Pharmacy student Andrew M. Helm will receive an award from the American Pharmacists Association for his extensive work in political arenas on behalf of pharmacy.
Helm will be presented with APhA’s 2011 Good Government Student Pharmacist-of-the-Year award at the organization’s annual meeting in March.
Helm’s activities include expanding Washington state’s Pharmacy Legislative Day to include meetings with legislators in addition to the usual health fair ; recruiting and training other students in legislative advocacy; serving as president of the student council of the National Community Pharmacists Association, and completing rotations with NCPA and the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, which included attending Congressional hearings, writing issue briefs and comments for legislators, the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Drug Enforcement Administration. During the NACDS rotation he also created a two-day advocacy boot camp for pharmacy students called “Rx Impact U.”
Helm is in the class of 2011 and has earned several awards during pharmacy school, including Student Pharmacist of the Year from the Washington State Pharmacy Association and a WSU President’s Award for Excellence in Leadership. Helm also was appointed by Washington state Gov. Christine Gregoire to be the student representative on the Washington State Higher Education Coordinating Board in 2009-10.