Author: Erin Wilson | April 26, 2024
Third-year PharmD student David Kabuye is the College of Pharmacy’s first student advocacy lead. When he spotted the listing in a MPSA bulletin, he thought it was a perfect fit for him— a pharmacy student with a passion for advocacy and the legislative process. Now, he chats with congressional aides and fellow student advocates on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. about top-priority issues for the college.
“There was never an intersection between what I wanted to do career-wise, which was pharmacy, and this other side of me… advocacy for something that I believed in,” he said.
In fact, David didn’t have a traditional path to pharmacy at all; before he came to the college, he was earning his BFA in theater and music. His sister spoke highly of her experience becoming a medical doctor, which encouraged him to pursue his interest in the pharmaceutical world, where he fell “more in love with helping patients and people in health care.”
As the student advocacy lead, he works on projects that demonstrate the college’s priorities, which are then presented to MPhA, MPA, or other appropriate stakeholders. For example, he consolidated information on all the states that passed end-of-life legislation, which his supervisor, Dr. Sarah Westberg, offered to MPhA.
Dr. Westberg said Dean Lynda Welage originally had the idea for the student position. While the role is still new and changing, Dr. Westberg said it serves as a mutually beneficial relationship between the student and the college; the student gains insight into the pharmacy legislative advocacy process while the college has another person to help support their efforts and assist with data maintenance.
David recently had the opportunity to attend NACDS Pharmacy Day on the Hill in Washington D.C., which he says was one of the best experiences of his life. There, he presented on issues the college and chain pharmacies are advocating for, such as PBM reform, and discussed them with legislators from a student’s perspective.
“What I see on the news about Capitol Hill, there’s a lot of disagreement. Then when you’re on the ground, there’s just all these people giving you a chance and listening to you,” he said. “There's something so optimistic about that.”
He also had the chance to mingle with student advocates in the same position as him.
“That's part of what made it such an awesome life experience, too. All these pharmacy students from different programs and they have a passion for advocacy. Some of them are the first person from the school to come to this,” he said. “It was almost something cathartic. Everyone is going through pharmacy school, but in a different way.”