington, MPA staff liaison	Nisha Patel
Stacy Brousseau	Zachary Smith
Terry Gottschall	Jason Williamson
Sarah Kelling
James Lile

2018 MPA Education Task Force Charges

Consider the House of Delegates resolution(s) referred to the Task Force by the MPA Executive Board.
Develop a list of speakers and topics for educational programming, including suggestions for the 2019 MPA Annual Convention & Exposition.
Identify authors and topics for continuing education articles that meet ACPE accreditation criteria for publication in Michigan Pharmacist.
Recommend webinar topics, speakers and target audiences for 2018-2019 programming.
Identify a continuing education program(s) to illustrate successful and innovative projects and services.
Identify a continuing education program(s) that provide advanced training for pharmacists.
Submit the annual Task Force progress report to the MPA Executive Board by Oct. 1, 2018

If you have any questions regarding the MPA Education Task Force, please contact staff liaison Mary Farrington at Mary@MichiganPharmacists.org.

MPA/MSHP Membership Committee

The Membership Committee, a collaboration of MPA and MSHP members, works to increase and strengthen membership by developing activities for members. To encourage new members, the Committee also organizes a student luncheon annually. In addition, they evaluate member benefits and work on developing strategies to target special interest groups, including new practitioners and pharmacy technicians, for membership. View the Membership Committee Annual Report.

2018 MPA/MSHP Membership Committee Members

Kali VanLangen, pharmacist co-chair	Judy Freidhoff
Hope Broxterman, pharmacist co-chair	Andrew Johnson
Chadi Abbas, technician co-chair	Stephanie Klepser
Neha Desai, MSHP Board liaison	Sister Phyllis Klonowski
Mike Wolf, staff liaison	Gillian Leung
Emily Blum	Nichole McLaughlin
Margaret DeVoest	Susan Melendy
Jillian DiClemente	Alexander Proux

2018 MPA/MSHP Membership Committee Charges

Work with MPA staff and MPA Executive Board to maximize the use of technology to support member recruitment and retention: mobile friendly website, mobile friendly apps, social media ideas to increase membershio
Evaluate the value of new membership offerings: career connect, Pharmacy Mentoring Network
Develop additional marketing strategies by: evaluating member satisfaction, evaluating membership stats per category (students, technicians, etc.), target Health Professional Leadership Academy graduates and other health-system leaders.
As part of a recruitment campaign, draft a schedule for volunteers (MPA staff and/or MSHP board members) to sign-up to attend local/regional society meetings with the intent to promote membership in MPA/MSHP. Coordinate appropriate MPA materials and outline talking points.
Review and make recommendations for changes based on the targeted outcomes outlined in the MPA Strategic Focus Area #1: Membership in 2017 - 2018 Strategic Plan.
Develop membership recongition avenue/process and collaborate ideas with Publications Committee to highlight member accomplishments.

If you have any questions regarding the MPA/MSHP Membership Committee, please contact staff liaison, Mike Wolf, at Mike@MichiganPharmacists.org.

MPA New Practitioner Committee

The New Practitioner Committee is composed of new pharmacy practitioners who assist in providing feedback and suggestions regarding new programs, products and services that would benefit a new pharmacy professional. They also coordinate the New Practitioner Exchange, a quarterly newsletter for new practitioner and student pharmacist members. View the New Practitioner Committee Annual Report .

2018 MPA New Practitioner Committee Members

Stephanie LaPointe, chair	Scott Kollmeyer
Sarah Mahoney, vice chair	Toni Larson
Mike Wolf, MPA staff liaison	Alexander Proux
Ashley Builta	Lisa Salvati
Courtney Carroll	Paria Sanaty Zadeh
Johnson Ching	Bradely St. Pierre
Jillian DiClemente
Jonathan Doellner
Jennifer Gregory
Kanika Kapoor

2018 MPA New Practitioner Committee Charges

Consider the House of Delegates resolution(s) referred to the Committee by the MPA Executive Board.
Evaluate and promote the MPA Pharmacy Mentorship Network.
Develop a mentorship training program.
Evaluate student/new practitioner education programming at the 2018 MPA Annual Convention & Exposition and offer recommendations for the 2019 MPA Annual Convention & Exposition.
Continue to publish, distribute and identify authors for the New Practitioner Exchange.
Evaluate the new practitioner events conducted through the Association and make recommendations for improvement.
Identify, evaluate and offer recommendations related to member engagement opportunities using electronic platforms.
Submit annual Committee progress report to the MPA Executive Board by Oct. 1, 2018.

If you have any questions regarding the MPA New Practitioner Committee, please contact staff liaison Mike Wolf at Mike@MichiganPharmacists.org.

MPA Professional Affairs Committee

The Professional Affairs Committee develops initiatives to enhance professional awareness to the members and serves as a resource to evaluate professional issues that impact the profession and pharmacy professionals. Committee members manage the annual NASPA-NMA Student Pharmacist Self-care Championship held during the Annual Convention & Exposition; evaluate patient safety tools; monitor pharmacy information on the career Web site (www.MIHott.com) in cooperation with the Michigan Health Council; and educate members on health information exchange and involvement in regional health information organizations. View the Professional Affairs Committee Annual Report .

