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Over the summer, MPA held elections to determine positions on the MPA Executive Board and the association's practice section boards.
MSCP in total elected five new board members – Tom Hancock, Bethany Latham, Sylvia Wasson, Chris Wolfinger and Ken Chak – and selected Brittany Stewart as its next president-elect. Congratulations to these dedicated MSCP members!
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Brittany Stewart, RD, Pharm.D., of Livonia, is an assistant professor (clinical) and the coordinator of community experiential education at the Wayne State University Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in Detroit. Stewart is also the faculty coordinator for the American Pharmacists Association Medication Therapy Management Services certificate training program and co-coordinator for the Pharmacy-based Immunization Delivery program at WSU. She is active in professional organizations including APhA, Lambda Kappa Sigma (LKS) and the Michigan Pharmacists Association. She has served on the MPA Professional Affairs Committee, the MSCP Board of Directors and was inducted into the MPA Hall of Honor in 2025. Stewart has won national awards, including the Award of Merit from LKS and the APhA-ASP Outstanding Chapter Advisor Award.
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Bethany A. Latham, Pharm.D., of Holland, is the pharmacy manager at Walmart in Grand Haven. She has more than 20 years of experience in community pharmacy, ranging in roles from certified pharmacy technician and intern to staff pharmacist and manager.
Latham has previously served on the board of the Western Michigan Pharmacy Association and graduated from the 2025 Health Professional Leadership Academy through the Michigan Pharmacy Foundation. In her current role with Walmart, Latham works with market and regional leadership to help train pharmacists and new pharmacy managers, assist with the updating of onboarding processes, and facilitate compliance issues and clinical services. She was named the Pharmacy Manager of the Year for Market 200 (west Michigan) in 2022 and 2023, and her pharmacy in Grand Haven was also named Pharmacy of the Year for Market 200 in 2023.
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Ken Chak, Pharm.D., MBA, of Birmingham, is a pharmacy practice coordinator at Kroger Health in Novi with more than 20 years of experience in community pharmacy. Chak oversees the operations of multiple pharmacies, ensuring strict regulatory compliance while maintaining the highest standards of patient care. He plays a key role in leading pharmacy teams and executing company strategies aimed at improving both clinical outcomes and operational efficiency. Chak is currently a member of the MPA Professional and Educational Affairs Committee.
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Sylvia A. Wasson, Pharm.D., of Orchard Lake, is a pharmacist, community health worker and pharmacy technician manager at Wayne Health in the Wayne Mobile Health Unit in Detroit. She started her career at Rite Aid before moving to her current position. Wasson participates in an integrated interdisciplinary team providing preventive care and medication therapy to the unserved and underserved communities in the Detroit Metropolitan area. She has developed, as well as collaborated on, departmental protocols for sexually transmitted infections, women’s health and medication distribution, and is actively engaged in the Detroit Stroke Coalition and Feonix transportation initiative.
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Thomas Hancock, Pharm.D., of Detroit, is a pharmacy team leader at Meijer in Royal Oak. He previously worked as a pharmacy intern and pharmacist at Rite Aid. He joined MPA in 2015 as a student at the University of Michigan, from which he earned a bachelor's degree in neuroscience and his Pharm.D.
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Chris Wolfinger, Pharm.D., of Dimondale, is a clinical pharmacy specialist and pharmacy manager at Ascension Pharmacy in Lansing. He started his pharmacy career with Rite Aid as an intern and pharmacist for four years before moving over to Ascension, which has recently become part of the Henry Ford Health System. He has more than 13 years of experience in community and psychiatric pharmacy. He completed the Health Professional Leadership Academy through the Michigan Pharmacy Foundation in 2024, and is on track to complete his executive MBA from the Valar Institute at Quantic School of Business and Technology in October 2025. Wolfinger works with the various clinical programs at Community Mental Health (CMH) along with the residential teams to care for a diverse population of patients needing psychiatric, substance abuse and primary care treatment. He is currently a board trustee of the Michigan Pharmacy Foundation, chairing the events committee.
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Board of Pharmacy Advances General Rules
with Some Modifications
On Oct. 15, the Board of Pharmacy met and considered modifications made to the proposed General Rules and Continuing Education Rules by the Rules Workgroup. The Workgroup had met earlier last month to consider the public comments made on the rules.
