What, Why & How

On this episode of IPA’s What, Why & How podcast, Kate Gainer welcomes Iowa pharmacist and State Representative Brett Barker, PharmD, to discuss his public service leading up to the Iowa Legislature, why it’s important for pharmacists to serve in elected office, and how pharmacy professionals can get involved at the local, state or national level.

Representative Brett Barker serves the people of Story and Marshall Counties in District 51. Rep. Barker serves as Vice Chair of the Health and Human Services Committee and on the Commerce, Economic Growth and Technology, and Natural Resources Standing Committees.

Representative Barker graduated from the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy in 2008 and began his career as the Pharmacy Manager of NuCara Pharmacy in Nevada, Iowa. He currently serves as Vice President of Operations for NuCara Management Group. Rep. Barker was appointed to the Iowa Board of Pharmacy in 2017 by Governor Terry Branstad. In 2010, Rep. Barker joined the Nevada City Council before being elected Mayor in 2017. Rep. Barker, his wife, Tracy, and their five children continue to call Nevada home.

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On this episode of IPA’s What, Why & How podcast, Kate Gainer welcomes IPA lobbyists Matt Eide and Kate Walton to discuss pharmacy’s top priorities, tips for engaging with your legislators, and more. Pharmacy Day on the Hill attendees are encouraged to listen to this episode before February 5, 2025.

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On this episode of IPA’s What, Why & How podcast, Kate Gainer welcomes Kyle Robb, PharmD, BCPS, Director of State Policy & Advocacy at ASHP, and Anna Legreid​​​​ Dopp, PharmD, CPHQ, Senior Director of Government Relations at ASHP, to discuss ASHP’s top priorities and what’s happening at the federal level.

Kyle Robb, PharmD, BCPS, currently serves as Director of State Policy & Advocacy at the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP). Kyle supports ASHP members and State Affiliates as they seek to advance the practice of pharmacy through engagement with state government. He is an alumnus of the Virginia Commonwealth University/American College of Clinical Pharmacy/American Society of Health-System Pharmacists Congressional Health Care Policy Fellow Program and served as a Health Policy Fellow on the staff of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions. Prior to working in policy, Kyle was a pharmacist at the University of Virginia Health System.

Anna Legreid Dopp, PharmD, CPHQ, currently serves as Senior Director, Government Relations at the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP). Previously, Anna served as Director of Clinical Guidelines and Quality Improvement at ASHP. Prior to this role, she served as Vice President of Public Affairs for the Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin (PSW) while practicing as a clinical pharmacist at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics. She also served as a Pharmacy Benefit Consultant with WEA Trust in Madison, WI and a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Pharmacy. Anna received her Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy and served as a Congressional Health Policy Fellow with the United States Senate.

Resources from today’s episode:

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On this episode of IPA’s What, Why & How podcast, Kate Gainer welcomes pharmacy colleagues from Idaho and Alaska to share what standard of care means in their respective states and how this regulatory framework allows pharmacists to better care for their patients.

To Learn More: Standard of Care Resources | Standard of Care Symposium (February 22, 2025)

Jennifer Adams, PharmD, EdD, a graduate of Boise State University, Idaho State University and The George Washington University, is currently employed as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at Idaho State University. Her previous experience includes working in hospital and community pharmacy settings, as well as at the American Pharmacists Association (APhA), helping student pharmacists develop as professionals and leaders in the profession. Dr. Adams also served for nearly 10 years as the Senior Student Affairs Advisor at the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP), providing leadership and oversight for national student affairs activities and recruitment.

Nicki Chopski earned her PharmD from Idaho State University College of Pharmacy in 1997. In 2007, as a hospital pharmacist, Nicki was appointed to the Idaho Board of Pharmacy, serving for 12 years before becoming its Executive Director in 2019. In her current role as Bureau Chief of Health Professions for the Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses, she serves as the Executive Officer for the Boards of Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy.

Brandy Seignemartin, PharmD, Executive Director of the Alaska Pharmacy Association and Clinical Assistant Professor at the UAA ISU Doctor of Pharmacy Program, has a longstanding commitment to advancing the pharmacy profession. A graduate of The Washington State University College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Dr. Seignemartin’s passion for advocacy took root during her time as a student pharmacist, where she successfully led the passage of legislation in the Washington State legislature allowing interprofessional precepting between nursing, pharmacy, and medicine. In her academic role, Dr. Seignemartin is dedicated to mentoring the next generation of pharmacists, receiving the Most Influential Faculty Award in 2024.

