Ohio Pharm.D. selected as ACCP/ASHP/VCU Congressional Healthcare Policy Fellow
Mary Abdelmalak of Mayfield Village, Ohio, has been named the 2016-17 Congressional Healthcare Policy Fellow by the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Pharmacy in collaboration with the American College of Clinical Pharmacy and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.
The fellowship program, which was founded 10 years ago under the leadership of VCU professor Gary R. Matzke, offers pharmacists real-world insight into health care policy analysis and development by providing the opportunity for immersion in the congressional environment. During the yearlong program, fellows are actively mentored in legislative evaluation, policy development, research and writing while integrating practical experience with theory.
Abdelmalak, a community pharmacist with Rite Aid in Cleveland, Ohio, discovered a passion for health policy while working as an intern with the Health Policy Institute of Ohio.
A native of Egypt, she moved to the United States at age 12 when her father received a research fellowship in urology from Cleveland Clinic. Abdelmalak went on to earn her bachelor’s degree in biology and philosophy from John Carroll University and her Pharm.D. degree from The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy. She also completed a PGY1 Community Care Pharmacy Practice Residency at Ohio State.
“Although my dad and I grew up very differently,” she says, “we share a passion of pursuing opportunities that forward the patient’s best interest in an imperfect health care system. … My passion for the patient is the foundational reason I became a pharmacist, and it will continue to be my driving force as I head into the health policy arena.”
In recommending her for the fellowship, Cara Hoyt wrote, “Being a pharmacist and health care provider, she was able to provide insight [during her residency] on the reality of health care delivery and shed light on health issues … I have no doubt that she will be a change agent and help move the practice of pharmacy forward.” Hoyt is assistant manager for Uptown Pharmacy in Westerville, Ohio, and a clinical assistant professor at Ohio State.
David T. Sanders, director of federal government affairs for DaVita HealthCare Partners in Washington, complimented Abdelmalak’s forward-looking perspective on the challenges of contemporary pharmacy.
Her areas of interest in health policy include the correlation between behavioral/mental health policy, economic/social legislation and health outcomes as well as preventive medicine policies, population health analysis and access determination.
This year, the fellow program is expanding from 52 to 59 weeks. Abdelmalak’s Congressional Healthcare Policy Fellow experiences, beginning July 11, will include a week with the Brookings Institution and three weeks at ACCP with Edwin Webb, associate executive director, and John McGlew, director of government affairs. That includes ACCP’s 2016 Annual Meeting in Anaheim, Calif. Following three weeks with ASHP’s Office of Policy, Planning and Communications, under the mentorship of Joe Hill of the government affairs staff, she will work in a congressional office or on congressional committee staff in the nation’s capital through August 2017. She’ll also participate in ASHP Policy Week 2016 in September.
Reem Ally, director of healthcare payment and innovation policy for the Health Policy Institute of Ohio, believes Abdelmalak’s ability to work collaboratively with staff and to communicate and engage regarding diverse stakeholder issues makes her well-suited for the world of health policy. Abdelmalak, he says, “is set for success.”
For more about the ACCP-ASHP-VCU Congressional Healthcare Policy Fellow program, click here or contact founding director Gary R. Matzke at gmatzke@vcu.edu.
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