The revisions to the general rules, in particular, have been highly anticipated as they codify the training requirements for pharmacists to deliver independent immunization and test-to-treat services under Senate Bill 219 of 2023 and authority to prescribe hormonal contraceptives under House Bill 5436 of 2024. Once these rules are finalized, pharmacists will be able to implement the practices granted by these scope expansion bills.
The following changes were approved by the Board during the Oct. 15 meeting:
Pharmacist Continuing Education Rules
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R 338.3044(a) – Modified language on acceptable forms of training to to include “A continuing education sponsoring organization, institution, or individual approved by the ACPE, including non-ACPE accredited providers engaging in joint Providership with ACPE accredited providers.”
Pharmacy General Rules
- R 338.507 – Added the ability for a delegate of a health professional to obtain and document consent to receive telehealth services.
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R 338.581 & 338.581b – Clarified that acceptable training for immunization deliver and hormonal contraception prescribing can be deliver through an entity or course accredited by ACPE.
- R338.591c (Hormonal Contraceptive Prescribing):
- Eliminated the requirement to refer a patient if a pharmacist does not issue a prescription for hormonal contraception.
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Clarified that a written record of prescribed contraceptive includes “An electronic record accessible to the patient.”
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Clarifies that “A pharmacist issuing a prescription for a contraceptive shall either: (i) Dispense the contraceptive as soon as practicable,” or “(ii) Transmit the prescription to a pharmacy of the patient’s choice for dispensing, if requested.”
The remainder of the rules will be modified according to the originally proposed language.
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Our partner, Pharmacists Mutual, is pleased to offer the Community Pharmacy Scholarship for pharmacy students. This program reflects Pharmacists Mutual’s commitment to supporting independent community pharmacies and underserved communities.
Eligibility:
- P3 or P4 student in the 2026-2027 academic year
- Intend to practice in an independent or small chain community pharmacy, or an underserved geographic or cultural community (preferably in an independent or small chain setting)
Deadline: Dec. 1, 2025
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Brittany Stewart
RD, Pharm.D., Associate Professor (Clinical)
MSCP President-Elect
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Employer: Wayne State University Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (EACPHS)
MPA Member Since: Pharmacist member since 2016, student pharmacist member 2005-2009
Describe Your Role/Day in the Life: A day in the life of academia is never the same, challenging at times, extremely rewarding most of the time and I absolutely love it! I always say that I am lucky to have my dream job and to get to teach the best student pharmacists. Depending on the semester, you will find me teaching some of my favorite topics such as: self-care, over-the-counter patient counseling, medication therapy management, immunizations, or any community-pharmacy related topic. As the community experiential coordinator, I love working with students and preceptors to optimize student experiential learning experiences. The research projects that I am working on right now include collaborating with Ferris State University, the University of Michigan and Meijer Pharmacy to implement a statewide mental health screening project let by student pharmacists, a pharmacist-led smoking cessation program offered through the Wayne Health mobile health units in Detroit, and several projects evaluating interprofessional education initiatives. I serve on academic committees at Wayne State and as the chapter advisor for the WSU student chapter of APhA-ASP. Most days consist of several meetings and checking lots of emails and I wouldn’t change it for the world!
Why You’re an MPA Member: I first joined MPA as a WSU student pharmacist in 2005 and I wanted the opportunity to build relationships and network with future pharmacist colleagues. One of my most memorable student events was the first MPA Annual Convention & Exposition banquet I attended in 2007. Now more than 15 years later, as a practitioner and educator, I have found my professional home with MPA and truly value the opportunities, networking, and experiences that are afforded to me through this amazing organization. I tell every Wayne State University student pharmacist that they should be a member of MPA. Furthermore, every pharmacist in the state of Michigan should be an MPA member. Just remember – “If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu.”
Recent Accomplishments: Our team is finishing the second year of our project entitled ACHIEVE-Cessation: A Pharmacist-led Smoking Cessation Program Utilizing Mobile Health Units in Detroit. As the principal investigator, I have worked closely with co-investigator Dr. Pia-Allison Roa, PharmD at Wayne Health to carry out the project. We are looking forward to disseminating our successful results!
