2024–2025 Healthcare Policy Fellow Mikayla Harris, Pharm.D., on Capitol Hill with Senator Murkowski (R-AK)

Mikayla Harris, Pharm.D., joined the office of Sen. Lisa Murkowski as the 2024–2025 American College of Clinical Pharmacy-American Society of Health-System Pharmacists-Virginia Commonwealth University (ACCP/ASHP/VCU) Congressional Healthcare Policy Fellow.

Senator Murkowski has served the people of Alaska in the Senate since 2002, where she has earned a reputation for her ability to work collaboratively and across the aisle to reach effective policy outcomes.

For policy issues directly affecting the clinical pharmacy profession, Senator Murkowski serves on the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee and as vice chair of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. She also holds a powerful position on the Senate Appropriations Committee.

About the Fellow Program

The 14-month fellow program, the only one of its kind in the nation, is a joint initiative led by the Government Affairs teams at ACCP and ASHP and the faculty at the VCU School of Pharmacy. The program provides active mentorship and hands-on experience within Congress and offers fellows a unique opportunity to serve as a staff member in Congress to develop skills in issue prioritization, policy, legislation evaluation, research, writing, and advocacy.

During their congressional placement, fellows are typically responsible for researching and writing briefs on health care issues, assisting with policy analyses, and drafting memoranda, floor speeches, and questions for panelists at congressional hearings, as well as planning, organizing, and contributing to the senator or representative’s office policy and management issues for the year.

Alumni Fellows

After their service in the program, past fellows have gone on to engage in a variety of important roles in health care policy and government:

• Amanda Ferguson, Pharm.D., went on to serve as Health Legislative Assistant in the office of Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE)
• Tatiana Bujnoch, Pharm.D., M.S., BCPS, currently serves as Health Equity and Policy Associate at Morgan Health
• Rita (Habib) Livadas, Pharm.D., currently serves as Director, Global Public Health, Life Sciences at Becton, Dickinson and Co.

Applications for 2025–2026 Pharmacy Healthcare Policy Fellow Program

Interested candidates should visit the pharmacy Congressional Healthcare Policy Fellow Program website for more information and instructions on submitting an application. For more information, click here.