Week 6:
National Association of Chain Drug Stores

July 30, 2013

Well, I am going to Vegas! Throughout the summer, I have worked with our department to prepare materials for our national conference, the Total Store Expo. This is going to be a huge conference, with thousands of chain and community pharmacies, retailers, and pharmaceutical companies. We will also be offering numerous Insight Sessions, which I helped write the introductions for. Also, I have worked on planning a dinner for our Faculty Scholars program. I have been told by my supervisor that I will be attending the conference to assist them! This will be an amazing opportunity to network with some of the top leaders in the healthcare industry, learn how a conference runs, and spend some time in one of the coolest cities in the world. Needless to say, I am super excited!

Last week went by pretty quickly for me. I was at a Leadership Conference on both Monday and Friday. I learned a ton in these two days, especially on association management and the intricacies of how a company operates. I also met several really cool people, including someone from the Federation of State Medical Boards and a woman from a health care law firm. It’s great to hear the multiple perspectives on health care and the Affordable Care Act. On Thursday, everyone in the office was fortunate enough to go to a baseball game! We were given great seats on third base line, as well! It was a fun day to relax and watch the Nationals win! Best of all, it was a beautiful day. 

I also watched a hearing on pay-for-delay settlements and antitrust laws. Before this hearing, and during, I had to constantly stop and learn about what the committee members and witnesses were discussing. Though it took me much longer to finish watching and taking notes, I learned so much. The FTC and members of Congress are really cracking down on these anti-competitive activities. In the end, these harm consumers and keeps the price of pharmaceuticals, high. Many times, patients are unable to afford their prescriptions, thus they do not fill them. This is detrimental to their health and causes high, unnecessary extra hospital costs.

On Wednesday night, I walked around Georgetown. This is a historic area with lots of neat shopping, restaurants, and sightseeing. That’s one of the best parts about DC: there is always something to go do or see! There is never a dull moment here.

On Sunday, I took an adventure to the Tyson’s Corner Mall in Virginia. It did not look very far away. However, I finally arrived two hours later after 4 buses and 8 metro stops. By the time I got there, I did not even feel like shopping or anything! I spent a few hours there and had lunch at a conveyor-belt sushi restaurant. We went to one in Japan, and I was eager to compare the Japanese and American versions (this must be my inner Sociologist thinking).

My time in DC is quickly ending! It’s crazy to think that I only have 3 weeks left. I have learned so much and worked on several meaningful projects. As an intern, I have been given quite a bit of responsibility, which I am incredibly grateful for.