SPOKANE, Wash. – Jeff Rochon and Dedi Little from the Washington State Pharmacy Association (WSPA) were the final speakers of the 2015-16 Preparing for Your Career in Pharmacy seminar series coordinated by the Washington State University College of Pharmacy. During their presentation they discussed lobbying for the profession of pharmacy.
WSPA is a statewide professional association that educates on the profession of pharmacy and helps advocate for pharmacy to be recognized in the health care community.
Dedi Little is the director of affairs for the WSPA Legislative and Regulatory Affairs Council. She is a liaison in Olympia and helps raise awareness of the pharmacy profession and helps get pharmacy issues into legislation.
Little has been lobbying in the Washington state legislature for 28 years, 12 of which have been for pharmacy.
“Government affairs creates a voice in Olympia and educates lawmakers on your profession,” said Little.
WSPA CEO Jeff Rochon also spoke during the presentation. Rochon’s background is in pharmacy. He received his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Washington. After his degree he helped develop a community practice residency at Kelley-Ross Pharmacy that focused on patient care programs. Rochon started work for WSPA as the director of pharmacy practice development. In this position he helped with the implementation of patient care programs like he had done during his residency.
The WSU seminar series brings in leaders, such as Rochon and Little, to expose students to career opportunities in pharmacy.
The WSU pharmacy seminars are funded through the Dean’s Fund for Excellence and our community partner, the Spokane Teachers Credit Union. For information on participating in the career seminar series, or to contribute to the Dean’s Fund for Excellence to help expose WSU student pharmacists to thought-leaders and industry innovators, contact the College of Pharmacy advancement office at gocougs@pharmacy.wsu.edu or 509-358-7651.