Emphasizing the Importance of Active Membership

of drug product quality. You are aware that this has been the area which has been the center of major differences between the Academy and the APhA Board of Trustees and staff. While it would be irresponsible to say we have reached complete agreement on the issues surrounding drug product quality, it is safe to say we have come a long way towards a better understanding of each other's concerns and position. We can now discuss this openly and freely with mutual respect for each other's position. The events which took place to make this possible were as follows1. The Academy's response to APhA's request last August for a list of drugs representing drug products from multisources which would present the least potential "bioavailability" and/or "quality" problems. The result, of course, is history. APhA was presented with this material which in turn was presented to HEW Secretary Weinberger. I think this did much to demonstrate our desire to cooperate and to be of service to the profession.

This is a very complex problem, however, and no simple solutions will be found. 2. The MAC proposed regulations were studied by the Academy and we had concerns about the regulations in regard to assurance of drug product quality and in the makeup of the Pharmaceutical Reimbursement Advisory Board and in the responsibilities assigned to it. These concerns and recommendations were transmitted to APhA and after discussions between our groups, our concerns and recommendations were incorporated as part of the APhA statement in a manner we could accept. This has given us confidence in APhA and assurance of its desire to work with the Academy. Let me say that I regret that this first report to the House was directed so much to Academy relationships with APhA. However, the first nine years of this relationship have not been free of problems and I think the feeling in both organizations this year has been that these should be solved. To this

end President Johnson has appointed a committee to study the relationships between the Academies and APhA. We are most anxious to work with this committee and we will be meeting here in San Francisco to establish some guidelines. The relationship between the Academy of Pharmacutical Sciences and American Pharmaceutical Association, however, is so important to the profession that every effort had to be made to correct it. We have made considerable progress. Let me close by reminding you as that pharmaceutical professionals science and pharmaceutical scientists are your allies, not your antagonists; and that in the pharmaceutical sciences lie the keys to solving many of the profession's problems. The answer to the profession's problems lies in a more science-based profession, not a profession with less science. We have no choice- we must work together. We want to see pharmacy enhance its professional image and capabilities and we want to assure you of our cooperation in your endeavors towards that goal . •

REPORT OF THE STUDENT AMERICAN PHARMACEUTICAL ASSOCIATION

Emphasizing the Importance of Active Membership John F. Cooper

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ince founding the Student Section of APhA in 1954, the size, structure, quality and diversity of SAPhA's activities has greatly increased. SAPhA has 73 local chapters, one at each school of pharmacy in the United States and the University of Puerto Rico. I am also very pleased to relate to you that SAPhA membership has increased by over 12 percent from one year ago to a total of over 14,000 today. The local chapter and the individual member are the key units of an organization, and SAPhA's activities and projects have been designed to 326

strengthen these units. Chapters have engaged in community health service projects such as drug education, VD education, over-the-counter drugs education, family planning, diabetes detection and education, and hypertension screenings. While such projects are providing vital services to the public, at the same time students are gaining valuable insight into health problems in the community setting and increasing the professional and community service image of pharmacy. Local chapters have increased their participation in state pharmaceutical associations to the

Journal of the AMERICAN PHARMACEUTICAL ASSOCIATION

mutual benefit of both groups. SAPhA has developed a new membership recruitment and retention program this year. One facet of the new program includes a personalized billing for previous members. Computerized printouts of members names, addresses and the services they receive from APhA are also sent to chapters to identify nonmembers in recruitment efforts and to update members' address changes in providing continuity of services. This printout is also sent to state pharmaceutical association executives to aid their state associations in recruiting

graduating seniors into state associations. A discussion of APhA membership is also sent to all graduating SAPhA members. SAPhA feels that this membership recruitment and retention program will be of great value not only for increasing SAPhA membership but also for increasing the retention of graduating seniors in APhA and state associa tions. SAPhA's chapters are grouped into eight regions and regional meetings are held in the fall of each year. During these meetings SAPhA members from these regions discuss important pharmacy issues and elect a voting student delegate to the APhA House of Delegates. The Regional Meetings also give students a chance to learn the importance and the workings of their professional society. Each year SAPhA holds an Annual Meeting immediately preceding the APhA Annual Meeting. This meeting gives students the opportunity to interact with students from all parts of the country, to discuss important issues in pharmacy, to formulate policies, to participate in the workings of their professional society and to elect national officers. Among the program topics at this year's Annual Meeting were consumer affairs and pharmacy, the pharmacist and social activism, leadership development, women's activism, student involvement in state associations, professionalism in community pharmacy practice, and current legislation. Many other important pharmacy issues were discussed at the committee hearings and the workshops on APhA affairs. SAPhA national committees also report and discuss their year's activities at the Annual Meeting. The SAPhA national committees are the Policy

Committees dealing with Public, Professional and Organizational Affairs; the Committee on Education; Community Health Services Committee, and Membership Services Committee. There are also several committees and task forces which can be best demonstrated by relating to you their achievements. SAPhA has maintained a liaison with the pharmaceutical industry through the National Pharmaceutical Council and its member companies in the Pharmacy Student -Pharmaceutical Industry Liaison Committee. In addition to providing both pharmacy students and the pharmaceutical industry with each other's respective viewpoints on various issues in pharmacy, the liaison committee has published the "Index to Educational Materials Available to Pharmacy Students." This year, as in the last two years, SAPhA members may be accepted by the various member companies as interns in the jointly sponsored SAPhA-National Pharmaceutical Council Summer Industry Internship Program. Through the industry internship, pharmacy interns learn and actively participate in many facets of the pharmaceutical industry. SAPhA has been working cooperatively through the National Student Health Alliance with the Student American Medical Association, the National Student Nurses' Association, the American Optometric Student Association, the American Podiatry Student Associa-:tion, and the Student National Pharmaceutical Association. It is our hope that this cooperative effort will bring about a close working relationship between health professional students and health practitioners of tomorrow. The Minority Health Task Force, funded by Smith Kline Corporation,

has as its goal the identification and funding of local projects in an effort to increase the quantity and quality of health services relating to minorities. Regarding publications, SAPhA has continued to publish the bimonthly SAPhA News. The SAPhA column in the Journal of the American Pharmaceutical Association has also kept practitioners and students alike aware of interests and events of major importance to SAPhA. The SAPhA Leadership Bulletin has been published monthly to provide valuable information and materials to local chapter officers which may be used in local chapter projects and activities. The Bulletin has also been sent to state association executives to enhance working relationships between SAPhA chapters and state associations. Financially, inflation has made it necessary for SAPhA to increase its dues for the 1976 membership year in response to a request from our chapter delegates at the 1974 Annual Meeting. SAPhA also continues to look forward to APhA's continued support so that new and improved activities, projects and services may be provided for pharmacy students. In conclusion, during the past year SAPhA has continued to emphasize the importance of active membership participation in the students' professional society. We are hopeful that our members will carry through an attitude of individual responsibility to their profession and their professional society after their graduation and into their professional lives. We feel that in the long run the profession will benefit by having more active and more competent pharmacists as a result of their student activities in SAPhA. •

" Your Question, Please," an open interview with APhA officers took place at the House of Delegates session on Monday, April 21. As in previous years, delegates had the opportunity to place their questions directly to the APhA officers-(from the left), Executive Director William S. Apple, Board Chairman William F. Appel, President Robert C. Johnson, and Treasurer Grover C. Bowles. Vol. NS15, No.6, June 1975

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