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This inaugural event brought together pharmacy students and pharmacists from across New York State to advocate for thoughtful public policy changes that prioritize patient care. With more than 70 legislative proposals currently impacting the profession, UB PharmD students focused their discussions with elected officials on those with the greatest potential to improve outcomes for patients.

Pharmacy Advocacy Day was organized collaboratively by six schools of pharmacy across New York State. Representing UB SPPS, Karl Williams, JD, MBA, BS ’80, director of legislative advocacy and clinical professor of pharmacy practice, organized the event and planned and led the day’s meetings and activities. Mohamad Ghazi, PharmD ’27, president of the SPPS chapter of the Student Pharmacists' Association of Western New York, played a key role in coordinating student participation. Nearly 40 UB PharmD students attended the event.

“The focus of Advocacy Day is on reducing barriers to health care on behalf of the citizens of New York State,” says Williams. “New York’s schools of pharmacy train their graduates to a national standard of care. In professional life, however, pharmacists are limited in their ability to provide patient care under a narrow legal definition of professional practice and practicing outside of the defined limits subjects pharmacists to liability. Legal authorization to do more will increase patient access to care, improve public health, and decrease the cost of care to society. Advocacy Day is intended to focus on issues that will narrow the gap between what pharmacists are competent to do versus what we are permitted to do.”

UB PharmD students met with several key legislators, including Senators Robert Ortt, Patrick Gallivan, April Baskin, Sean Ryan, Chris Ryan, Joseph Addabbo, James Tedisco, Joseph Griffo, Nathalia Fernandez, and Rob Rolison. They also spoke with Assembly Members Karen McMahon, Steven Hawley, Pamela Hunter, Alicia Hyndman, Phil Steck, and Harry Bronson.

Legislative priorities discussed included:

• Expanding the scope of diagnostic tests pharmacists can perform
• Authorizing pharmacists to initiate treatment for certain positive test results under collaborative protocols with physicians
• Achieving pharmacy technician role parity between hospital and community pharmacy settings
• Granting pharmacists authority to initiate buprenorphine for opioid use disorder
• Reforming the legal definition of pharmacy practice to align with national standards of care

Pharmacy Advocacy Day marked an important step in elevating the voice of future pharmacists in the legislative process and reinforcing their essential role in advancing patient care across New York State.