Ashley Schaber, PharmD, MBA, BCPS, is currently the Chair of the Alaska Board of Pharmacy. She graduated pharmacy school from the University of Georgia in 2006, completed a pharmacy practice residency, and has worked in health system pharmacy since 2007. She is board certified in Pharmacotherapy and holds her Master’s of Business Administration with a focus on healthcare.

On this episode of IPA’s What, Why & How podcast, Kate Gainer welcomes Abby Cate, PharmD, Pharmacy Director at Iowa Medicaid, to discuss pharmacy provider status and pharmacist enrollment.

Dr. Abby Cate is the Pharmacy Consultant for Iowa Medicaid. Abby has vast pharmacy experience with positions held in hospital, community, specialty and managed care pharmacy areas. Prior to her role at Iowa Medicaid, Abby served on the Iowa Medicaid Pharmaceuticals and Therapeutics Committee for two years. She graduated with a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy in 2015 and received her Bachelor of Business Administration in Management and Organizations from Iowa’s Tippie College of Business. Abby is an active member of different community organizations as well as the Iowa Pharmacy Association. She enjoys spending her free time with her family—husband, Joe, and three children, Will, Audrey and Ben—as well as volunteering as her kids’ soccer coach, being a homeroom parent, and cheering on the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Resources from today’s episode:

• Fee Schedules Index

Provider Enrollment Toolkit

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• Kate Gainer

On this episode of IPA’s What, Why & How podcast, Kate Gainer welcomes Anne Schlepphorst, Executive Director of the Iowa Board of Pharmacy, to discuss her many roles within the Department of Inspections, Appeals, & Licensing (DIAL), as well as the timeline for the new Board of Pharmacy rules pursuant to Governor Reynolds’ Executive Order #10 and HF 555.

Anne Schlepphorst serves as the Executive Director of the Iowa Board of Pharmacy, Interim Executive Director of the Iowa Board of Nursing, and Monitoring Bureau Chief. In addition to serving the Boards of Pharmacy and Nursing, Anne truly enjoys spending time working with staff to provide some of the best professional health programming in the country for health professionals struggling with mental health, substance abuse, and/or health-related impairments. Anne has worked with the boards for the past six years and was most recently the Chief Investigator for the Iowa Boards of Pharmacy and Medicine. When not working, Anne and her husband spend most of their time at the baseball field, hockey rink, wrestling mat, or football field watching their 10- and 14-year-old boys.

Resources from today’s episode:

• Published August 7: Iowa Administrative Bulletin: Regulatory Analysis – 481 Iowa Administrative Code Chapters 550-557 (new Iowa Board of Pharmacy rules, proposed)

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• Kate Gainer

On this episode of IPA’s What, Why & How podcast, Seth Brown welcomes Representative John Forbes, RPh, District 44, to discuss the outcome of the 2024 Legislative Session and IPA’s continued efforts toward our legislative priorities.

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Watch for the next episode of the What, Why & How podcast on the third Friday of the month. Subscribe today so you don’t miss an episode!

On this episode of IPA’s What, Why & How podcast, Seth Brown welcomes Andria Seip, J.D., M.S., Senior Health Policy Specialist with the Iowa Insurance Division (IID), to discuss the data collected through PBM complaints by Iowa pharmacists and IID’s focus going forward.

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• Seth Brown

Watch for the next episode of the What, Why & How podcast on the third Friday of the month. Subscribe today so you don’t miss an episode!

On this episode of IPA’s What, Why & How podcast, Seth Brown welcomes IPA lobbyist Kate Walton of Eide-Walton Lobbying and Government Relations. Kate describes the current makeup of the Iowa Legislature as we head into the 2024 Legislative Session.

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• Seth Brown

Watch for the next episode of the What, Why & How podcast on the third Friday of the month. Subscribe today so you don’t miss an episode!

For the final episode of 2023, IPA’s Seth Brown welcomes Michael Baxter, Vice President of Federal Government Affairs at the American Pharmacists Association (APhA), to discuss direct and indirect remuneration (DIR) fees and the Medicare Part D Final Rule going into effect January 1, 2024.