In August 2024, I received the Faculty Research Award Program (FRAP) in the amount of $10,000 from EACPHS to Increase Mental Health Care Access Through a Community Pharmacy-Based Intervention in collaboration with Meijer, Ferris State University and U-M. This project is currently in progress.
In October 2024, I was awarded the EACPHS faculty recognition research award at the college research day. Thank you to my dream team of students for the nomination.
In March 2025 I received the APhA-ASP Outstanding Chapter Advisor Award that was presented at the APhA 2025 annual meeting in Nashville. A special thank you to Shannon Habba, Pharm.D., for leading that nomination.
In April 2025, I was selected for the MPA Hall of Honor and most recently, I am extremely excited to share I was elected to serve as the president-elect for the MSCP Board of Directors!
In August 2025 i was promoted to associate professor (clinical) at EACPHS.
How MPA Has Helped You Achieve Any Accomplishments: Working with MPA has allowed me to fulfill my passion to advocate for the profession, advance community practice in the state of Michigan, and to continue to educate Wayne State students about the importance of moving pharmacy forward in Michigan. For example, serving on the professional affairs committee and the Michigan Society of Community Pharmacist board of directors has expanded my professional network immensely and given me opportunities I would have never had otherwise. I look forward to many more opportunities to come in the future with MPA, THANK YOU to all the staff and members of MPA who have made it truly feel like home!
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Pharmacy Technician
Immunization Training
Live Webinar – Nov. 12, Noon-1:30 p.m.
Mixed Format - Self Study Required
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APhA Pharmacy-based
Immunization Training
– Q4 Live Webinar
Live Webinar – Nov. 19, 9-11 a.m.
Mixed Format - Self Study Required
| | Hotel Booking and Call for Proposals Open for ACE 2026 | | |
Hotel booking is now available for the 2026 Annual Convention & Exposition, which will take place April 17-29, 2026, at the Lansing Center in Lansing.
MPA has reserved a room block at the DoubleTree by Hilton, 111 N. Grand Ave. To make a room reservation, visit the DoubleTree site and complete the steps below:
- Once you select the room type, complete the Hotel Booking Form.
- For date adjustment needs, please change the Check-in and Check-out date box at the top of site.
- The booking form will ask for the guest details and email address.
- The secure payment option is the section of the booking form that holds your credit card details. Input your credit card information.
- Once you have completed this step click the “Make Reservation” button and your reservation will be sent immediately to the hotel.
To make a room reservation by phone, call 1-833-904-2206 and reservations can assist with securing rooms. It is important that each of your guests identify themselves as part of the MPA's Annual Convention & Exposition 2026 group and provide reservations under the code “RDX” to receive the discounted group rate. Please ensure your reservations are made before the cutoff date of March 17, 2026.
Call for Proposals Open
MPA is now accepting continuing education program proposals for the Annual Convention. All program submissions must have a patient-focused care component and be designed for pharmacists and/or pharmacy technicians in all practice settings.
In an effort to create a convention with more interaction between the presenter and participant, we encourage programs that contain at least one of the following: question and answer segment, open forum, and illustration and/or physical interaction. We are also emphasizing programs focusing on patient-centered care or specific disease states.
Note that each session will be 60 minutes. This is a change from previous conventions, which were 90 minute-sessions.
Please click the button below and complete the proposal form in its entirety. Proposals will be accepted until Nov. 14, 2025. Chosen proposals will be notified by the end of December 2025.
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Renew Your Membership Now for 2026
The end of the year is approaching fast – if you haven't renewed your MPA membership for 2026, that means your benefits are set to expire Dec. 31!
Don't hesitate and renew now by visiting the membership section of the MPA website. With membership in MPA you receive a plethora of benefits, including:
- Discounted continuing education, including registration to marquee CE events such as the Annual Convention & Exposition, the Law and Policy Symposium and the MSHP Annual meeting.
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Free subscription to MPA publications such as PRN and the Michigan Pharmacist journal.
- Complimentary membership to a local association and practice section – Michigan is one of just a few states that offer this!
- Access to MPA's government affairs team, providing you a direct line to legislators deciding key issues in the profession.
- Access to practice resources and tools on the MPA website, and more!
MPA's strength comes from you, its members, so renew now and make your voice heard!
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