Howard University Pharmacy Students Host SNPhA Regional Conference

Washington, D.C. (February 21, 2018) – The Howard University College of Pharmacy will host the Student National Pharmaceutical Association (SNPhA) Regional I&II Conference at the Washington Marriott Georgetown on Feb. 22-24. The organization plays a pivotal role in transforming pharmacy and fighting for the underserved.

The goal of the conference is to allow student pharmacists to network with top industry leaders, present and exchange ideas, actively engage in different planned activities, and enjoy the culture of the District of Columbia. The theme of this year’s conference is, “Taste of DC: Providing the Next Chapter of Healthcare.” The DC conference is the largest regional gathering in the organization’s history.

During the weekend of February 22 - 24, 2019, Howard University College of Pharmacy (HUCOP) Student National Pharmaceutical Association (SNPhA) Chapter hosted the largest Annual Regional Conference in SNPhA’s 47-year history. We had over 600 conference registrants from 46 Colleges of Pharmacy in Regions I & II. Our conference team worked tirelessly to uphold Howard’s rich history and legacy of Dr. Chauncey Ira Cooper, who was a champion of minority pharmacists, the former HUCOP dean and the founder of SNPhA’s parent organization, National Pharmaceutical Association (NPhA).

The theme of the conference, “Taste of DC: Providing the Next Chapter of Healthcare”, allowed participants to immerse in the culture of DC though engagements in the city while providing student pharmacists and pharmacists with the resources, training, and networking opportunities they need to improve patient outcomes and propel the profession of pharmacy forward. Our conference stayed true to SNPhA’s mission of “serving the underserved” through an inaugural conference Service Day where registered attendees volunteered at Adam’s Homeless Day Shelter to provide blood pressure and diabetes screenings, HIV testing, and mental health education.

The conference also emphasized the importance of advocacy through an inaugural conference Capitol Hill Day where we educated policymakers on legislation affecting the future of pharmacy such as Provider’s Status. Our keynote speakers for the weekend included our very own Dean Toyin Tofade, former HUCOP Dean and current Provost and Chief Academic Officer of Howard University, Dr. Anthony Wutoh, Pfizer's Chief Patient Officer and Executive Vice President, Dr. Freda Lewis-Hall, and Trayvon Martin's mother and Activist, Dr. Sybrina Fulton.

We are deeply grateful for the support of HUCOP faculty and students. We also want to thank our sponsors Walmart, CVS, Eli Lily & Company, HUCOP Alumni Association, the Washington DC Pharmacy Association, Kroger, and many more.

As a guest speaker on Friday, the organization will host Howard University alumna Freda C. Lewis Hall, M.D., DFAPA, chief patient officer and executive vice president of Pfizer Inc. In her 35-year career, Dr. Freda Lewis-Hall has been on the frontlines of health care as a clinician, a researcher, and a leader in the biopharmaceuticals and life sciences industries. Dr. Lewis-Hall earned her medical doctorate at Howard University College of Medicine.

In honor of Black History Month, author and activist Sybrina Fulton, the mother of Trayvon Martin and one of the pioneers of the “Black Lives Matter” movement, will share about her dedication to transforming family tragedy into social change. She will speak on Saturday. Howard University Provost and Chief Academic Officer Anthony Wutoh, Ph.D, R.Ph, will also attend the gathering. 

"It's an honor to welcome student pharmacists from the two regions to Washington, D.C.," Wutoh said."SNPhA serves a key role in developing leadership skills and positive images of minority health care professionals, as well as serving the health care needs of our communities. Howard University is pleased to serve as the host institution for this meeting."

“I am very proud of the great work the student leaders have done to make this a memorable and historic event,” said Toyin Tofade, PharmD, dean of the Howard University College of Pharmacy.

Founded in 1972, SNPhA stems from a national professional organization of pharmacists, National Pharmaceutical Association (NPhA). NPhA was founded in 1947 by Chauncey Ira Cooper in 1947, Howard University College of Pharmacy’s first dean and the first African-American dean of a college of pharmacy in the United States. SNPhA is dedicated to representing the views and ideals of minority pharmacists on crucial issues affecting health care of the underserved.

Major entities in the field of pharmacy such as Walmart, Omnicom Health Group, American Heart Association, CVS Pharmacy, Eli Lilly, Howard University College of Pharmacy Alumni Association (HUPAA), Washington D.C. Pharmacy Association and Kroger are sponsoring this year’s SNPhA conference.

For more information on SNPhA, please visit www.snpha.org

For more conference information, contact:  Yanet Adere, Student National Pharmaceutical Association (SNPhA) at (404) 610-1081 or Yanet.Adere@bison.howard.edu

For media inquiries, contact: Sholnn Freeman, sholnn.freeman@howard.edu or Alexis Streets, the SNPhA student marketing committee lead, alexis.streets@bison.howard.edu

Pictured (at the top): Freda C. Lewis Hall. Pictured (below): Sybrina Fulton.