2018 MPA Professional Affairs Committee Members

Denise Markstrom, chair	Katelynn Patterson
Eric Liu, staff liaison	Gregg Potter
Emily Belarski	Tony Shirley
Emily Brown	Christina Sudyk
John Brubaker	Kevin Szyskowski
Kelly Kieffer	Preston Taylor
Sister Phyllis Klonowski
Michael Kraft

2017 MPA Professional Affairs Committee Charges

Consider the House of Delegates resolution(s) referred to the Committee by the MPA Executive Board.
Manage all aspects of the NASPA-NMA Student Pharmacist Self-care Championship to ensure participation by each college of pharmacy and revise the competition procedure manual, as necessary.
Develop pharmacy career information and resources to be added to the MPA website.
Solicit authors and topics focused on patient safety for the April, July and October 2016 and January 2017 issues of Michigan Pharmacist journal.
Develop a leadership and involvement tool to assist the Committee with yearly planning activities and to introduce new members to the activities of the Committee. Share the finalized tool with MPA leadership to evaluate the feasibility of adapting the tool across other areas of the organization.
Submit the annual Committee progress report to the MPA Executive Board by Oct. 1, 2016.

If you have any questions regarding the MPA Professional Affairs Committee, please contact staff liaison, Eric Liu, at EricL@MichiganPharmacists.org.

MPA/MSHP Public Affairs Committee

The Public Affairs Committee, a collaboration of MPA and MSHP members, aims to increase public awareness of the pharmacist’s role in patient care. Committee members develop tools for pharmacists and technicians to use in their campaigns to promote Michigan Pharmacy Week, increase patient compliance and encourage dialogue between pharmacists and their patients, as well as provide support to public relations initiatives, including the That's My Pharmacist campaign. View the Public Affairs Committee Annual Report.

2018 MPA/MSHP Public Affairs Committee Members

Frank Zaran, co-chair	Carol Moore
Julie Schmidt, co-chair	Sara Ogrin
Curtis Smith, MSHP Board liaison	Emily Olgaard
Sam McNerney, staff liaison	Vitaliy Perets
Meridith Davison	Mike Ruffing
Leah Double	Heather Schalk
Joseph Fava	Ashley Semma
Sarah Kelling	Lisa Sutton
Tisha Lewis	Michael Tuscano
Allison Liao	Sheila Wilhelm

2018 MPA/MSHP Public Affairs Committee Charges

Update the “Pharmacists as Providers” brochure as scheduled and ensure the updates includes the value that the pharmacist provides for quality improvement measures. Assure completion and posting of the sections on addiction and abuse and antimicrobial stewardship. Include a new section on specialty pharmacy and transitions of care. (Note: The Transitions of Care Task Force will be charged to develop content for the transitions of care section).
Promote the pharmacy technician role through public awareness resources.
Evaluate cost-effective means to develop communications strategy advocating for pharmacist provider status and propose a budget for such means.
Continue and evaluate the direct to consumer marketing plan for professional pharmacy services and inform patients of the pharmacist role in: 1.) That's My Pharmacist Campiagn and 2.) advocacy video(s) to support pharmacists as providers-targeted at medical professionals.
Review and update the patient safety section of the website.
Engage patients and caregivers, the public and other healthcare professionals to consult pharmacists on matters pertaining to patient safety and drug misuse/abuse.

If you have any questions regarding the MPA/MSHP Public Affairs Committee, please contact staff liaison, Sam McNerney, at Sam@MichiganPharmacists.org.

MPA Third Party Committee

The Third Party Committee monitors third party issues and communicates important information to members. Committee members evaluate policy changes of third party insurers and provide input to those insurers when appropriate. They also monitor issues regarding mail order, audits, electronic prescribing, reimbursement models and others. View the Third Party Committee Annual Report .

2018 MPA Third Party Committee Members

Deb Sopo, chair	Manjula Jayabalan
Farah Jalloul, staff liaison	Heather Kauffman
Ghada Abdallah	Christopher Maksym
Courtney Biehl	Millie Mo
Raymond Burzynski	Kimberly Moon
Jacob Chaffee	Dawn Parsons
Anthony Codrean	Douglas Samojedny
Amy Ellis	Shams Shibley
Jennifer Erley	Thomas Hanadi
Carrie Germain	Alicia Thorne
Jonathan Grice
John Gross
Bethany Hill

2018 MPA Third Party Committee Charges

Consider the House of Delegates resolution(s) referred to the Committee by the MPA Executive Board
Provide a forum for mutual discussion of opportunities and concerns for third-party payers and pharmacist/pharmacy providers as it relates to reimbursement, auditing and the delivery of pharmacy services.
Continue to establish relationships with third-party payers and government officials to promote the value of pharmacist/pharmacy services and develop a partnership for the payment of professional services.
Enhance communications with the third-party insurance plans/pharmacy benefit managers and develop a working relationship with their pharmacy liaisons.
Highlight information related to participation with third-party payers through MPA's electronic and print publications.
Review and evaluate opportunities for pharmacy professionals to engage in patient care services to support health plan performance metrics.
Submit the annual Committee progress report to the MPA Executive Board by Oct. 1, 2018.

If you have any questions regarding the MPA Third Party Committee, please contact staff liaison Farah Jalloul at Farah@MichiganPharmacists.org.

Testimonials from Involved Members